Information Gathering and Military Intelligence Under Louis the German

This study analyzes the process of creating military intelligence in the ninth century under King Louis the German of East Francia. Louis was constantly at war, both in civil wars against Carolingian relatives and against numerous peoples across his long eastern frontier. The king therefore needed to keep abreast of political and military situations in several theaters at once, and he devoted substantial effort to collecting as much intelligence as possible to facilitate military preparedness. In the absence of many dedicated intelligence documents, this study relies on annals, chronicles, charters, and more to elucidate what can be discerned about the functions of a long-past intelligence system.