Which son succeeded Charlemagne as emperor?

Louis the Pious succeeded Charlemagne as emperor. Charlemagne’s only surviving legitimate son, Louis had already been crowned co-emperor alongside his father in Aachen in 813, preparing the empire for a smooth dynastic transition.

When Charlemagne died on 28 January 814, Louis inherited the Carolingian Empire and became its sole ruler. He had governed Aquitaine since 781, giving him substantial experience before taking control of the wider Frankish realm. Unlike a later partition among several heirs, the empire initially remained united under him.

Louis’s reign was marked by efforts to preserve imperial unity, religious reform, and repeated conflicts with his sons over succession. In 817, he issued the Ordinatio Imperii, which attempted to establish a clear hierarchy among his heirs. Civil wars later weakened his authority, but he remained emperor until his death in 840.

A common mix-up is Lothair I, who succeeded Louis the Pious as emperor, not Charlemagne. Charlemagne’s other sons, Pepin of Italy and Charles the Younger, died before him.