The Edict of Pistres is often held up as one of the few examples, if not the sole example, of good government from Charles the Bald, the man who can be called first king of France. The edict was promulgated, as its name suggests, at Pistres (modern Pîtres, in Eure) on July 25, 864. Charles the Bald - Detail from a painting in the First Bible of Charles the Bald, painted ca. ... Kings ruled in France from the Middle Ages to 1848. ... Eure is a département in the north of France named after the Eure River. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... Events Khan Boris I of Bulgaria is baptized an Orthodox Christian. ...

At a time when Vikings more than annually ravaged not only the European coast, but much of the interior (especially in France) as well, a king was most valued who could defeat them in the field and prevent their attacks in the future. The primary, and most long-lasting, effect of the Edict was therefore to protect the cities and countryside from Viking raids. Charles did this by creating a large force of cavalry upon which he could call as needed. He ordered all men who had horses or could afford horses to serve in the army as cavalrymen. This was one of the beginnings of the French chivalry so famous for the next seven centuries. The intention of Charles was to have a mobile force with which to descend upon the raiders before they could up and leave with their booty. The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, Europe and the British Isles from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ...

To prevent the Vikings from even attaining a great booty, Charles also declared that fortified bridges should be built at all towns on rivers. This was to prevent the dreaded longships from sailing into the interior. The first bridge built was at Pistres itself, across the Seine. At Paris, bridges were built on both sides of the Île de la Cité. Those bridges would save the city in the siege of 885–886. Charles also prohibited all trade in weapons with the Vikings, in order to prevent them from establishing bases in Gaul. Longships is the name given to a group of rocks situated 1. ... The Seine (pronounced in French) is a major river of north-western France, and one of its commercial waterways. ... The Eiffel Tower, the international symbol of the city, with the skyscrapers of La Défense business district 5 km/ 3 mi behind. ... The ÃŽle de la Cité seen from the west, downstream The ÃŽle de la Cité, an island in the Seine river, is the center of Paris, France, and the location where the city was founded. ... Combatants Franks Danes Commanders Odo, Count of Paris Sigfred and Rollo Strength 200 30,000 Casualties The Siege of Paris of 885 to 886 was a Viking siege of Paris, then capital of the kingdom of the West Franks. ...

Asides from its auspicious military reforms, the Edict had political and economic consequences. King Pepin II of Aquitaine, against whom Charles had been fighting for decades, had been captured in 864 and was formally deposed at Pistres. Economically, besides the prohibitions on commerce with the enemy, Charles tightened his control of the mints and limited them in number to ten. Charles also made an attempt to control the building of private castles, but this failed and even minor lords constructed fortresses of their own on local hilltops to defend themselves and their underlings from the constant threat of Scandinavian invasion. Pepin II, called the Younger (823-after 864, Senlis), was King of Aquitaine from 838 as the successor upon the death of his father, Pepin I. Pepin II was eldest son of Pepin I and Ingeltrude (also called Engelberga, Hringard, or Ringart), daughter of the count of Madrie, Theodobert. ...

Sources

• Oman, Charles. The Dark Ages 476-918. London, 1914.
• Munro, Dana Carleton. The Middle Ages, 395-1272. The Century Company: New York, 1921.