Aribo (c. 850 – 909) was the margrave (comes terminalis, "frontier count") of the March of Pannonia

March of Pannonia

The March of Pannonia was a frontier march of the Carolingian Empire erected in the mid-ninth century against the threat of Great Moravia and lasting only as long as the strength of that state....

, from 871 until his death. In his day, the march orientalis corresponded to a front along the Danube

Danube

The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....

 from the Traun

Traun

Traun is a city in the state of Upper Austria, Austria. As of 2001, according to , the population was 23,470 . Traun is home to a large Turkish immigrant community, a significant part of which originates from Sakarya/Akyazi, Turkey. The city is located at latitude 48.21667, longitude...

gau to the Szombathely

Szombathely

Szombathely is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria...

 and Raba

Raba

Raba can refer to:*Raba, Indonesia, a town on Sumbawa island, Indonesia*Raba , a river in Poland, tributary of the Vistula*Rabbah bar Nahmani, known simply as Rabbah, was a Babylonian rabbi known in the Talmud as an Amora...

 rivers and including the Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 basin.

Aribo was originally appointed to succeed the brothers William

William (marcha orientalis)

William was the margrave of the March of Pannonia in the mid ninth century until his death on campaign against the Moravians in 871. In his day, the march orientalis corresponded to a front along the Danube from the Traungau to Szombathely and the Rába river and including the Vienna basin...

 and Engelschalk I

Engelschalk I

Engelschalk I was the margrave of the March of Pannonia in the mid ninth century until his death on campaign against the Moravians in 871. In his day, the march orientalis corresponded to a front along the Danube from the Traungau to the Szombathely and Raba rivers and including the Vienna basin...

 after they died on campaign against Moravia

Moravia

Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...

. This has been used to support the hypothesis that he was a brother-in-law of the two margraves. Aribo maintained peace with Svatopluk of Moravia and it paid off when, in 882, the son of the late margrave Engelschalk, Engelschalk II

Engelschalk II

Engelschalk II was the margrave of the March of Pannonia in the late ninth century in opposition to Aribo...

, rebelled against him, claiming the rights to the march. The emperor Charles the Fat

Charles the Fat

Charles the Fat was the King of Alemannia from 876, King of Italy from 879, western Emperor from 881, King of East Francia from 882, and King of West Francia from 884. In 887, he was deposed in East Francia, Lotharingia, and possibly Italy, where the records are not clear...

 confirmed Aribo's position and Engelschalk turned to Arnulf of Carinthia

Arnulf of Carinthia

Arnulf of Carinthia was the Carolingian King of East Francia from 887, the disputed King of Italy from 894 and the disputed Holy Roman Emperor from February 22, 896 until his death.-Birth and Illegitimacy:...

, Aribo's southern neighbour, for support. Svatopluk, however, entered the so-called Wilhelminer War

Wilhelminer War

Wilhelminer War was a minor war fought in the March of Pannonia from 882 to 884. It was initially a rebellion of the sons of the margraves William II and Engelschalk I, led by Engelschalk II, against the new margrave Aribo. Svatopluk I of Great Moravia intervened as an ally of Aribo because he had...

 on the side of Aribo and the emperor. In 884, peace returned to the marcha.

A sign of Aribo's strength after this was that he was unable to be unseated by Arnulf when the latter succeeded to the German throne in 887. In 893, Arnulf appointed Engelschalk II to a portion of the Pannonian march over Aribo's head. Aribo never reconciled with Arnulf after the Wilhelimner War and his contacts with the Moravians were kept secure. After his falling out, his son Isanrich got Moravian support against Arnulf. Aribo's descendants formed the Aribonid

Aribonids

The Aribonids were a noble family of probably Bavarian origin who rose to preeminence in the March of Pannonia in the late ninth and early tenth centuries...

 family. They held the Archbishopric of Salzburg

Archbishopric of Salzburg

The Archbishopric of Salzburg was an ecclesiastical State of the Holy Roman Empire, its territory roughly congruent with the present-day Austrian state of Salzburg....

 in the 10th century, but were pushed out of power in the Duchy of Bavaria

Duchy of Bavaria

The Duchy of Bavaria was the only one of the stem duchies from the earliest days of East Francia and the Kingdom of Germany to preserve both its name and most of its territorial extent....

 by the Liutpoldings.

Sources

• Reuter, Timothy. Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056. New York: Longman, 1991.
• MacLean, Simon. Kingship and Politics in the Late Ninth Century: Charles the Fat and the end of the Carolingian Empire. Cambridge University Press: 2003.