Engelschalk II 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....

 in the late ninth century in opposition to Aribo. 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.

Engelschalk was the son of 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...

 and nephew of William II

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...

, sons of William I (the Wilhelminers

Wilhelminers

The Wilhelminers were a noble Bavarian family of the 9th century. They rose to prominence mid-century under the brothers William and Engelschalk I, sons of William I, the founder of the family. The family held the March of Pannonia until 871, but their possession of it was the cause of a dispute,...

). He led his brothers and cousins in rebellion against the new margrave Aribo when they were not accorded the succession to their fathers in 871. They displaced Aribo off and on until the 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...

 of 882 – 884, when they were defeated by Aribo and Svatopluk of Moravia, aided by 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...

. They fled 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:...

, who refused to hand them over to Svatopluk. When Arnulf became king in 887, Engelschalk probably expected to receive his support, but Aribo was so strongly entrenched by then that the new king did not dare upset the balance.

Sometime before 893, Engelschalk captured Arnulf's illegitimate daughter Ellinrat and, probably, married her, in order to force Arnulf to accede to his demands. His plan failed and he had to fell to Moravia. In 893, Arnulf did regrant Engelschalk some power in Pannonia, but he offended the magnates of Bavaria and they conspired against him. In Regensburg

Regensburg

Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...

 that year, the aristocracy came together to negotiate with Engelschalk and prevent his assisting the Moravians, against whom Arnulf was planning a campaign for that year. Engelschalk was arrested and blinded without Arnulf's knowledge. His brother William immediately connived with Svatopluk, but the Bavarian aristocracy began to purge the court of Wilhelminers.

Sources

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