[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":24},["ShallowReactive",2],{"zoom:p4ch23z3:en":3},{"period":4,"chapter":14,"zoom":17},{"id":5,"title":6,"titleEn":6,"titleEs":7,"range":8,"rangeEn":8,"rangeEs":8,"cover":9},"p4","Early Middle Ages","Alta Edad Media","476 → 987",{"fileName":10,"filePageUrl":11,"imageUrl":12,"sourceLabel":13},"François Louis Dejuinne 08265 baptême de CLovis.JPG","https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fran%C3%A7ois%20Louis%20Dejuinne%2008265%20bapt%C3%AAme%20de%20CLovis.JPG","/assets/p4-haut-moyen-age-cover.png","Wikimedia Commons",{"id":15,"title":16},"p4ch23","Lothair and Louis V: The End of the Carolingians (954–987)",{"id":18,"title":19,"chapterId":15,"html":20,"hasEn":21,"isFallback":22,"seoDescription":23},"p4ch23z3","978: Aachen and the Siege of Paris","\u003Cp>In \u003Cstrong>978\u003C/strong>, Lothair tries to overturn the balance: an expedition toward \u003Cstrong>Aachen\u003C/strong> aims to strike the Empire’s symbol and reopen the Lotharingian question.\u003C/p>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Ch2>🧭 A “Carolingian” offensive\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>Aachen is not an ordinary city: it embodies imperial memory. In \u003Cstrong>August 978\u003C/strong>, Lothair leads the expedition with \u003Cstrong>Henry of Burgundy\u003C/strong> and \u003Cstrong>Hugh Capet\u003C/strong>. He takes the city, but cannot capture \u003Cstrong>Otto II\u003C/strong> nor lay hands on \u003Cstrong>Charles\u003C/strong>. After several days of plunder around the palace, the army withdraws.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Chroniclers stress a highly symbolic gesture: the \u003Cstrong>bronze eagle\u003C/strong> atop the palace is reoriented “toward the east”, as if sending the threat back to Saxon land.\u003C/p>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Ch2>🛡️ Otto II’s response: pressure on the kingdom’s core\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>In \u003Cstrong>October 978\u003C/strong>, \u003Cstrong>Otto II\u003C/strong>, accompanied by \u003Cstrong>Charles\u003C/strong>, invades West Francia and ravages the regions of \u003Cstrong>Reims\u003C/strong>, \u003Cstrong>Soissons\u003C/strong>, and \u003Cstrong>Laon\u003C/strong>. The move is political: at \u003Cstrong>Laon\u003C/strong>, Charles is proclaimed king by a bishop aligned with the imperial camp. Lothair flees as the enemy advances on \u003Cstrong>Paris\u003C/strong>.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Defence rests on a coalition: \u003Cstrong>Hugh Capet’s\u003C/strong> army holds the city. On \u003Cstrong>30 November 978\u003C/strong>, unable to take Paris, Otto and Charles lift the siege and retreat. The royal host pursues them, retakes \u003Cstrong>Laon\u003C/strong>, and forces the emperor back east, taking with him the “imposed” king he failed to install durably.\u003C/p>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Ch2>🧠 Key takeaways\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>978 is a duel of symbols: Aachen, then Paris.\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>War is also a war of legitimacy: proclaiming a rival king attacks the state.\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Paris’s defence makes Hugh Capet an indispensable pillar.\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n",true,false,"In 978 , Lothair tries to overturn the balance: an expedition toward Aachen aims to strike the Empire’s symbol and reopen the Lotharingian question.",1778543124363]