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In medieval historiography, West Francia (Latin: ''Francia occidentalis'') or the Kingdom of the West Franks (''regnum Francorum occidentalium'') was the western part of Francia, inhabited and ruled by the Germanic Franks, and forms the earliest stage of the Kingdom of France, lasting from about 840 until 987. West Francia was formed out of the division of the Carolingian Empire〔The term "Francia", land of the Franks, was commonly used to refer to the empire. The ruling dynasty was Frankish, although its inhabitants were mostly non-Franks.〕 after the death of Emperor Louis the Pious, but the east–west division "gradually hardened into the establishment of separate kingdoms".〔Bradbury 2007, 21: "... division which gradually hardened into the establishment of separate kingdoms, notably East and West Francia, or what we can begin to call Germany and France."〕 West Francia extended further south than modern France, but it did not extend as far east, and did not include Lorraine, Alsace and Provence. In Brittany and Catalonia (now mostly a part of Spain) the authority of the West Frankish king was barely felt. Initially, West Frankish kings were elected by the secular and ecclesiastic magnates, and for the half-century between 888 and 936 they chose alternatingly from the Carolingian and Robertian houses.〔Lewis 1965, 179–80.〕 ==Formation== In August 843, after three years of civil war following the death of Louis the Pious on 20 June 840, the Treaty of Verdun was signed by his three sons and heirs. The youngest, Charles the Bald, received the western portion. The contemporary West Frankish ''Annales Bertiniani'' describes Charles arriving at Verdun, "where the distribution of portions" took place. After describing the portions of his brothers, Lothair the Emperor (Middle Francia) and Louis the German (East Francia), he notes that "the rest as far as Spain they ceded to Charles".〔''AB'' a. 843: ''ubi distributis portionibus'' ... ''cetera usque ad Hispaniam Carolo cesserunt''.〕 The ''Annales Fuldenses'' of East Francia describe Charles as holding the western part after the kingdom was "divided in three".〔''AF'' a. 843: ''in tres partes diviso ... Karolus vero occidentalem tenuit.〕 The last record in the ''Annales Bertiniani'' dates to 882, and so the only contemporary narrative source for the next eighteen years in West Francia is the ''Annales Vedastini''. The next set of original annals from the West Frankish kingdom are those of Flodoard, who began his account with the year 919.〔Koziol 2006, 357.〕 Since the death of King Pippin I of Aquitaine in December 838, his son had been recognised by the Aquitainian nobility as King Pippin II, although the succession had not been recognised by the emperor. Charles the Bald was at war with Pippin II from the start of his reign in 840, and the Treaty of Verdun ignored the claimant and assigned Aquitaine to Charles.〔''AF'' a. 843: ''Karolus Aquitaniam, quasi ad partem regni sui iure pertinentem, affectans ...'' ("Charles wanted Aquitaine, which belonged by right to a part of his kingdom").〕 Accordingly, in June 845, after several military defeats, Charles signed the Treaty of Benoît-sur-Loire and recognised his nephew's rule. This agreement lasted until 25 March 848, when the Aquitainian barons recognised Charles as king. Thereafter Charles's armies had the upper hand and by 849 had secured most of Aquitaine.〔Coupland 1989, 200–202.〕 In May, Charles had himself crowned "King of the Franks and Aquitainians" in Orléans. The coronation was officiated by Archbishop Wenilo of Sens, and included the first instance of royal unction in West Francia. The idea of anointing Charles may be owed to Archbishop Hincmar of Reims, who composed no less than four ''ordines'' describing appropriate liturgies for a royal consecration. By the time of the Synod of Quierzy (858), Hincmar was claiming that Charles was anointed to the entire West Frankish kingdom.〔Nelson 1977, 137–38.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「West Francia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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