Eberhard of Friuli
Eberhard (c. 815 – 16 December 867) was the
Family
Eberhard was from an illustrious Frankish family, though his parentage is debated.[2] His marriage to the daughter of Emperor Louis the Pious cemented his eminent position at the Frankish court.
Children (with Gisela, daughter of Louis the Pious)
Name | Date of Birth | Date of Death | |
---|---|---|---|
Eberhard | c. 837 | 840 | |
Ingeltrude | 837 or 840 | April 870 | possibly married Henry, Margrave of the Franks and Grandmother of Henry the Fowler |
Unruoch III | c. 840 | 874 | |
Bèrenger | c. 845 | 924 | King of Italy |
Adélard | – | 874 | |
Rudolf | – | 892 | |
Heilwise | 860 | – | |
Gisèle | – | 863 | |
Judith of Friuli | – | ca. 881 | first married Arnult I of Bavaria, second married Conrad II of Auxerre .
|
Disputed parentage
- Paternity theories
- His father was Unruoch II.[3]
- "His father was Berengar, the son of Count Unroch."[4]
- "After other authors, Unroch, the grandfather of Saint Evrard, should have been the Duke of Frioul."[4]
- "Alas, some have written that Saint Evrard had for his father Carloman I, the brother of Charlemagne."[4]
- "His grandfather was, it is said, the Count Unroch who was leaving the court of Charlemagne and signatory to the will of the emperor."[4]
- Maternity theories
- His mother was
- "As for his mother, she was, Buzelin says, the daughter of Didier, king of the Lombards."[4]
Education
Although a layman, Eberhard was not only literate but possessed an extensive library, which is detailed in his will. He acted as a patron for the theologian and heretic Gottshalk of Orbais.
Warlike exploits and role as mediator under Louis the Pious
As soon as his age permitted him to carry arms, Eberhard took part in numerous military expeditions.[5] Named Duke of Friuli and Count or Marquis[6] de Trévise, in Italy, he defended his country against invasion by the Bulgars and managed to completely drive them from the peninsula—825-830.[4]
He rendered service unto Louis the Pious that was still more distinguished. During the tragic years (830-839) where the emperor had suffered at the hand of his son's revolt the most undignified treatment, Count Eberhard remained inviolably loyal.[4] He exercised his influence in Lothair's sphere (the elder son of the emperor) to bring about a reconciliation between father and son. It is certain that it was on his counsel in 839 that Lothaire went to Worms to implore the pardon of his father.[7]
Marriage and life at Cysoing
In return for his services, the emperor Louis the Pious gave Count Evrard the highest honor possible: the hand of his (acknowledged) daughter, the Princess Gisèle, in marriage.
Gisèle, a woman of piety and virtue,
Already, in the century before (in 752), the little hamlet established on the royal
Saint Evrard, at Cysoing, had a chaplain named
Character
Eberhard organized his home in a way so perfectly that it was more like a
Pacifier
Eberhard's activity was not limited to the royal
Wars with the Saracens
The negotiations ended and peace was re-established between the three brothers, Saint Evrard left in haste for
"Evrard has a reputation for being both a courageous soldier and able leader throughout these battles. In the tradition of Charlemagne, Evrard forced the vanquished to convert to Christianity, meritoriously teaching them the Gospel, himself."[4]
Testament and death
Sometime after this solemnity, Eberhard returned to Italy. We find him in 858 among the ambassadors whom the emperor Louis the Younger, son of Lothaire, sent to Ulm, near his uncle Louis the German. After this date, we know nothing more about Eberhard until his testament or will, whose authenticity is certain and in which we are given information on the life of Eberhard. This will was made in Italy, at Musiestro Castle, in the county of Trévise, in 867. Eberhard and his consort meticulously recorded not only their lands and possessions within a prepared will, but the identities and relationships of family members and neighboring royals. With the agreement of his spouse, Gisèle, Eberhard portioned his goods among his seven children.[4]
The eldest, Unroch, got all properties in Lombardy and Germany. The second, Berengar, got Annappes with its dependencies less Gruson and the other properties in the Hesbaye,[10] of and in the Condroz. The third, Adélard, got the lands of Cysoing, Camphin, Gruson and Somain, with charges and respects of all the properties of the Abbey in these regions. The fourth, Rodolphe, got Vitry-en-Artois and Mestucha, except for the church at Vitry which was given with the Abbey at Cysoing.[4]
The three daughters of Eberhard,
Canonisation
Eberhard was later canonised as a saint, and his feast day is on 16 December.[11]
References
- Theuws, Frans (2000). Rituals of Power: From Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages,503 pages/page 225,Christina La Rocca and Luigi Provero, THE DEAD AND THEIR GIFTS: THE WILL OF EBERHARD, COUNT OF FRIULI, AND HIS WIFE GISELA, DAUGHTER OF LOUIS THE PIOUS. Brill.
- Morby, John (1989). Dynasties of the World: a chronological and genealogical handbook. Oxford University Press.
- Louda, Jirí; MacLagan, Michael (1999). Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe, 2nd edition. Little, Brown and Company.
Notes
- ^ a b c Belgian and Celtic Saints Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
- ^ Sources : Chevalier. Répertoires des sources historiques au mot Eberhard. Don Boquet. Rerum gallicarum et francicarum scriptores T. VII ; Acta sanctorum VIeme volume d'Octobre. --Buzelin Gallo-Flandria I 102 ; III, 107-109 usw
- ^ ISBN 1-933194-22-7
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Saint Evrard : Fondateur de L'Abbaye de Cysoing : Son Culte & Ses Reliques" by Abbott Jules BATAILLE (1902)
- ^ Les Sires de Cysoing par Thierry Leuridan, p. 14
- ^ Les Sires de Cysoing par Thierry Leuridan, p. 14 -- Rerum gallicarum et francicarum scriptores usw
- ^ a b Les Sires de Cysoing par Thierry Leuridan
- ^ Les sires de Cysoing par Thierry Leuridan p.11
- ^ Acta sanctorum II p. 971. Cartul. de Cys. p. 768, 905, 914, 919.
- ^ amongst which the small "curtis Hildina" that several writers identified as "Hosden", an old independent seigneurie being nowadays the little hamlet Hosdent
- ^ "St. Eberhard of Friuli - Saints & Angels".
External links
- Translation of Eberhard and Gisela's will into English (pdf)
- Catholic.org (English)
- www.amdg.be Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine (French)