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The image is from Beckwith (image 48), Lothar I from the Gospels of Lothar, Tours, 849-51.
 

By the Treaty of Verdun in 843 Lothar I, son of Louis the Pious, received a territory running through the middle of Louis' empire. It extended from the North Sea into Italy and included Burgundy.

His kingdom was bracketed by Charles the Bald to the west, who was ruler of west Francia, and by Louis the German to the east. In his rule, he was aided by Gerard of Roussillon who came to play an important role in the rule of Burgundy. On Lothar's death in 855, following the Salic tradition, his kingdom was divided. His oldest son Lothar II received the northern part, including northern Burgundy. The southern part went to Lothar's son Charles, who was epileptic.
 
 

AR denier, 20mm, 1.24gr. Obv: HLOTHARIVS REX, central cross with four besants. Rev: VIRIDVN[VM] CIVIS, central temple. R1942; MG 1189; Dep 9B1, 1125 (11 examples); not in Bel. The latter two sources identify this as a scarce coin. The mint is Verdun and after the Treaty of 843 Verdun went to Lothaire and by inheritance to his son Lothaire II. After 869 Verdun reverted to Charles the Bald.

Gerard of Roussillon effectively ruled in the south and held considerable sway over events in the north. He was count of Lyon and Vienne. We are at the point where Lothar I's inheritance was split, and would remain so for some time. Lothar II died in 869 and his enemies, Charles the Bald and Louis the German waste no time moving in on the northern Lotharingia. Charles seized some territory but the largest share went to Louis the German. When Louis the German died he was succeeded first by his son Carloman and then by Arnulf. The northern part of the Lotharingia fell primarily under Arnulf's influence.

Gerard was pressed by Charles and surrendered to him, bringing Charles northern Burgundian lands east of the Saone. The southern section of the old Burgundian kingdom, covering Provence, remained outside Charles' control.

When Charles the Bald died in 877 the Carolingian empire in the west splintered. Out of this two Burgundian kingdoms emerged. In the north Rudolf Guelf came to rule Transjuran Burgundy. This is an area to the east of Beaune and extends into today's Switzerland. Rudolf convinced Arnulf to recognize this as an independent kingdom, establishing it as a stand alone realm.

Boso succeeded Gerald of Roussillon as count of Lyons and Vienne and declared himself king of Provence in 879. Let's look first to the south. Boso was a generally unsuccessful ruler but he was able to pass the kingdom on to his son Louis in 890. Louis had political ambitions in northern Italy and succeeded in being crowned emperor in 901. However, subsequent fighting in Italy led to his capture by Berengar, a local king, who gouged out his eyes, hence the title 'Louis the Blind.' He ruled Provence for another 20 years, but Hugh of Arles, count of Provence was the dominant figure in the territory.

Louis of Provence was able to trace his Carolingian lineage through his grandfather, Louis II, who in turn was son of Lothar I, in turn son of Louis the Pious. Louis of Provence, or Louis the Blind as he was also known, had interesting coinage.

AR denier, 21 mm, 1.30gr. Obv: +IVDOVVICVS, central cross. Rev: central VI, obscured but evident legend. Mint is Vienne. R1886; MG 1575 (which lists 8 catalogued coins); Dep 16-B1, 1145v (16 examples) which actually matches to LVDVVICVS with a monogram. Not in Bel, Nouchy. This is a rare coin.

AR denier, 21mm, 1.44g. Obv: +LVDOVVICVS, central cross. Rev: +ARELA CIVIS, central KRLS monogram. Mint is Arles. R1884 as Louis the Blind; MG 1653 as Louis IV or V; Dep 16C-1, 72 (137 examples) as Louis the Blind; PdA 4790 as Louis le Begue, but with a note that others attribute it to Louis the Blind; Prou 882 as Louis the Blind. Many of these coins are apparently in a museum in Montpelier (about 125) so those in other places are scarce.

Back in the north, Rudolf was building a kingdom. He was succeeded by his son Rudolf II, whose major accomplishment was to reunify northern and southern Burgundy. While High of Arles gave up Provence, he gained the title of king of Italy, which actually meant, as I understand it, northern Italy.

Rudolf II, in turn, was succeeded by his son Conrad the Pacific.

AR denier, 21mm, 1.28gr. Obv: +CONRADVS, central cross. Rev: +LVGDVNVS, central cross sur fronton. Mint is Lyon. R1892; MG 1683; Dep 23-A1, 531 (1513 examples); Prou 634-37.

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AR denier, 21mm. Obv: +CONRADVS, central cross. Rev: +LVGDVNVS, triangle surmounted by a cross. Mint - Lyon. Roberts 1892; MG 1683 (last entry in the catalogue); Dep 23 type 937-993 A1, 531 (1513 examples); not in Bel.

While called "The Pacific," he in fact was a successful warrior. From Copes, "..in 954 he gained a victory over the Saracens and the Magyars in a coup that might be unique in military history. When he learned that both the Magyars and Saracens were on the warpath, he sent envoys to tell the Magyars that the Saracens lay in wait for them and if they would join forces with the Burgundians they would together destroy the Saracens." At the same time he told the Saracens about a Magyar ambush and offered an alliance with the Saracens against the Magyars. When both met in battle, Conrad told both sides he would soon join them. "When he judged the that the two hostile forces had sufficiently weakened each other, the Burgundians were launched against them and both were brilliantly destroyed." ( Cope 67) Here is a coin of Abd al-Rahman, whose forces Conrad defeated.

Silver dirham of the Spanish Umayyad ruler Abd al-Rahman III (912-961 AD), 25mm. Obv. center: THERE IS NO GOD BUT GOD, HE IS ALONE, MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER" with a small MUHAMMAD (local official) below. Obv. outer legend: IN THE NAME OF GOD THIS DIRHAM WAS STRUCK AT THE CITY OF AL-ZAHRA IN THE YEAR NINE AND THIRTY AND THREE HUNDRED. Rev center: THE IMAM, THE DEFENDER OF THE FAITH OF GOD, ABD AL-RAHMAN, COMMANDER OF THE FAITHFUL. Rev. outer legend: MUHAMMAD IS THE MESSENGER OF GOD. HE SENT HIM WITH THE GUIDANCE AND THE RELIGION OF THE TRUTH IN ORDER THAT HE MIGHT CAUSE IT TO BE BRIGHT OVER THE (ALREADY EXISTING) RELIGION, ALL OF IT, ALTHOUGH POLYTHEISTS DISLIKED (IT)." Struck at Madinat al-Zahra, now called Zahra and famous for its gardens. The date is 339 AH (950 AD). This coin is type #350 in Album’s Checklist of Islamic Coins." (Translation by seller Alexander Akin.)

Abd al-Rahman III (912-61) was sultan in Spain at this time. His reign was spent in conflict. He dealt with civil war among various Islamic factions before he was successful in Spain. From the seller of the coin, he was of "the Umayyads of Spain  (who) were descended from an Umayyad scion who escaped the Abbasid revolution and set up a competing caliphate in Spain. Spain was thenceforth ruled by Muslims for several centuries." He faced revolt in North Africa, and was challenged by Christians from the Kingdom of Leon, an area in the NW of modern Spain. He "experienced an unbroken series of successes" during his first 27 years, but "fortune is fickle and a day of adversity at last dawned." (Dozy 429) He was pressed by the Spanish and his generals suffered the defeat that Copes refers to above, although Dozy does not make reference to this, in spite of chronicling many battles.

In 951 Conrad's sister Adelaide married Otto I, HRE. This introduced a Germanic influence into Burgundian affairs in a way that would ultimately shift the kingdom over to becoming a part of the HRE.

The rulers and coins of the early HRE are represented on another page. Please visit The Early HRE and Germanic Burgundy.