I
known as Louis the Pious
born April 16, 778, Chasseneuil, near Poitiers, Aquitaine
died June 20, 840, Petersau, an island in the Rhine River near Ingelheim
Frankish emperor (814–40).
The son of Charlemagne , he was crowned coemperor with his father in 813 and became emperor in 814 on his father's death. As emperor, Louis implemented important religious and cultural reforms and formalized Carolingian relations with the pope. He also introduced a plan of succession that sought to preserve the integrity of the empire while respecting the Germanic tradition of dividing the realm among all heirs. The birth of the future Charles II (Charles the Bald) to his second wife, Judith, and alteration of the plan of succession provided Louis's older sons and a number of bishops with an excuse for rebellion. Twice deposed by his sons, he recovered the throne each time (830, 834), but at his death his surviving sons indulged in a bloody civil war that left the Carolingian empire in disarray.
II
or Ludwig I
born Aug. 25, 1786, Strasbourg, France
died Feb. 29, 1868, Nice
King of Bavaria (1825–48).
The son of Maximilian I , Louis won early acclaim as a liberal and a German nationalist, but after his accession he feuded with the Diet and came to distrust all democratic institutions. By 1837 the reactionary Bavarian government had begun to erode the liberal constitution of 1818 that Louis had worked to establish. An outstanding patron of the arts, he collected the art works that fill Munich's museums and transformed Munich into the artistic centre of Germany. His planning created the city's present layout and classic style. He caused scandal by his affair with Revolutions of 1848 he abdicated in favour of his son Maximilian II .