843 CE
The Treaty of Verdun divided the Carolingian Empire among Charlemagne's three grandsons, creating the political foundations of what would eventually become France, Germany, and the contested lands between them.
Politics & Power
- The Treaty of Verdun in August divided the Carolingian Empire among the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious: Charles the Bald received West Francia (roughly modern France), Louis the German received East Francia (roughly modern Germany), and Lothair I received the Middle Kingdom stretching from the Low Countries to Italy along with the imperial title.
- The division reflected both the Frankish tradition of partible inheritance and the growing linguistic and cultural divergence between the Romance-speaking west and the Germanic-speaking east of the former empire.
- The Middle Kingdom of Lothair, a long narrow strip of territory from the North Sea to central Italy, would prove politically unstable and become a perennial zone of conflict between its neighbors for centuries to come.
Climate & Environment
- Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 276 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.
Population & Demographics
- World population is estimated to have been approximately 270 million.