What treaty divided the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms in 843?

What treaty divided the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms in 843?

• A. The Treaty of Verdun
• B. Treaty of Troyes
• C. Peace of Westphalia
• D. Magna Carta

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how a single imperial realm can split into separate political powers, changing Europe's map. In 843, the Treaty of Verdun settled disputes among Louis the Pious’s grandsons—Charles the Bald, Louis the German, and Lothair I—by dividing the empire into three distinct realms: West Francia for Charles, East Francia for Louis, and Middle Francia for Lothair. Lothair kept the imperial title and ruled a central strip from the North Sea to Italy, but the borders were fragile and the arrangement proved unstable. Over time, West Francia and East Francia gradually evolved into what would become France and the Holy Roman Empire (the German lands), while the middle kingdom fragmented, speeding the shift from a unified Carolingian realm to a patchwork of feudal territories. Other listed events happened in different centuries and contexts (Magna Carta in England, Peace of Westphalia in 1648, and the Treaty of Troyes in the 15th century) and do not relate to the partition of the Carolingian Empire, which is why this option correctly fits the question.

The idea being tested is how a single imperial realm can split into separate political powers, changing Europe's map. In 843, the Treaty of Verdun settled disputes among Louis the Pious’s grandsons—Charles the Bald, Louis the German, and Lothair I—by dividing the empire into three distinct realms: West Francia for Charles, East Francia for Louis, and Middle Francia for Lothair. Lothair kept the imperial title and ruled a central strip from the North Sea to Italy, but the borders were fragile and the arrangement proved unstable. Over time, West Francia and East Francia gradually evolved into what would become France and the Holy Roman Empire (the German lands), while the middle kingdom fragmented, speeding the shift from a unified Carolingian realm to a patchwork of feudal territories.

Other listed events happened in different centuries and contexts (Magna Carta in England, Peace of Westphalia in 1648, and the Treaty of Troyes in the 15th century) and do not relate to the partition of the Carolingian Empire, which is why this option correctly fits the question.