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End.
The Carolingian Empire
The Later Carolingians
The Frankish practice of dividing the realm led to further splits, not only of land but of rights and powers. No new Charlemagne emerged from these families to unite the lands anew, and many of the kings were outright incompetent. Their names are indicative: after Charles the Great and Louis the Pious, we get kings with names like Louis the Fat and Charles the Simple.
To add to their woes, the later 800s and early 900s were not a time for incompetents. The hundred year stretch from 850 to 950 was filled with the worst of the Viking invasions, to which were added Moslem raids and pirates in the south and Magyar raids from the east. Against these pressures the Carolingians could not stand.
Charles' great empire collapsed steadily, fragmenting into dozens of pieces. The monasteries were plundered, the towns burned. Even the very title of emperor was lost again for a time. When it reappeared, it was taken by a German king.