Berenguer the Wise
Encyclopedia
Berengar, called the Wise , was the count (or duke) of Toulouse (814–835) and duke
(or margrave
) of Septimania
(832–835). He held the County of Barcelona concomitantly with Septimania.
Berengar was a member of the family of the Unrochids. He was the son of Unroch II of Friuli and Ingeltrude and brother of Eberhard
. His nephew was the Holy Roman Emperor
Berengar.
In 814, Louis the Pious
installed Berengar as Count of Toulouse in succession to Raymond Raphinel who had been appointed by Charlemagne
. He was also a councillor of Pepin I of Aquitaine
in 816. In 819, he and Guerin, Count of Auvergne, fought against the usurping Duke of Gascony
, Lupo III Centule
. Berengar appears as a missus dominicus
of Louis in May 825 and then in 827 in the six counties of Rheims, Soissons
, Senlis
, Beauvais
, Laon
, and Catolonis and the four bishoprics of Amiens
, Cambrai
, Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise
, and Noviomacensem.
In November 831, Pepin revolted against his father, with Berengar advising him not to rebel, but Bernard of Septimania inciting him. In the beginning of 832, Louis the Pious began campaigning against his rebellious son. Berengar, loyal to the Emperor, attacked the domains of Bernard, taking Roussillon
(with Vallespir
), Razès, and Conflent
. On 2 February, Berengar had already reached Elna
. Finally, in the autumn of the same year, successive victories by the imperial forces compelled Pepin and Bernard to appear before the Emperor (October) to plead for peace. Pepin was dispossessed of his kingdom and sent, as a prisoner, to Trier
. His territories were given to Charles the Bald
, youngest son of the Emperor. Bernard was accused of infidelity and dispossessed of all his lands in Septimania and Gothia. They were given to Berengar of Toulouse. Gaucelm
, Bernard's brother, was also dispossessed of the majority of his lands, but for a time kept the County of Ampurias although this too was lost to Berengar later.
In 833, Aznar I Galíndez
, Count of Urgell and Cerdanya, usurped the counties of Pallars and Ribagorza from under Berengar's rule. In 834, when another rebellious son of the emperor, Lothair
, was defeated, Bernard, having fought on the side of Pepin, reclaimed his old domains as the price of his support. The lands were passed to Bernard and Berengar was weakened. As a result Berengar's Pyrenean
lands were confiscated unlawfully and redistributed by the imperial crown to others. His Catalan
grants were taken away and given to his old enemy. He was left with nothing but the County of Toulouse after fighting loyally for the old emperor and the successful Pepin.
In June 835, Bernard and Berengar were summoned to an Assembly at Crémieu
, near Lyon
, where a decision would be made about the distribution of lands in Septimania and Gothia, but on the way Berengar died unexpectedly. Now without any obstacle, the Emperor gave the region's counties to Bernard and Toulouse to Guerin.
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
(or 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...
) of Septimania
Septimania
Septimania was the western region of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis that passed under the control of the Visigoths in 462, when Septimania was ceded to their king, Theodoric II. Under the Visigoths it was known as simply Gallia or Narbonensis. It corresponded roughly with the modern...
(832–835). He held the County of Barcelona concomitantly with Septimania.
Berengar was a member of the family of the Unrochids. He was the son of Unroch II of Friuli and Ingeltrude and brother of Eberhard
Eberhard of Friuli
Eberhard was the Frankish Duke of Friuli from 846. His name is alternatively spelled Everard, Evrard, Erhard, Eberhard, or Eberard, or in Latinized fashion Everardus, Eberardus, or Eberhardus. He wrote his own name "Evvrardus"...
. His nephew was the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Berengar.
In 814, Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
installed Berengar as Count of Toulouse in succession to Raymond Raphinel who had been appointed by Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
. He was also a councillor of Pepin I of Aquitaine
Pepin I of Aquitaine
Pepin I was King of Aquitaine.-Biography:He was the second son of Emperor Louis the Pious and his first wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye....
in 816. In 819, he and Guerin, Count of Auvergne, fought against the usurping Duke of Gascony
Duke of Gascony
The Duchy of Vasconia , later known as Gascony, was a Merovingian creation: a frontier duchy on the Garonne, in the border with the rebel Basque tribes...
, Lupo III Centule
Lupo III Centule of Gascony
Lupo III Centule was the Duke of Gascony briefly from 818 until his deposition by Pepin I of Aquitaine in 819...
. Berengar appears as a missus dominicus
Missus dominicus
A missus dominicus , Latin for "envoy[s] of the lord [ruler]", also known in Dutch as Zendgraaf , meaning "sent Graf", was an official commissioned by the Frankish king or Holy Roman Emperor to supervise the administration, mainly of justice, in parts of his dominions too far for frequent personal...
of Louis in May 825 and then in 827 in the six counties of Rheims, Soissons
Soissons
Soissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
, Senlis
Senlis, Oise
Senlis is a French commune located in the Oise department near Paris. It has a long and rich heritage, having traversed centuries of history. This medieval town has welcomed some of the most renowned figures in French history, including Hugh Capet, Louis IX, the Marshall of France, Anne of Kiev and...
, Beauvais
Beauvais
Beauvais is a city approximately by highway north of central Paris, in the northern French region of Picardie. It currently has a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, Laon
Laon
Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...
, and Catolonis and the four bishoprics of Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
, Cambrai
Cambrai
Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
, Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise
Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise
Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The population of the canton is 14,939.-History:The county of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, usually referred to as just Saint-Pol, was originally a stronghold of the Counts of Flanders and was established as a county...
, and Noviomacensem.
In November 831, Pepin revolted against his father, with Berengar advising him not to rebel, but Bernard of Septimania inciting him. In the beginning of 832, Louis the Pious began campaigning against his rebellious son. Berengar, loyal to the Emperor, attacked the domains of Bernard, taking Roussillon
Roussillon
Roussillon is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales...
(with Vallespir
Vallespir
Vallespir is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca is Ceret, and it borders Conflent, Rosselló, Alt Empordà, Garrotxa and Ripollès...
), Razès, and Conflent
Conflent
Conflent is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, now part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. In the Middle Ages it comprised the County of Conflent....
. On 2 February, Berengar had already reached Elna
Elna
Elna is a Swiss company which produces sewing machines.-External links:**...
. Finally, in the autumn of the same year, successive victories by the imperial forces compelled Pepin and Bernard to appear before the Emperor (October) to plead for peace. Pepin was dispossessed of his kingdom and sent, as a prisoner, to Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
. His territories were given to Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
, youngest son of the Emperor. Bernard was accused of infidelity and dispossessed of all his lands in Septimania and Gothia. They were given to Berengar of Toulouse. Gaucelm
Gaucelm
Gaucelm was a Frankish count and leading magnate in Gothia during the reign of Louis the Pious. He was initially the Count of Roussillon from about 800, but he received Empúries in 817 and was thenceforward the chief representative of imperial authority in that region.He was the son of William of...
, Bernard's brother, was also dispossessed of the majority of his lands, but for a time kept the County of Ampurias although this too was lost to Berengar later.
In 833, Aznar I Galíndez
Aznar I Galíndez
Aznar Galíndez I was the Count of Aragon and Conflent from 809 and Cerdanya and Urgell from 820. Aznar has been confused with Aznar Sánchez, Duke of Gascony, and some authorities have even considered the two like-named contemporaries to be one and the same person.Aznar succeeded Aureolus as count...
, Count of Urgell and Cerdanya, usurped the counties of Pallars and Ribagorza from under Berengar's rule. In 834, when another rebellious son of the emperor, Lothair
Lothair I
Lothair I or Lothar I was the Emperor of the Romans , co-ruling with his father until 840, and the King of Bavaria , Italy and Middle Francia...
, was defeated, Bernard, having fought on the side of Pepin, reclaimed his old domains as the price of his support. The lands were passed to Bernard and Berengar was weakened. As a result Berengar's Pyrenean
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
lands were confiscated unlawfully and redistributed by the imperial crown to others. His Catalan
Principality of Catalonia
The Principality of Catalonia , is a historic territory in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, mostly in Spain and with an adjoining portion in southern France....
grants were taken away and given to his old enemy. He was left with nothing but the County of Toulouse after fighting loyally for the old emperor and the successful Pepin.
In June 835, Bernard and Berengar were summoned to an Assembly at Crémieu
Crémieu
Crémieu is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France.It is located near Bourgoin-Jallieu, about 25 miles east of Lyon.-Early history:...
, near Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, where a decision would be made about the distribution of lands in Septimania and Gothia, but on the way Berengar died unexpectedly. Now without any obstacle, the Emperor gave the region's counties to Bernard and Toulouse to Guerin.