How Did the Western Frankish Kingdom Lose Its Power?

The history of the Western Frankish Kingdom offers a microcosm of a recurring pattern in human history: the fragmentation of centralized power and the rise of local rulers. It began in earnest after the Treaty of Verdun, which did not merely split the Carolingian Empire but planted the seeds of what we might call the “privatization of power.” Once royal rights were handed over to vassals and magnates, the authority of the central government withered. This was not unique to the Franks. Across history, loyalty to an empire often took a back seat to self-interest. The empire’s needs were secondary to the ambitions of local elites—a dynamic that would bring down countless other states and kingdoms.

During the reign of Charles II (known as Charles the Bald), the cracks widened. He officially acknowledged the autonomy of Brittany and Aquitaine, a concession that further diluted the kingdom’s unity. Meanwhile, the Carolingian dynasty, plagued by internal feuds, found itself under siege from outside invaders: Norsemen, Arabs, and Hungarians. Empires rarely collapse because of a single blow. They are like aging trees—hollowed out by internal rot long before external storms strike. While fortified castles provided a measure of protection against invaders, they were a reactive solution, not a proactive strategy.

The Norse invaders, for instance, eventually transitioned from raiders to settlers. Some, like Rollo, adopted Christianity and pledged loyalty to Frankish kings. But was this loyalty genuine? History teaches us that power alliances are seldom about devotion—they’re transactional. Charles the Bald, hoping to secure the support of his vassals, distributed royal lands. This move, like so many well-meaning but shortsighted acts of governance, only exacerbated the problem. To give land in exchange for loyalty assumes a fundamental misunderstanding of human nature: power, once shared, is never easily reclaimed.

By the 10th century, these land grants became inheritable estates, further entrenching local power at the expense of royal authority. The Carolingian dynasty’s decline culminated in 888, when the Western Frankish nobles elected Odo as king. This was not a rebellion against monarchy itself but rather an evolution of the system. Kingship became a negotiation, not a divine mandate. Odo’s successor, Charles III (Charles the Simple), briefly restored Carolingian rule, but he faced rebellion once again, this time led by Robert. Kings rose and fell, but the true victors were the magnates who maneuvered behind the scenes.

By 987, the Carolingian era was over. Hugh Capet’s election marked the birth of the Capetian dynasty. This was more than a dynastic change—it was a redefinition of kingship. Primogeniture replaced the older, fractured system of inheritance, bringing an end to the constant division of territories. Yet, even as the Capetians rose, the lesson remained: empires and kingdoms are built on fragile human agreements, and the forces of self-interest, conflict, and external pressure are always waiting to exploit the cracks.

Sources:

• McKitterick, Rosamond. The Frankish Kingdoms Under the Carolingians, 751–987. 1983.
• James, Edward. The Franks. 1981.
• Gregory of Tours. A History of the Franks. 2014.
• Geary, Patrick J. Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World. 1988.