Louis the Blind
| Louis the Blind | |
|---|---|
King of Provence | |
| Reign | 887–928 |
| Predecessor | Boso |
| Successor | Hugh |
| Born | c. 880 Provence |
| Died | 5 June 928 Vienne, Provence |
| Spouses |
|
| Issue |
|
| House | Bivinids |
| Father | Boso |
| Mother | Ermengard |
Louis the Blind (c. 880 – 5 June 928
Early reign
Born c. 880, Louis was the son of
In May, Ermengard traveled with Louis to the court of her relative, the emperor
In August 890, at the
In 896, Louis waged war on the
Conflict with Berengar
In 900, Louis, as the grandson and heir of the Emperor Louis II, was invited into Italy by various lords, including
In 905, Louis, after again listening to the Italian nobles who were tired of Berengar's rule, this time led by
Louis returned to Vienne, his capital, and by 911, he had put most of the royal powers in the hands of Hugh. Hugh was made Margrave of Provence and Marquis of Vienne[14] and moved the capital to Arles. As regent, Hugh married Louis's sister Willa. Louis lived out his days until his death in obscurity, and through his life he continued to style himself as Roman Emperor.[1] He was succeeded by his brother-in-law in 928.[12]
Marriages and heirs
In 899, Louis III was betrothed to Anna of Constantinople, the daughter of
The question of whether the betrothal was ever followed up by an actual marriage is still a matter of some controversy.
Detractors of the theory point out that when Anna was born, however, she was the daughter of a concubine who later became empress. Her father, at the time of Charles' birth, was the reigning emperor, therefore the silence of primary sources works against this theory. In addition, Liutprand of Cremona makes no mention of this, and it would have been very interesting to him, given that he was a thorough gossip, had been ambassador to Constantinople and devoted several chapters to the misadventures of Louis in Italy with no mention of these Byzantine connections. René Poupardin believed that Constantine was not a baptismal name, but Settipani disagrees. Richer specifically stated that Charles' ancestry was tainted with illegitimacy and mentioned nothing of his mother's supposed illustrious Byzantine parentage.[citation needed]
Christian Settipani challenges that theory by stating that the only reason why René Poupardin made him a bastard of Louis III was a passage by Richerius claiming that "Charles Constantine (...) was from a royal race, but which nobility had been vilified by a bastard ancestry remounting to his great-great-grandfather", proving nothing about Charles-Constantine's mother.[18] Such a union would also account for the mention of Greek merchants in Louis’ privilege of 921.[16]
In 914, Louis entered a second union, which would then be either his first or second marriage, by marrying Adelaide, daughter of Rudolph I of Upper Burgundy, likely mother of Rudolph, the other documented son of Louis the Blind.[20]
In December 915, his daughter,
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Bouchard, p. 334
- ^ Grierson & Blackburn 1986, p. 256.
- ^ Riche 1983, p. table 7.
- ^ a b c Mann 1925, p. 382.
- ^ a b Mann 1925, p. 383.
- ^ Duckett, p. 12
- ^ Paul Edward Dutton. “Charles the Fat's Constitutional Dreams,” in The Politics of Dreaming in the Carolingian Empire. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1994, 225–251.
- ^ Mann 1925a, pp. 98, 104.
- ^ a b c d e Duckett, p. 51
- ^ Mann 1925a, p. 104.
- ^ a b c Mann 1925a, p. 105.
- ^ a b Kleinhenz, Christopher, Medieval Italy: an encyclopedia, Volume 2, (2003), p. 656
- ^ a b Comyn, p. 85
- ^ a b Bradbury, Jim, The Capetians: kings of France, 987–132, (2007), p. 63
- ^ Duckett, p. 53
- ^ a b c Shepard, Jonathan, The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire, Cambridge University Press, 2008, p. 423
- ^ The third marriage, I have said to the Emperor, was already unworthy of your majesty, but there was an excuse with the agreement that you had concluded with the Frank. Since it was conveined that you destined him as his spouse your only daughter. It was the cousin of Berta, to whom had arrived the misfortune that is known.
- ^ a b Christian Settipani, Nos Ancêtres de l' Antiquité, pp. 6–7
- ^ Shepard, Jonathan, The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire, Cambridge University Press, 2008, p. 541
- ^ a b C. W. Previté Orton, "Charles Constantine of Vienne", English Historical Review, 29(1914):703–709.
- ^ Shaun Tougher, The Reign of Leo VI (886–912): Politics and People (Brill, 1997), p. 148.
- ^ Rosenwein 1996, p. 258.
- ^ a b Previté-Orthon 1914, p. 336.
References
- Comyn, Robert. History of the Western Empire, from its Restoration by Charlemagne to the Accession of Charles V, Vol. I. 1851
- Grierson, Philip; Blackburn, Mark (1986). Medieval European Coinage. Vol. 1, The Early Middle Ages (5th–10th Centuries). Cambridge University Press.
- Mann, Horace, K. (1925). The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages. Vol. III: The Popes During the Carolingian Empire, 858–891. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Mann, Horace, K. (1925a). The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages. Vol. IV: The Popes in the Days of Feudal Anarchy, 891–999. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co, Ltd.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Riche, Pierre (1983). The Carolingians: A Family who forged Europe. Translated by Allen, Michael Idomir. University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Bouchard, Constance Brittain (2000). "Burgundy and Provence, 879–1032". In ISBN 978-1-13905572-7.
- Duckett, Eleanor (1968). Death and Life in the Tenth Century. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
- Previté-Orton, C. W. "Italy and Provence, 900–950."The English Historical Review, Vol. 32, No. 127. (Jul. 1917), pp. 335–347.
- Previté-Orthon, Charles (1914). Charles Constantine of Vienne. Vol. 29. English Historical Review.
- Rosenwein, Barbara H. (1996). The Family Politics of Berengar I, King of Italy (888–924). Vol. 71. Speculum. pp. 247–289.
