e episcopate against his
unruly nobles, for he chose his councillors for preference from among
the higher clergy, as in the case of Guenelon of Sens, who betrayed him,
or of Hincmar of Reims. But his character and his reign have been judged
very variously. The general tendency seems to have been to accept too
easily the accounts of the chroniclers of the east Frankish kingdom,
which are favourable to Louis the German, and to accuse Charles of
cowardice and bad faith. He seems on the contrary not to have lacked
activity or decision.

AUTHORITIES.--The most important authority for the history of
Charles's reign is represented by the _Annales Bertiniani_, which were
the work of Prudentius, bishop of Troyes, up to 861, then up to 882 of
the celebrated Hincmar, archbishop of Reims. This prince's charters
are to be found published in the collections of the _Academie des
Inscriptions_, by M.M. Prou. The most complete history of the reign
is found in E. Dummler, _Geschichte des ostfrankischen Reiches_ (3
vols., Leipzig, 1887-1888). See also J. Calmette, _La Diplomatie
carolingienne du traite de Verdun a la mort de Charles le Chauve_
(Paris, 1901), and F. Lot, "Une Annee du regne de Charles le Chauve,"
in _Le Moyen-Age_, (1902) pp. 393-438.

FOOTNOTE:

[1] For Charles I., Roman emperor, see CHARLEMAGNE; cf. under Charles
I. of France below.

CHARLES III., THE FAT[1] (832-888), Roman emperor and king of the West
Franks, was the youngest of the three sons of Louis the German, and
received from his father the kingdom of Swabia (Alamannia). After the
death of his two brothers in succession, Carloman (881) and Louis the
Young (882), he inherited the whole of his father's dominions. In 880 he
had helped his two cousins in the west Frankish realm, Louis III. and
Carloman, in their struggle with the usurper Boso of Provence, but
abandoned them during the campaign in order to be crowned emperor at
Rome by Pope John VIII. (February 881). On his return he led an
expedition against the Norsemen of Friesland, who were entrenched in
their camp at Elsloo, but instead of engaging with them he preferred to
make terms and paid them tribute. In 884 the death of Carloman brought
into his possession the west Frankish realm, and in 885 he got rid of
his rival Hugh of Alsace, an illegitimate son of Lothair II., taking him
prisoner by treachery and putting out his eyes. However, in spite of his
six expeditions i