HISTORY.
The history of Germany may be said to begin with the year 843, when, by the Treaty of Ver dun, the vast Empire of Charles the Great was divided into three parts among his grandsons. (For the earlier periods, see GERMANIA; FRANKS; CHARLES THE GREAT; CAROLINGIANS, etc.) In the partition of Verdun, Louis the German (843-76) received the eastern portion of the Frankish Empire, which included the purely Germanic peoples. Until 911 legitimate or ille gitimate Carolingians held the throne, but their power was comparatively little, and depended almost wholly on their strength in their own possessions. Instead of a united Germany, there were several great German duchies—Swabia, Ba varia, Franconia, Saxony, and sometimes Loth aringia or Lorraine. The last, however, was debatable territory; independent at first, it later was connected with its stronger neighbor, Germany or France, as the case might be. At first the Franconians and Saxons were the strong est nations, and supplied the rulers of the Ger man Kingdom. Charles the Fat (876-87), son of Louis the German, succeeded for a brief time (about 884-87) in reuniting the old Frankish lands under his sway, but they fell apart again after his death, and Germany was ruled by Arnulf till 899. The last Carolingian King, Louis the Child, died in 911, and the German princes elected as his successor Conrad of Fran conia (911-18). His reign was a constant strug gle to maintain his position against his own nobles, while at the same time had to con tend against the Hungarian invaders. Just be
fore his death he sent the insignia of royalty to his most dangerous subject, Henry the Saxon (919-36), and the latter was chosen King by the Franks and Saxons. After six years of fighting and negotiations, Henry the Fowler (as he was popularly known) was recognized by the Swabians and Bavarians also. Under him for the first time it is possible to speak of a unit ed Germany. He made his power respected by repulsing the invaders who had been devastating the eastern and northern portions of the German duchies. The Slays and Danes were defeated, Lorraine was conquered, and finally, in 933, a great victory was won on the Unstrut over the Hungarians. His son Otho I. (936-73) suc ceeded to a strong kingdom. At the coronation banquet he was served by the dukes of Lorraine, Franconia. Swabia. and Bavaria. Otho restrict ed the power of the dukes, checked renewed in vasions of the Hungarians, defeating them de cisively at the Lech in 955, and organized an efficient administrative system. In 951 he was called to Italy to aid one of the contending factions there; in 961. after wresting Northern Italy from Berengar II., a descendant of Charles the Great, he was crowned King of the Lom bards, and in 962 he received the Imperial crown at the hands of the Pope. thus becoming the founder of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, which existed till 1806. (See HOLY