Skip to main content
Louis the Pious

Louis the Pious

1 9.9
Third son of Charlemagne who ruled as king and Holy Roman Emperor from 814 to 840
  • proper noun
: Luis el Piadoso
  • Louis the Pious succeeded Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor in 814.

Examples

  • The reign of Louis the Pious was marked by religious reforms and internal strife.

  • Many historians study Louis the Pious for his role in the division of the Carolingian Empire.

  • Louis the Pious was a king.

  • What did Louis the Pious achieve?

  • Louis the Pious became Holy Roman Emperor after the death of his father, Charlemagne, in 814.

  • The efforts of Louis the Pious to maintain the unity of the Carolingian Empire were significant.

  • Louis the Pious is remembered for his devoutness and his promotion of religious reforms.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Louis + the + pious

The epithet 'the Pious' directly combines the name Louis with the adjective 'pious', so a learner who knows the constituents will infer it refers to a man named Louis who is devout. This 'Name the Adjective' construction is cross-linguistically common (e.g. 'Alexander the Great'), making the basic meaning predictable even if historical details remain unknown.

Etymology

Louis the Pious is a nickname that shows he was very religious as a ruler. He prayed, fasted and supported the Church, so people called him 'the pious' and that label stuck to him.