Adalbert of Italy
Encyclopedia
Adalbert was the king of Italy
from 950 to 963. He was the son of the Margrave
Berengar of Ivrea and Willa
.
On 15 December 950, both he and his father were crowned kings of Italy after the death of Lothair II. His father tried to force Adelaide
, widow of Lothair, to marry Adalbert and cement their claim to the kingship. When she refused and fled, she was tracked down and imprisoned for four months at Como.
In 951, King Otto I of Germany
invaded Italy and rescued Adelaide, marrying her himself. He forced Berengar and Adalbert to do homage to him for their kingdom in 952. In 953, Adalbert began besieging Count Adalbert Azzo of Canossa, in his Canossa
n castle, where Adelaide had taken refuge two years prior. In 957, Liudolf, Duke of Swabia
, invaded Lombardy and caused Berenagar to flee, though Adalbert gathered a large force at Verona
. He was defeated, but Liudolf died prematurely and his army left.
In 960, he joined his father in attacking the pope
, John XII. Otto came down at the pope's call and defeated the two co-kings and was crowned Emperor. Adalbert fled to Fraxinet
, then under the Saracens. From there he fled to Corsica
. When he returned, he tried to take Pavia
, the Italian capital, but was defeated by another invading Swabia
n army, this time under Burchard III
. Only the interference of his brothers Conrad
and Guy
, who died fighting, saved him to fight another day, which he never did. His negotiations with the Byzantine Empire
fell through and he retired with his wife Gerberga to Burgundy, where he died at Autun
sometime between 971 and 975. His widow married Henry I, Duke of Burgundy, and his son, Otto-William, inherited through his stepfather the county of Burgundy
and is thus the forefather of the Free Counts and the Hohenstaufen
emperors.
King of Italy
King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers of the Italian peninsula after the fall of the Roman Empire...
from 950 to 963. He was the son of the Margrave
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
Berengar of Ivrea and Willa
Willa of Tuscany
Willa, known as Willa of Tuscany , was the daughter of Boso of Tuscany and the wife and queen consort of Berengar II of Italy. She was the mother of Adalbert, Guy, and Conrad....
.
On 15 December 950, both he and his father were crowned kings of Italy after the death of Lothair II. His father tried to force Adelaide
Adelaide of Italy
Saint Adelaide of Italy , also called Adelaide of Burgundy, was the second wife of Otto the Great, Holy Roman Emperor...
, widow of Lothair, to marry Adalbert and cement their claim to the kingship. When she refused and fled, she was tracked down and imprisoned for four months at Como.
In 951, King Otto I of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
invaded Italy and rescued Adelaide, marrying her himself. He forced Berengar and Adalbert to do homage to him for their kingdom in 952. In 953, Adalbert began besieging Count Adalbert Azzo of Canossa, in his Canossa
Canossa
Canossa is a comune and castle town in Emilia-Romagna, famous as the site where Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV did penance in 1077, standing three days bare-headed in the snow, in order to reverse his excommunication by Pope Gregory VII...
n castle, where Adelaide had taken refuge two years prior. In 957, Liudolf, Duke of Swabia
Liudolf, Duke of Swabia
Liudolf was the duke of Swabia from 950 until 954. He was the only son of Otto I, king of Germany, from his wife Eadgyth, daughter of Edward the Elder, king of England....
, invaded Lombardy and caused Berenagar to flee, though Adalbert gathered a large force at Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
. He was defeated, but Liudolf died prematurely and his army left.
In 960, he joined his father in attacking the pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, John XII. Otto came down at the pope's call and defeated the two co-kings and was crowned Emperor. Adalbert fled to Fraxinet
Fraxinet
Fraxinet or Fraxinetum was the site of a tenth-century fortress established by Saracen pirates at modern La Garde-Freinet, near Saint-Tropez, in Provence...
, then under the Saracens. From there he fled to Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
. When he returned, he tried to take Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
, the Italian capital, but was defeated by another invading Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
n army, this time under Burchard III
Burchard III, Duke of Swabia
Burchard III was the count of Thurgau and Zürichgau, perhaps of Rhaetia, and then Duke of Swabia from 954 to his death....
. Only the interference of his brothers Conrad
Conrad of Ivrea
Conrad Cono was the Margrave of Ivrea from 970 to his death. He was the third son of Berengar II of Italy and Willa of Tuscany. His elder brothers were Adalbert and Guy, both of whom ruled the march before him...
and Guy
Guy of Ivrea
Guy was the margrave of Ivrea from 950 to his death. In 950, his father, King Berengar II of Italy, appointed him to rule in the familial margraviate. His mother was Willa of Tuscany, his elder brother was Adalbert II, co-king with their father, and their younger brother was Conrad.In 959, Guy...
, who died fighting, saved him to fight another day, which he never did. His negotiations with the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
fell through and he retired with his wife Gerberga to Burgundy, where he died at Autun
Autun
Autun is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in Burgundy in eastern France. It was founded during the early Roman Empire as Augustodunum. Autun marks the easternmost extent of the Umayyad campaign in Europe.-Early history:...
sometime between 971 and 975. His widow married Henry I, Duke of Burgundy, and his son, Otto-William, inherited through his stepfather the county of Burgundy
County of Burgundy
The Free County of Burgundy , was a medieval county , within the traditional province and modern French region Franche-Comté, whose very French name is still reminiscent of the unusual title of its count: Freigraf...
and is thus the forefather of the Free Counts and the Hohenstaufen
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
emperors.