What if Louis the Pious had only two heirs instead of 3, how would Carolingian realm be divided?

What if there was only a two part division, what would the two pieces be?

East and West Francia, most likely. Middle Francia is probably split between the two with one half getting Lombardy/the Cisalpine portion and the other getting Burgundy/the Transalpine portion. The mountains make a natural barrier, and off the top of my head I'd say West Francia gets the Cisalpine/Italy due to the greater security of its connection (Piedmont vs. Austria)
 
East and West Francia, most likely. Middle Francia is probably split between the two with one half getting Lombardy/the Cisalpine portion and the other getting Burgundy/the Transalpine portion. The mountains make a natural barrier, and off the top of my head I'd say West Francia gets the Cisalpine/Italy due to the greater security of its connection (Piedmont vs. Austria)

This would make the region more stable maybe
 
The Carolingian realm will most likely be split between West Francia (France + Aquitaine) and East Francia (Germany + Saxony) with Italy and most of Middle Francia going to whichever heir inherits the title of Emperor.
 
Verdun was about creating an equal split of provincial income, this is why Middle Francis is so thin since it holds the rich provinces along the Rhine and Rhone.
While the idea of West Francia including the Burgundies and Provence and East Francia including OTL Lotharingia fit (Italy being an Imperial possession) they could just cut them down the middle, allowing for the odd adjustment to connect both halves to Italy.
 

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Monthly Donor
Would a dividing line that lumped OTL's Lotharingia, Burgundy and West Francia in one grouping, and East France and Italy only the other produce pretty equal revenues? Or would it be giving too much to West Francia?

What POD are you looking for?

I'm looking more for the result, a two-way rather than three-way Verdun, so anything that results in one of Louis' historic heirs predeceasing Louis, while leaving no living heirs.

Anything from pneumonia to a fall from a horse to death in battle would do.
 
Would a dividing line that lumped OTL's Lotharingia, Burgundy and West Francia in one grouping, and East France and Italy only the other produce pretty equal revenues? Or would it be giving too much to West Francia?
Not really. Italy is more an Imperial possession so would mostly be left out of the division.
I say "mostly" as whoever gets the Imperial title likely gets second choice on provinces out of balance.
 
The most equal division would be West Francia & Burgundy and East Francia & Lotharingia. Alternatively a division like the OTL treaty of Meerssen could work, though under that scenario West Francia seems to be the richer half, but they would still lack the symbolically important town of Aachen/Aken/Aix-la-Chapelle.

OTOH if West Francia would end with Italy, then perhaps out of balance East Francia might get Lotharingia and Upper Burgundy, with West Francia-Italy only getting Lower Burgundy & Provence.
 
Top