Boso of Provence

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Boso
Bivinids
Bosonids (maternal)
FatherBivin of Gorze
MotherRichildis of Arles

Boso (

Provence
.

Origin

Boso was the son of

St. Maurice's Abbey
, to which Boso succeeded in 869.

Countship

In 870, King

king of Aquitaine, but because of his youth[clarification needed
], it was Boso who looked after the administration of that realm.

In the autumn of 875, Boso accompanied Charles on his first Italian campaign and at the diet of

Emperor Louis II
. Boso disapproved of Charles' second Italian campaign in 877 and conspired with other like-minded nobles against his king. After Charles's death in October, these nobles forced Charles's son to confirm their rights and privileges.

Boso also formed close relations to the

papacy and accompanied Pope John VIII in September 878 to Troyes, where the Pope asked King Louis for his support in Italy. The Pope adopted Boso as his son and probably offered to crown Louis emperor. It is said that he wanted to crown Boso emperor.[3]

Kingship

Boso's kingdom (in orange) among Carolingian realms in 881

In April 879, Louis the Stammerer died, leaving two adult sons,

Rhône and Saône rivers assembled in the Synod of Mantaille. They elected Boso king and successor to Louis the Stammerer, the first non-Carolingian king in Western Europe in more than a century.[1]
This event was the first "free election" among the Franks, without regard to royal descent, inspired by a canonical principle (but not constant practice) of ecclesiastical elections.

Boso's realm, usually called the

Kingdom of Provence, comprised the ecclesiastical provinces of the archbishops of Arles, Aix, Vienne, Lyon (without Langres), and probably Besançon, and the dioceses of Tarentaise, Uzès, and Viviers
.

After Louis and Carloman divided their father's realm at Amiens in March 880, the two brothers joined to march against Boso. They took Mâcon and the northern parts of Boso's realm. Then uniting their forces with those of Charles the Fat, they unsuccessfully besieged Vienne from August to November.

In August 882, Boso was again besieged at Vienne by his brother,

Richard the Justiciar, duke of Burgundy and count of Autun
, who took the city in September. Boso never regained much of his realm and was restricted to the county of Vienne.

He died in 887 and was succeeded by his son Louis the Blind.

Marriages

Boso was married twice. The identity of his first wife is not known; his second wife was Ermengard of Italy, whom he wed in March 876.[4] Their issue was:

Notes

  1. ^ Wickham lists him as Louis III[4]

References

  1. ^
    JSTOR 286367
    . His mother's father, Boso, provided a daughter, Tetburgis/Teutberga, Boso's aunt, to be wife of Lothair II.
  2. ^ Riché 1993, p. 374.
  3. ^ Caravale, Mario, ed. (2003). Dizionario biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Rome.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a b Wickham 1989, p. 226.
  5. ISBN 978-2010097379
    .

Sources

  • Riché, Pierre (1993). The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe. Translated by Allen, Michael Idomir. University of Pennsylvania Press.
  • Wickham, Chris (1989). Early Medieval Italy. The University of Michigan Press.

Further reading
Preceded by
King of Provence

879–887 		Succeeded by
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