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Description
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Inside the Carolingian Crusade: Louis II of Italy and his war in southern Italy, 865-874.
In the year 865, Louis II, emperor of the Frankish empire since 850 and ruler of the kingdom of Italy since 840, started the biggest military project of his reign: an expedition to southern Italy. This region had been contested between two Lombard principalities, several post-Byzantine city-states, the Byzantine Empire proper, and, finally, Muslim groups (called Saracens in the sources) from northern Africa and Sicily for decades. Louis’ goal was to drive the Muslims from the Italian mainland and in due course to unite the region under his overlordship. It took long to accomplish the first big objective of the campaign, but in February 871 the city of Bari, for nearly 30 years capital of a growing, largely independent emirate, could be taken. In this situation, Louis was even in the position to send a long haughty and programmatic letter to his imperial counterpart in the east, Basil I. However, his ambitions were thwarted shortly thereafter, when he became the target of a conjuration of southern potentates. His imprisonment in Benevento led to chaos and the Franks and their allies had to abandon the siege of Taranto. After his release from captivity, he resumed his war in the south in 872, first repelling a large Saracen army coming directly from Kairouan. In the coming year, he tried to take revenge on rebellious Benevento, but was held off by a Byzantine army. As a consequence, he had to abandon his plans for the South in 874. He could not resume them due to his untimely death in the coming year.
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