Posted
on September 17, 2014
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| Charles the Simple |
To
me, “Charles the Simple” sounds like an insult. Indeed, it may
have been an insult—although I wouldn't expect the name for a king
to be an insult!
But
get this:
Charles
the Simple (born on this date in 879) was the youngest child of Louis the Stammerer, King of
Aquitaine and later King of West Francia.
His
grandfather's name was Charles the Bald.
Charles
the Simple was too young to rule when his older brother died, so the
nobles of West Francia asked his cousin, Charles the Fat, to become
king.
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| Charles the Fat |
The
Simple? The Stammerer? The Bald? The Fat? ...It sounds like a comedy
meant to make fun of kings calling themselves so-and-so “the
Great,” but this is reality, not parody!
I
also read that the King of Germany, Louis the Child, died and that
the nobles of one region of Germany, under the leadership of Reginar
Longneck, declared Charles the Simple to be their king, too.
A
few other kings include Louis the Quarreler, Charles the Mad, Philip
the Amorous, Pepin the Short, and (finally! Some compliments!) Louis
the Debonaire and Charles the Affable.
Maybe
these names sound less laughable in French?
The
birth of last names
In
the Middle Ages, there was enough travel from town-to-town, enough
trade between peoples, and large enough gatherings of people in towns
to necessitate more than just one name. You can imagine something
like this:
Who is going to move
into the room above the bar?
John.
John? I know three
Johns—which one do you mean? John the Smith, John the Cooper, or
John the Red Head?
(Note
that a smith is someone who creates objects out of metal, and a
cooper is someone who makes barrels.)
Actually, I mean John, son of Peter.
Oh! Right! Forgot about him!
 |
| John Smith, I presume? |
During this time when
people were trying to differentiate between people with the same
first name, they referred to people's occupations, father's names,
where they lived, and sometimes even their appearance or disposition.
John the Smith became John Smith, and John the Cooper became John
Cooper. John the Red Head might have become John Redd or John
Redford, and John-son-of-Peter became John Peterson.
I can imagine
that John from London became John London, and John-of-the-Hill became
John Hill – and so on and on. Last names had been invented and to
some extent evolved, mostly in the direction of streamlining and
simplifying.
Also
on this date:
Plan
ahead:
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out my Pinterest boards for:
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here are my Pinterest boards for:
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