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Rh and godson, Charles. As early as 836 negotiations were begun with a view to the renewal of amicable relations between the King of Italy and his father. But sickness prevented Lothar from attending the assembly at Worms to which he had been summoned. However, at the end of 837 at the assembly held at Aix the Emperor elaborated a new scheme of division which added to Charles's kingdom the greater part of Belgium with the country lying between the Meuse and the Seine as far as Burgundy. This project was certain to alarm Louis the German, whom we find at the opening of the next year (838) making overtures in his turn to Lothar with whom he had an interview at Trent. This displeased the Emperor and, at the Nimeguen assembly, June 838, he punished Louis by depriving him of part of his territory, leaving him only Bavaria. On the other hand, in the month of September young Charles at the age of fifteen had just attained his majority; such was the law of the Ripuarian Franks followed by the Carolingian family. He therefore received the baldric of a knight, and was given at Quierzy a portion of the lands between Loire and Seine. An attempt made by Louis to regain possession of the lands on the right bank of the Rhine met with no success. The Emperor in his turn crossed the river and forced his son to take refuge in Bavaria while he himself after a demonstration in Alemannia returned to Worms, where Lothar came from Pavia to see him and went through a solemn ceremony of reconciliation with him.

The death of Pepin of Aquitaine (13 December 838) seemed to simplify the question of division and succession, for the new partition scheme drawn up at Worms utterly ignored his son, Pepin II. Apart from Bavaria, which with a few neighbouring pagi was left to Louis the German, the empire of Charlemagne was cut into two parts. The dividing line running from north to south followed the Meuse, touched the Moselle at Toul, crossed Burgundy, and having on the west Langres, Châlon, Lyons, Geneva, followed the line of the Alps and ended at the Mediterranean. Lothar, as eldest son, was given the right to choose, and took for himself the eastern portion; the other fell to Charles. After his father's death, Lothar was also to bear the title of Emperor, but apparently without the prerogatives attached to it by the settlement of 817. It was to be his duty to protect Charles, while the latter was bound to pay all due honour to his elder brother and godfather. These obligations once fulfilled, each prince was to be absolute master in his own kingdom.

Aquitaine was thus in theory vested in Charles the Bald, but several guerilla bands still held the field in the name of Pepin II. The Emperor went thither in person to secure the recognition of his son. Setting out for Châlon where the host had been summoned to meet (1 September 839) he made his way to Clermont. Here a party of Aquitanian lords came to make their submission to their new sovereign.