| Odo | |
|---|---|
 Image of the coronation of Odo of France from theGrandes Chroniques de France (13th century) | |
| King of West Francia | |
| Reign | 888–898 |
| Coronation | February 888, Compiègne |
| Predecessor | Charles the Fat |
| Successor | Charles the Simple |
| Born | c. 857[1] |
| Died | 1 January 898 (aged c. 41) La Fère, West Francia |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Théodrate of Troyes (m. 882) |
| House | Robertian |
| Father | Robert the Strong |
| Mother | N. sister of count Adalhelm, orAdelaide of Tours |
Odo (French:Eudes; c. 857 – 1 January 898), also known asOdo of Paris, was King ofWest Francia from 888 to 898. He was the first king from theRobertian dynasty, the parent house of theHouse of Capet. Before assuming the kingship, Odo was theCount of Paris, since 882. His reign marked the definitive separation of West Francia from theCarolingian Empire, which would never be reunited.[2][3]
Odo was the eldest son ofRobert the Strong (d. 866),Duke of the Franks,Margrave of Neustria, andCount of Anjou. Regarding the identity of Odo's mother, chroniclerRegino of Prüm (d. 915) stated that count Adalhelm was Odo's maternal uncle (Latin:avunculus), meaning that Odo's mother was count Adalhelm's sister. On the other side, some researchers have proposed that Odo's father Robert was married toAdelaide of Tours,[4][5] but those suggestions are not universally acknowledged in scholarly literature,[6] since it was shown that they were based on some misunderstandings in the Chronicle of St-Bénigne.[7][8]
At the time of his father's death at theBattle of Brissarthe in 866, Odo and his brotherRobert were still young, and thus kingCharles the Bald appointedHugh the Abbot (d. 886) to govern over counties previously held by Robert the Strong.[9] Since 882, Odo was theCount of Paris,[10] and gained prominence during the reign ofCharles the Fat (884–887).[11] Odo was also thelay abbot of St. Martin of Tours.[12][13]
In 882 or 883 Odo marriedThéodrate of Troyes.[14] The eleventh-century chroniclerAdémar de Chabannes wrote that they had a son, Arnoul (c.882–898)[citation needed], who died shortly after his father. Guy is named as one of the couple's children in anAlan I's charter dated 28 August 903, but genealogistChristian Settipani has argued that the document is false.[15]The genealogical workEuropäische Stammtafeln refers to Raoul as a son of Odo by Théodrate, but its primary source is not known.
In July of 885 a large army of Northmen sailed down theSeine and arrived at Paris on 24 November. After failed negotiations, they attempted to overrun the city in an assault, but as Odo and BishopJoscelin, had refortified Paris in the last few years, they were unsuccessful. A siege thentook place.[16] Odo and Joscelin defended Paris but after the bishop died on 16 April, Odo launched a sortie to break out and seek aid. Charles sent his commanderHenry of Alemmania to relieve the defenders, but he died in the attempt.[17][18] Charles paid off the Vikings to move onto Burgundy.[18]
There's significant evidence to suggest that Odo's rise was not in opposition to Charles, but instead as a result of his alignment with the emperor.[18] Odo visited Charles' court, received confirmation of his lands, and was viewed as a loyal and capable subordinate. In addition, he was well-connected in the region, where many of his father's supporters lay.[18][19]
Emperor Charles' position rapidly deteriorated through 887, and he was deposed at the end of the year by a revolt led byArnulf of Carinthia, who was elected as the King ofEast Francia.[20] His death created a power vacuum in the Carolingian empire that led to the rise of kings in East Francia,Provence,Upper Burgundy, andItaly.[20] Odo had demonstrated bravery and skill during the Siege of Paris, and had now inherited the property of both BishopJoscelin of Paris andHugh the Abbot. He held military command of Neustria and three lay abbacies.[21] Odo was chosen by the West Frankish nobles to be their king.[22] He was crowned atCompiègne in February 888 byWalter, Archbishop of Sens.[23]
Fulk, theArchbishop of Reims, attempted to resist Odo and invitedGuy of Spoleto to take the crown, but he had little success. Fulk sought Arnulf, but as he considered this offer Odo decisively defeated a viking force atMontfaucon,[18] which caused Arnulf to switch his support over to Odo.[24] Odo met with Arnulf and entered into his protection, receiving recognition of his rule.[24]
Odo successfully won over many of the magnates through both promises and threats, although he ended the Carolingian policy of giving away the royalfisc, and failed to fully integrate them into his government.[25][24] As he consolidated his position, he organized a second coronation in November, atReims, and compelled Fulk to submit to him for a second time.[25][26] Odo defeated the vikings again at Clermont, and in a battle on the River Allier his standard bearer was killed, though he still won.[27] It seems that Fulk's faction at this point remained quite weak.[26]Ranulf (or Ramnulf) ofAquitaine submitted by 889.[28]
Odo's power was constrained outside of his family landholdings. He was rarely outside of Northern France, and one of his charters issued inAquitaine was made on the condition ofthe count's consent.[25] He was still the last ruler of West Francia for three centuries to take any interest in Aquitaine.[29] In 890 Odo granted special privileges to theCounty of Manresa inOsona.[30] Odo'shonores had been much of the reason that he was able to attain the throne, and upon his accession he gave his brother,Robert, the majority of them.[31] Robert became Count of Paris,Count of Poitiers, and became well-connected in Neustria.[27] After 892, he would almost monopolise control of Odo's court due to defections and deaths of other members.[32] Although, he soon lost Poitiers to Odo's kinsman Altmar of Poitiers, who later reconciled with Odo. Nevertheless, Altmar, Robert, as well as CountHucbald of Senlis, were close to the king and could owe much of their wealth to their connections to him.[33]
After 890, with the initial phase of consolidation largely complete, the number of diplomas issued by Odo dropped.[34] There had been a kingdom-wide assembly in 889 at Orléans, but in subsequent councils in the early 890s the rate of attendance dropped.[34] For the next few years, Odo and Fulk appeared to have cooperated, helped by the king's attempts at appeasement.[35] Fulk gave political and ecclesiastical aid to the king, and received Odo's support in kind.[36]
It was not until 892 that a significant force in favor of Charles arose, which contacted Archbishop Fulk seeking his support.[37] It included Odo's old allyHerbert of Vermandois (who defected back to him in 896), BishopAnscharic of Paris, and his motherAdelaide.[38] Their opposition probably stemmed from a mix of genuine support for Charles (in the case of his mother), opposition to Odo, or opportunity for political advancement.[39]
Meanwhile, Odo's political situation began to weaken in southern France, as when he granted Poitiers to Altmar, a revolt broke out. Odo reneged on his decision and granted Poitiers to Robert, but then back to Altmar.[40]Ebalus Manzer, the son ofRamnulf II, revolted alongside his relative Abbot Ebolus of St.Germain due to this. Odo was too distracted to fight them effectively.[41][40] Also in 892,Baldwin II of Flanders who had earlier opposed Odo but been pacified, revolted again over the abbey of St. Germain.[42][40] Odo recaptured Laon, seized by Baldwin, executed his ally Walter, and was assisted in the revolt by Fulk, who threatened the margrave (rather than count) with excommunication.[36]
By now, Odo had lost the symbolic capital from his victories and was handicapped by his lack of blood-claim to the throne.[43] It was finally in 893 which Fulk chose to coronate the 14-year-old Charles the Simple at Reims.[44] They were supported byPope Formosus, who with Fulk attempted to rally international support for Charles.[45] A war broke out, and the rival parties marched armies against each other, but left without fighting.[46] Odo won a surprise attack in the Autumn that forced Fulk onto the backfoot, and then besieged Fulk's faction at Reims.
Fulk was forced to seek support from Arnulf, who recognized the young Charles as king in 894, probably to ensure the safety of his lands in Lotharingia and secure Charles' submission.[29][47] The Lotharingian troops sent by Arnulf to support Charles were largely ineffectual, many being politically allied with Odo.[48] In 895, Arnulf invited both Charles and Odo to his court. Odo went, but Charles' supporters only sent a letter, and thus Arnulf conferred his support back onto the Robertian. After realising his mistake, Fulk went as damage control, but on the way was caught by Odo and barely managed to escape, his ally Adalung being killed.[49] Later the same year,Zwentibold was appointed by his father asKing of Lotharingia. Promised part of West Francia, he invaded in favor of Fulk and seized Laon, but the coalition soon broke down and he left.[50]
Odo had retained control of the whole of West Francia, and was effectively militarily victorious, but after lengthy negotiations he agreed to cede part of the realm to him in 896.[51] More defections followed from Charles' side, including the aforementioned one of Herbert, but a definitive peace was established soon afterwards, in which Odo made Charles his successor to the kingdom.[51][52] Odo died inLa Fère on 1 January 898, succeeded by Charles.[a][29]
A character namedCount Odo is portrayed by Owen Roe[53] in the 2013History Channel seriesVikings. This fictional Odo actually saves Paris from a Viking attack, but is killed before ever succeeding in becoming king.[54]
Count Odo appears inThe Siege of Paris, the second expansion to the 2020 video gameAssassin's Creed Valhalla.[55]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Odo, king of the Franks".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 4–5.
Media related toOdo of France at Wikimedia Commons| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | King of West Francia 888–898 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Count of Paris 882–888 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Margrave of Neustria 886–888 | |
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