Born at
Reims in the summer of 953, Charles was the son of
Louis IV of France and
Gerberga of Saxony and the younger brother of King
Lothair. He was a sixth-generation descendant of
Charlemagne. When his father was captured by the Normans and held, both his sons were demanded as ransom for his release. Queen Gerberga would only send Charles, who was then handed over and his father was released into the custody of
Hugh Capet. The council of Sainte-Macre at Fismes (near
Reims) exonerated the queen and the bishop, but Charles maintained his claim and was driven from the kingdom, finding refuge at the court of his cousin, the emperor
Otto II. Otto promised to crown Charles as soon as Lothair was out of the way and Charles paid him homage, receiving back
Lower Lorraine. Charles' unexceptional marriage and his lack of wealth are two of the reasons he was denied the throne. (26 March) 991, he was captured, through the perfidy of the Bishop Adalberon, and was imprisoned by Hugh in
Orléans. He was succeeded as Duke of Lower Lorraine by his son
Otto. The
Historia Francorum Senonensis, written between 1015 and 1034, propagated the view that Charles was the rightful king in 987 and Hugh a usurper. In 1666, the lead
sarcophagus of Charles was discovered in the
Basilica of Saint Servatius in
Maastricht with an inscription bearing the date 1001. This appears to be the date of his interment in Maastricht, however, and not of his death. Probably his son Otto had his body moved. While the sarcophagus remains, the original inscription has been lost. ==Family==