Weis' "Ancestral Roots . . ." (141B:16). LOUIS II, though nominally his father's successor as Emperor, was in actual fact merely King of Italy. He was content to rule Italy and had little to do with affairs elsewhere. During the later years of his reign, he led a large army into southern Italy in an attempt to drive out the Arabs and to bring the duchies of Buenevento and Spoleto more firmly
under his control. He failed. He also failed to produce a male heir to succeed him, resulting in a period of civil unrest following his death in 855. Disputes between his two uncles, LOUIS THE GERMAN and CHARLES THE BALD, over who should exercise control over Italy, lasted for the next three decades.