In medieval historiography,
East Francia (
Latin:
Francia orientalis) or the
Kingdom of the East Franks (
regnum Francorum orientalium) forms the earliest stage of the
Kingdom of Germany, lasting from about 840 until about 962. East Francia was formed out of the division of the
Carolingian Empire after the death of Emperor
Louis the Pious, but the east–west division "gradually hardened into the establishment of separate kingdoms".