Hugh of Italy
Hugh | |
---|---|
Kingdom of Provence | |
Died | 10 April 947 (aged 66–67) Arles, Kingdom of Provence |
Spouses |
|
Issue | |
House | Bosonid |
Father | Theobald, Count of Arles |
Mother | Bertha of Lotharingia |
Religion | Chalcedonian Christianity |
Hugh (c. 880–947), known as Hugh of Arles or Hugh of Provence, was the
Early life
Hugh of Arles was born in 880/1,
At an unknown date, a Provençal army led by Hugh, his brother
About 922, a sizable faction of Italian nobles revolted against the by-then
King
Rather than accept Rudolph, Berengar's partisans now elected Hugh as king (925).
For whatever reasons,[vague] neither Charles Constantine nor Hugh was elected king, but Hugh annexed the kingdom to Italy de facto, issuing diplomata concerning Provence from his Italian chancery in a royal style. He also took control of the right to grant fiefs in Provence.[4]
During his early years of reign, Hugh somewhat improved the central administration of the kingdom, achieving rather more (though not total) success against the
In September 928, Hugh met with
In 936, Hugh replaced Boso of Tuscany with his own son
Second marriage
However, Hugh's attempt to strengthen his power further by a second marriage failed disastrously. His bride was
Hugh's power in Italy was damaged but not destroyed by these events. To strengthen his hand in the affairs of
Within the kingdom, Hugh intensified his existing habit of giving any available offices or lands to relations, including his numerous legitimate and illegitimate progeny, and a small circle of old and trusted friends. The effect this had on Italian nobles who saw this as a threat eventually resulted in rebellion. In 941, Hugh expelled
Hugh retired to Provence, but continued to carry the royal title until 947.
Family
By four wives and at least four mistresses, he left eight children. With his first wife, Willa of Provence, Hugh had no children. His only legitimate children were both from his second wife, Alda or Hilda, of German origin, whom he married before 924.
- Alda of Vienne, who married Alberic II of Spoleto
- Lothair, Hugh's successor.
By his third wife, Marozia, and his fourth, Bertha of Swabia, widow of Rudolph II,[6] Hugh had no children. Hugh had several illegitimate children with several mistresses. By a noblewoman named Wandelmoda:
- Hubert, Duke of Spoleto, to whom he gave Tuscany
By low-born mistress named Pezola, and whom the people called Venerem:
- Bertha, who married the Byzantine Emperor Romanos IIand took the name Eudokia (Eudocia). She inherited her father's lands in Provence.
- Boso, who became Bishop of Piacenzaand imperial chancellor.
By Rotruda of Pavia, called Iunonem by the people and widow of Giselbert I of Bergamo:
- Rotlind or Rolend, who married Bernard, Count of Pavia.
By a Roman woman named Stephanie, to whom the people gave the nickname Semelen:
- Tebald, whom Hugh tried to make Archbishop of Milan.
By an unknown mistress:
- Geoffrey, Abbot of Nonantola
A young page educated at Hugh's court at the traditional Lombard capital, Pavia, grew up to be Liutprand, Bishop of Cremona and chronicler of the 10th century; his loyalty to the memory of Hugh may have helped fuel some of his partisan bitterness in chronicling Hugh's heirs.
References
- ^ Keller 1971.
- ^ Previté-Orton 1917, p. 338.
- ^ McKitterick 1983, p. 267.
- ^ a b c d e Bouchard 1999, p. 340-341.
- ^ a b Previté-Orton 1917, p. 340.
- ^ Bouchard 1999, p. 341.
Sources
- Balzaretti, Ross (2016). "Hugh of Arles (c. 885–948) and His Family: Narratives of Failure in the Regnum Italiae". Early Medieval Europe. 24 (2): 185–208. S2CID 153782559.
- Bouchard, Constance Brittain (1999). "Burgundy and Provence, 879–1032". In Reuter, Timothy; McKitterick, Rosamond (eds.). The New Cambridge Medieval History, c.900-c.1024. Vol. 3. Cambridge University Press.
- Keller, Hagen (1971). "Bosone di Toscana". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani. Vol. 13. Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana.
- Llewellyn, Peter (1971). Rome in the Dark Ages. Constable. ISBN 0-09-472150-5.
- McKitterick, Rosamond (1983). The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians, 751–987. London: Longman. ISBN 0-582-49005-7.
- JSTOR 551042.
- Riché, Pierre (1993). The Carolingians: a family who forged Europe. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-1342-4.