204, Lot: 434. Estimate $300. Sold for $486. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CAROLINGIANS. Lothaire. King of West Francia, 954-987. AR Denier (21mm, 1.40 g, 9h). Bourges mint. + LOTERIVS REX, cross pattée / + BITVRICES CIVIT, Karolus monogram. Depeyrot 207; M&G 1677; MEC 1, -; Roberts 1822. VF, usual flat spots. Rare.

Lothaire was the last significant Carolingian king. At the time of his rule, the Carolingian kingdoms of Lotharingia and East Francia had become part of the Holy Roman Empire under it's Ottonian monarchs. Only West Francia and Burgundy remained under Carolingian rule. The king of West Francia was by now a very weak monarch, with his power strongly challenged by his vassals. His father, Louis IV, d'Outremer, had begun to reassert monarchial power, but prematurely died in a fall from his horse. As such, Lothaire ascended to the throne in 954 at the age of 13 years, a situation that allowed the struggle against the vassals to continue. Lothaire was initially placed under the guardianship of the Count of Paris, Hugh the Great. During this time, he came to know Hugh's 16 year old son and heir, Hugh Capet, who later overthrew Lothaire's son and successor, Louis V, le Fainéant. While internal troubles dominated his reign, the Holy Roman Empire was his major adversary on the international scene. The status of Lorraine had been a constant issue; originally a Carolingian possession, the territory was now under the control of the Ottonians. In 977/8, Lothaire led a major campaign to recover Lorraine, and penetrated the Empire as far as Aachen, forcing Otto II to flee his capital. Unfortunately for Lothaire, he found little local support in the areas he captured, and was forced to withdraw. In response, Otto led a major invasion of West Francia, and reached Paris. He was unable to take the city, and was forced to retreat after taking severe losses at the hands of Hugh Capet and other nobles who supported Lothaire. The support of Capet was essential for Lothaire, but just as essential was the support of the powerful Archbishop of Reims. The Archbishops had immense power in the later Carolingian period, and the current tenant, Adalberon, was also Lothaire's chancellor. By 980, though, Adalberon realized that the future of France lay with the Capetians, and began to shift his support to Hugh. Eventually, Hugh and Lothaire began to quarrel, forming a breach in their alliance that set the stage for the fall of the Carolingian line. Lothaire died at Laon on March 1, 986, apparently of natural causes, and was succeeded by his son, Louis V.

Although Lothaire was troubled by constant struggles against many of his vassals, many of these remained strong supporters of the Carolingian king. This is evidenced by the fact that most of the mints that issued his coins were controlled by these vassals, and he was able to suppress the independent minting of coins by local lords. The economy was also very robust, regardless of the turbulent times, as demonstrated by the quantity of his issues, as well as the quality of the metal of Lothaire's deniers.