Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 177: Partible Inheritance

Upon hearing the Prime Minister's words, the five ministers displayed varying expressions. Om, the Minister of War, stared blankly at the ceiling. Ethelwulf kept his head down, dozing off. The Palace Steward silently toyed with the pendant around his neck. Only Gorm and Hrolf were actively pondering the issue at hand.

Suddenly, a guard burst into the cabinet room, announcing that the King had urgently summoned all the ministers.

"Have the Franks attacked?"

Om slammed his hand on the table in excitement, startling Ethelwulf so badly he violently flinched. "What is going on? Who is attacking?"

Wigg stretched lazily and was the first to walk out of the cabinet room. "Do not listen to Om's nonsense. Launching a cross-sea invasion is incredibly difficult. Even if Charles the Bald intends to start a war, he would need at least three months to prepare, which includes summoning his vassals and readying ships and supplies. I bet ten pounds that Om's guess is wrong."

The ministers entered the main hall. Ragnar handed the slip of paper in his hand to Wigg, whose expression instantly turned serious as he read it aloud:

"King Lothair of Middle Francia has died of illness, leaving behind three sons. According to Lothair's will, his kingdom is to be divided into three parts, with each son serving as a king. This includes the Kingdom of Lotharingia in the far north, the Kingdom of Burgundy in the middle, and the Kingdom of Italy in the south, which only occupies the northern part of the Apennine Peninsula and does not include Rome, Naples, or Sicily."

Currently, the Frankish Kingdom practiced Partible Inheritance, meaning that after a king or lord passed away, the territory would be divided equally among all his sons.

This system originated from Germanic tradition. Early Germanic tribes believed that land was the common property of the family and needed to be distributed fairly to maintain tribal unity.

In the fifth century, a Frankish chieftain named Clovis defeated the Roman army in the region of Gaul. He established the Merovingian Dynasty, made Paris his capital, and gradually expanded his territory to form the Frankish Kingdom.After Clovis's death, the Frankish Kingdom was divided equally among his four sons. In the years that followed, the kingdom went through a cycle of division and reunification. Royal power was weakened, and authority shifted into the hands of the Mayors of the Palace. Ultimately, the throne was usurped by Mayor of the Palace Pepin III, son of the renowned Mayor of the Palace Charles Martel.

The problem was that the Carolingian Dynasty founded by Pepin III did not learn from the mistakes of the previous dynasty. They continued to use this self-weakening inheritance system, resulting in the current formation of West Francia under Charles the Bald, Middle Francia under Lothair, and East Francia under Louis the German.

"My lords, what do you think?" Ragnar leaned forward slightly in his seat, looking like a fierce beast about to pounce on its prey.

As the Minister of War and Commander of the Royal Guard, Om naturally became the voice of the War Party. He clamored to attack West Francia and plunder spoils of war to fill the national treasury.

The remaining five men looked thoughtful. Seeing that no one else was speaking, Wigg stepped forward to voice his opposition:

"In simple terms, this is nothing more than the eldest brother dying of illness, leaving his two younger brothers and three sons to squabble over dividing the family estate. It is an internal affair of the Franks. If we intervene, it is highly likely they will set aside their disputes and prioritize targeting us outsiders. That would be equivalent to the Kingdom of Britain simultaneously fighting all the Frankish rulers. The odds of victory are simply too low."

Ragnar closed his eyes and remained silent. He believed this was a rare opportunity, and it would be a shame not to exploit it.

He settled on a compromise. "We will not rush to attack just yet. Prepare military equipment, ships, and supplies in advance, and we will act depending on how the situation develops."

Wigg tried his best to dissuade him. "There are many loose lips in the palace. If we prepare for war, the news will reach the ears of the Frankish kings in less than a week, prompting them to set aside their disputes. I suggest we do nothing. If a civil war truly breaks out, it will not be too late to prepare then."

However, his advice was not taken. Over the following period, the situation in Francia grew increasingly tense. Ever since Charles the Bald pacified the regions of Agder and Breizh, his power had surged dramatically, leading him to believe he was qualified to take a step further.

To "persuade" his three good nephews, Charles rallied various armies and marched toward Reims, exerting pressure on his brother and nephews. East Francia was equally unwilling to show weakness. King Louis moved his court to Cologne, gathering the forces of his regional lords and standing ready for war at a moment's notice.

"Is it truly necessary to start a civil war?"

As time passed, this question troubled the majority of the Frankish nobles. Neither Charles nor Louis actually wanted to go to war; they merely wanted to intimidate each other and frighten the opposing side into making the first concession.

Just as the situation fell into a stalemate, an envoy dispatched by the Papacy finally arrived, providing the two kings with a perfect excuse for a truce:

According to reliable sources, a massive amount of grain and ships were being amassed in Londinium. Ragnar, the False King of Britain, could cross the sea at any moment, waiting for an opportunity to seek his own gains.

Through the mediation of the Papacy, Charles and Louis laid down their arms and made peace, announcing their joint protection over their three nephews' kingdoms. The three small kingdoms would pay an annual tribute, which would be divided equally between their two good uncles as protection money.

Furthermore, considering that West Francia possessed the greatest military strength, Charles the Bald inherited the title of Romanorum Imperator Augustus, meaning Roman Emperor Augustus, which could also be understood as the supreme Roman Emperor.

This imperial title originated in the year 800, when the Pope at the time crowned Charlemagne, declaring him the legitimate successor to the Roman Empire. After Charlemagne's death, the emperor title passed to his sole surviving son, Louis the Pious, and subsequently to Louis the Pious's eldest son, Lothair.

Now that Lothair had passed away, Charles the Bald finally obtained the title he had always dreamed of—Emperor! Even if it held no practical power, it at least sounded incredibly majestic.

Departing from Reims, Charles led twenty thousand soldiers to patrol the northern coast, serving as a warning to the False King of Britain across the channel.

When the news reached Londinium, Ragnar felt he had lost face. Ignoring Wigg's attempts to dissuade him, he led the Royal Guard and the conscripts from the surrounding areas to Dover. There, he engaged in a standoff with Charles for a full month, with the two sides dispatching envoys back and forth just to hurl insults at each other.

"You wicked and filthy Nordic barbarians! If you have the guts, come ashore, and I will let you taste the lances of the Frankish knights!"

"You bald fool, have you forgotten the pathetic display you made when begging for peace back then? Just you wait. Sooner or later, I will visit Paris again and use your skull as a drinking bowl."

By July, both sides had exhausted every possible insult in their vocabularies. Furthermore, the Frankish soldiers had exceeded their forty days of unpaid annual military service and had entered the phase of requiring daily wages, forcing Charles the Bald to disband a portion of his army.

Across the channel, Ragnar's financial reserves could not compare to those of West Francia. He could not even supply a force of a mere thirteen thousand men. Under Wigg's frantic urging, he likewise disbanded several thousand militiamen.

Ultimately, the two kings ended their shouting match and returned to their respective capitals.

"It is impossible to live like this!" Ulf tugged at Wigg's sleeve, refusing to let him leave. "Over ten thousand men have ravaged my territory! They entered my forests to hunt without permission, harassed the villages within my borders, and ruined my crops! The cabinet ought to provide some compensation!"

Wigg chose to throw his hands up in defeat. "To supply this army, I had to borrow another fifteen hundred pounds from the Nordic merchants. Now, less than half of that remains. If I compensate you, there will be no money left to pay the wages of the Royal Guard later."