Louis was ruler of the West Frankish
kingdom from 879 to 882.
His father was
Louis II the Stammerer.
Louis' family, the
Carolingians, followed tradition and divided the kingdom
among the sons of the king upon the king's death.
Hence it happened
that Louis III and his brother
Carloman
also shared their father's domain. Louis received the territories
Francia and Neustria.
Louis was quite effective in
defeating the
Vikings. In August 881, Louis sent the Northmen
packing in the Battle of Saucourt.
