In 813, Louis received a summons from his father to attend him in court. Charlemagne had a second crown created just for this occasion, he then placed that crown upon Louis’ head proclaiming him joint emperor. During this time, Charlemagne also had all of the assembled nobles and bishops swear that they would serve Louis as they had him. This, in Charlemagne’s mind, enabled the succession of Louis to the throne to be less bloody and easy. After named co-Emperor by Charlemagne, Louis went back to Aquitaine, but he remained close to his father until Charlemagne’s death one year later. This moment tells historians a few things. Charlemagne knew he was close to death and wanted to make sure his succession fell to Louis. Charlemagne also did not want Louis to have issues within his first year of becoming Emperor either with the succession or even with the Church. It appears odd …show more content…
Among the final admonitions of his father, as recounted by Thegan in his Life of Louis, Louis was advised to: “Show unfailing mercy to his younger brothers and sisters, his nephews, and all his relatives.” Then he (Charlemagne) directed Louis to honor the bishop as fathers, to love the people as sons, to compel and direct haughty and worthless men into the ways of salvation, and to be a consoler of monks and a father to the poor. Louis was further advised “to appoint faithful and God-fearing ministers (bishops mainly), who would hold unjust gifts in loathing.” The exhortation of Charlemagne to his son greatly influenced his life and beliefs. De Jong makes the argument that kingship was conceived of as a sacred task (ministerium), shared with the various ordinances in the realm, bishops and counts first and foremost. This idea of language informed Louis, who tried to obey his father’s well wishes; that he was also expected to obey them. If he left the short and narrow path, he was to be corrected by his