CHARLES III., le Simple, was son of Louis II. le Begue, or the Stutterer, by Adelaide, who claimed to be the second wife of that monarch ; but her titlo to be regarded as his wife depended upon the validity of his first marriage. In the reigns of Louis III. and Carlo man, the issue of the first marriage of Louis IL, she was regarded as his concubine, and consequently Charles was looked upon as illegi timate; but whatever defects there might be in his claim, they were disregarded when tho discontented nobles thought it right to set him up in opposition to Eudes, count of Paris, who had been elected king of France upon the death of Charles le Gros. By these malcontents ha was elected king at Reims in 893, and crowned by the archbishop of that city; but his youth (he was only fourteen) and the weakness of his character incapaciated him from maintaining himself against Elides. On the death of that prince, Charles, who had experienced various changes of fortune, was elected king in 898, without any competitor, but over a circumscribed territory and with very limited power.
The reign of Charles was marked by a signal event, the cession to the Northmen, who, under their chief Rollon or Rollo, had committed great ravages, of that part of Franca called from them Normandie. This cession, however justly it may be ascribed to the weakness or the cowardice of Charles, was not in itself unwise; the population of the province was replenished by an infusion of warlike inhabitants, and the activity and energy of the new settlers recovered the district from the desert state to which their previous ravages had reduced it. By the treaty in which the cession was made, Charles agreed to give his own daughter In marriage to Rollo, while Rollo and his barbarous followers consented to become Christians. The treaty was ratified at a meeting near the river Epte; but when Rollo was required to do homage to Charles as his sovereign by kissing his foot, he refused, and deputed the duty to one of his followers, who performed his part so roughly as to overset the king : neither Charles nor his nobles ventured however to resent the insult.
Upon the decease of Louis, king of Germany, the nobles of Lorraine bestowed the sovereignty of that country upon Charles, while the rest of the Germans elected Conrad to the imperial crown. Wars with his vassals, and especially with Henry, duke of Saxony, prevented Conrad from vigorously attacking Charles; but when the above•mentioned Henry came to the throne, he recovered a portion of Lorraine for the imperial crown. The remainder of Charles's reign was unfortunate. The Hungarians ravaged his dominions (919), and his powerful and malcontent nobles excited internal troubles. Charles managed to protract his downfall for p year or two ; but at last his subjects, irritated by the favour he showed to his confidant Haganon, whose humble parentage and arrogant conduct made him odious to them, drove him from his kingdom, which was seized by Robert, duke of Franca, and brother of the late king Eudes. By violating an armistice, Charles managed to surprise his rival. Robert was killed in the engagement, but his troops, under the command of his son Hugues, gained the victory ; and Raoul, duke of Bourgogne, was elected king in his room. Charles, having in vain sought assistance in several quarters, was beguiled by the promises of Heribert, or Herbert, count of Vermandois, who made himself master of his person, and placed him in confinement (923). His wife, sister of Athelatan, king of the Anglo-Saxons, took refuge in England with her son Louis, then a boy, but afterwards king under the title of Louis IV. Outremer. A quarrel between the Count of Vermandois and the King Raoul seemed to offer a gleam of hope to Charles, who was set at liberty by Herbert; but the difference was soon made up, and Charles was remanded to confine ment (928). Raoul treated his fallen rival with considerable kindness, paid him a visit, and bestowed upon him several presents. Charles died In captivity In 929, after a reign distinguished alike by incapacity and misfortune.