Lothair I was a 9th-century Carolingian emperor and monarch who ruled as king of Italy and Middle Francia. Born in 795 to Louis the Pious, he was designated as the primary heir to the empire through the Ordinatio Imperii. His reign was marked by intense dynastic conflicts with his brothers, Louis the German and Charles the Bald, which eventually led to the fragmentation of the Frankish Empire. After a period of political instability and warfare, he eventually abdicated his throne to divide his lands among his three sons before entering a monastery.