The article focuses on the portrayal of Louis the Pious in chapters
1–21 of the Vita Hludovici by Astronomer. The study examines the character-
istics of the image of the “worthy son of Charlemagne” and how it differs from
the portrayal of Louis not only in the rest of Astronomer’s work but also in other
Carolingian historical literature dedicated to the second emperor of the Franks.
As a result of the conducted research, it has been revealed that the first part of the
Vita Hludovici features a unique evolution of the monarch’s image, unparalleled
in Carolingian historical literature. This evolution is accompanied by a significant
shift in Louis’s position within the hierarchy of Carolingian society as construct-
ed in Astronomer’s work