Louis III of France

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Louis III (863/65 – 5 August 882) was King of West Francia from 879 to 882. He was the eldest son of Louis II the Stammerer and Ansgarde of Burgundy. Because his parents’ marriage was disputed, his claim to the throne was questioned early on.

When his grandfather Charles the Bald died in 877 and his father Louis II died in 879, Louis III became king. He was crowned in September 879 at Ferrières Abbey. To avoid a civil war, he and his younger brother Carloman II agreed in 880 to rule different parts of the kingdom: Louis would govern Neustria (the western part) and Carloman Aquitaine.

Louis fought against Boso, Duke of Provence, but the war had mixed results. In 880 they also agreed to give East Francia the western part of Lotharingia. The brothers campaigned against Boso in 880–81, capturing Mâcon and parts of Provence, but failing to take Vienne.

Viking raids grew at this time. In August 881 the brothers surprised the Vikings at Saucourt-en-Vimeu and killed about 9,000 attackers, a major victory that made Louis a national hero in songs and poems.

Louis III died suddenly on 5 August 882 at Saint-Denis, reportedly in an accident while chasing a girl. He left no children, so Carloman II became the sole king of West Francia. Louis’s death ended the brief split in the kingdom, and he was remembered as a popular and energetic ruler. He was buried in the Basilica of Saint-Denis.