Eberhard, infuriated with Otto's actions over the disposition of Meresburg, in 938 joins Otto's half-brother Thankmar, Count Wichmann, and Archbishop Frederick of Mainz in rebellion against the King.

They besiege Warstein in the Arnsberg Forest and free Otto's brother, Henry, from imprisonment here.

Duke Herman I of Swabia, one of Otto's closest advisors, warns him of the rebellion and the King moves quickly to put down the revolt.

Wichmann is soon reconciled with Otto and joins the King's forces against his former compatriots.

The Second Rebellion Against Otto I and the West Frankish Involvement (c. 939)

Following his initial reconciliation with Otto I, Eberhard of Franconia begins planning a second rebellion, seeking to dethrone Otto and replace him with his younger brother, Henry. This revolt sparks a wider conflict by drawing in King Louis IV of West Francia and his vassal, Gilbert, Duke of Lorraine, leading to a major confrontation between East and West Francia.

Eberhard’s Second Rebellion Against Otto I

• Eberhard, Duke of Franconia, once a loyal supporter of Otto I, becomes disillusioned with Otto’s rule and begins conspiring to place Henry, Otto’s younger brother, on the throne.
• To strengthen his cause, Eberhard allies with Gilbert, Duke of Lorraine, who is married to Otto’s sister, Gerberga of Saxony, but has sworn fealty to King Louis IV of West Francia.
• Henry, Otto’s brother, is exiled from Germany and flees to the court of Louis IV, who sees this as an opportunity to reclaim Lorraine, which had been lost to East Francia in 925.

West Francia Enters the Conflict

• Louis IV of West Francia joins the rebellion, hoping to restore his control over Lorraine, which had been ruled by East Francia since Henry the Fowler’s conquest.
• With Henry and Gilbert now leading a pro-Carolingian faction in Lorraine, Otto seeks support from Hugh the Great, Count of Paris, who is both:
  • The most powerful noble in West Francia.
  • Otto’s brother-in-law, as he is married to Otto’s sister, Hedwige.

The Campaign: A Two-Front War

1. Henry Captures Merseburg and Plans to Join Gilbert in Lorraine

   • Otto’s exiled brother, Henry, leads an army to capture Merseburg, a strategic fortress in Saxony.
   • He then plans to merge forces with Gilbert in Lorraine, creating a unified front against Otto.

2. Otto Besieges Henry and Gilbert at Chevremont (Near Liège)

   • Before Henry and Gilbert can join forces, Otto moves quickly to besiege them at Chevremont near Liège.
   • If successful, Otto could crush the rebellion before it fully materializes.

3. Louis IV Seizes Verdun, Forcing Otto to Shift Focus

   • While Otto is occupied at Chevremont, Louis IV marches into Lorraine and captures Verdun, further solidifying his control over contested territory.
   • This forces Otto to abandon the siege of Chevremont and turn his army against Louis IV, opening up a new phase in the war.

Consequences of the Rebellion

1. A Major Carolingian-Ottonian Conflict

   • This is not just a dynastic dispute but a major war between East and West Francia, with Louis IV trying to restore Carolingian rule over Lorraine and Otto fighting to maintain his authority.

2. A Fragile Balance of Power in Lorraine

   • The shifting allegiances in Lorraine highlight the region’s unstable position between East and West Francia, leading to continued territorial disputes for centuries.

3. Otto’s Rivalry with Louis IV Intensifies

   • With Louis IV actively supporting Otto’s enemies, the rivalry between the Carolingians and the Ottonians deepens, leading to further conflicts over Lotharingia and the fate of East Francia.

Conclusion: The Ottonian-Carolingian Struggle for Lorraine

The events of 939 illustrate the high stakes of the ongoing power struggle in East and West Francia, as rebellious nobles, exiled princes, and foreign kings maneuver for dominance. Though Otto manages to contain the rebellion, his war with Louis IV continues, reinforcing the fractured and volatile nature of early medieval Europe.

Otto I Repels Louis IV and Drives Him Back to Laon (939)

After abandoning the siege of Chevremont to respond to Louis IV's capture of Verdun, Otto I of Germany launches a counteroffensive, successfully driving the West Frankish king back to his capital at Laon. This marks a turning point in the conflict, as Otto regains the strategic advantage over both Louis IV and the rebellious Lotharingian nobles.

The Counteroffensive Against Louis IV

• After securing Verdun, Louis IV had positioned himself as the protector of Gilbert of Lorraine and Otto’s exiled brother, Henry, in an attempt to reclaim Lotharingia for West Francia.
• Otto, having successfully contained the rebellion of Eberhard and Henry, shifts his focus to expelling Louis from Lorraine.
• Otto’s German forces engage the West Franks in battle, forcing Louis to retreat southward from Verdun.

Louis IV Retreats to Laon

• With Otto’s army advancing, Louis IV is unable to maintain control of Verdun and other Lotharingian strongholds.
• He is forced to withdraw back into his core territories in West Francia, eventually retreating to his capital at Laon.
• This effectively ends West Francia’s offensive into Lotharingia, solidifying Otto’s dominance over the region.

Consequences of Otto’s Victory

1. Otto Secures Lotharingia for East Francia

   • With Louis IV’s retreat, Otto I ensures that Lotharingia remains under East Frankish control, preventing its absorption into West Francia.

2. Further Weakening of Carolingian Power

   • The defeat diminishes Louis IV’s standing among the West Frankish nobility, as his ambitions in Lorraine fail.

3. End of Open Warfare, but Continued Rivalry

   • Though Otto does not invade West Francia directly, his conflict with Louis IV continues as both rulers compete for influence over Lotharingian nobles.

Conclusion: Otto Strengthens His Position in Lotharingia

By driving Louis IV back to Laon in 939, Otto I effectively neutralizes the West Frankish threat to Lotharingia, reinforcing East Francia’s dominance over the region. This victory solidifies Otto’s authority, ensuring that Lotharingia remains a permanent part of the German sphere of influence in medieval Europe.

 Otto gains some initial victories against the rebels but he is unable to capture the conspirators and end the rebellion.

Archbishop Frederick seeks to mediate a peace between the combatants but Otto rejects his proposal.

Under Otto's direction, Duke Herman of Swabia leads an army against the conspirators into Franconia and Lorraine.

Otto recruits allies from the Duchy of Alsace who on October 2, 939, cross the Rhine River and surprise Eberhard and Gilbert at the Battle of Andernach.

Otto's forces claim an overwhelming victory: Eberhard is killed in battle, and Gilbert drowns in the Rhine while attempting to escape.

Left alone to face his brother, Henry submits to Otto and the rebellion ends.

With Eberhard dead, Otto assumes direct rule over the Duchy of Franconia and dissolves it into smaller counties and bishoprics answered directly to him.

The same year, Otto makes peace with Louis IV, whereby Louis recognizes his suzerainty over Lorraine.

In return, Otto withdraws his army from France and arranges for his sister Gerberga of Saxony (the widow of Gilbert) to marry Louis IV.

As a reward for Duke Herman's loyalty during the rebellion, Otto arranges for his son Liudolf to marry Herman's only daughter, Ida.

Conrad had granted Franconia to his brother Eberhard on his succession, but when Eberhard rebelled against Otto I in 938, he was deposed from his duchy.

Rather than appoint a new duke from his own circle, Otto in 939 divides the threatening power of the duchy among the great ecclesiastics with and through whom he rules, and who have remained faithful to his cause: the Bishop of Würzburg and …

…the Abbot of Fulda.

Henceforth, the great abbeys and episcopal seats that Saint Boniface and his successors had established in southwestern Germany will have a monopoly on temporal office in Franconia, on a par with the counts of lands further west.

They have another virtue in the Ottonian scheme: as celibates, they are less likely to establish hereditary lineages.

Three German leaders, all called Henry, stage a brief rebellion against the Holy Roman Emperor Otto II in 977.

The conflict is called The War of the Three Henries.

Most Polabian Slavs see Jesus as a "German god" and remain pagan, despite the efforts of Christian missionaries.

In the Great Slav Rising in 983, the pagan Slavs revolt against their subjugation to the Kingdom of the Eastern Franks, aka East Francia.

The Slavic Lutici and Obotrite people, who live to the east of the Elbe in modern northeast Germany, defeat Emperor Otto II in at the Battle of Stilo in 982, then rebel against the Germans the following year.

The Hevelli and Lutici destroy the Bishoprics of Havelberg and Brandenburg., and some Slavs advance across the Elbe into Saxon territory, but retreat when the Christian Duke of the Polans, Mieszko I, attacks them from the East.

The Holy Roman Empire retains only nominal control over the Slavic territories between the Elbe and the Oder.

Boleslaus II, the son of Boleslaus I and Biagota, had become Duke (or Prince) of Bohemia on his father's death.

Boleslaus has maintained good relations with the Ottonian German kings, and from 975 supports Otto II during the civil war against Henry II, Duke of Bavaria.

Called Henry the Wrangler, he is defeated in 976 and stripped of his Duchy.

Bavaria has lost her first southeastern marches, including Austria, as a consequence of Duke Henry’s revolt.

Boleslaus again attacks Bavaria in 977, but on this occasion is barred from annexing any lands by Otto II.