Rudolph II of Burgundy
Encyclopedia
Rudolph II was king of Upper Burgundy
(912–937), Lower Burgundy
(Provence
) (933–937), and Italy (effective, 922–926—claim abandoned 933). He was the son of Rudolph I, king of Upper Burgundy
, and it is presumed that his mother was his father's known wife, Guilla of Provence
. He married Bertha of Swabia
.
Following his ascent to the throne in 912, Rudolph was asked by several Italian
nobles to intervene in Italy on their behalf against Emperor Berengar in 922. Having entered Italy, he was crowned King of the Lombards at Pavia
. In 923, he defeated Berengar at Piacenza
; Berengar was murdered the following year, possibly at the instigation of Rudolph. The king then ruled Upper Burgundy and Italy together, residing alternately in both kingdoms.
However, in 926 the Italian nobility turned against him and requested that Hugh of Arles
, the effective ruler of Provence (or Lower Burgundy), rule them instead. Rudolph returned to Upper Burgundy to protect himself, assuring Hugh's coronation as King of Italy in the process. The Italians then switched sides again, declaring that they wished for Rudolph to reclaim the throne. To prevent this, Hugh and Rudolph signed a treaty in 933, granting Rudolph rule of Lower Burgundy in exchange for his renunciation of all claims on the Italian throne. He married his daughter Adelaide
to Hugh's son Lothair
. The two Burgundian kingdoms
unified, Rudolph ruled until his death in 937. He was succeeded by Conrad
.
Upper Burgundy
Upper Burgundy is the part of Burgundy east of the Jura mountains, that together with the western County of Burgundy from 868 formed the Kingdom of Upper Burgundy, encompassing both sides of the Jura mountains range...
(912–937), Lower Burgundy
Lower Burgundy
Lower Burgundy was a historical kingdom in what is now southeastern France, so-called because it was lower down the Rhone Valley than Upper Burgundy. Lower Burgundy is sometimes called the Kingdom of Arelat or the Kingdom of Cisjurane Burgundy...
(Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
) (933–937), and Italy (effective, 922–926—claim abandoned 933). He was the son of Rudolph I, king of Upper Burgundy
Rudolph I of Burgundy
Rudolph I was King of Burgundy from his election in 888 until his death.Rudolph belonged to the elder Welf family and was the son of Conrad, Count of Auxerre, from whom he inherited the lay abbacy of St Maurice en Valais, making him the most powerful magnate in Upper Burgundy - present-day...
, and it is presumed that his mother was his father's known wife, Guilla of Provence
Guilla of Provence
Guilla of Provence or of Burgundy was an early medieval Frankish queen in the Rhone valley.It is certain that she was firstly consort of king Rudolf I of Upper Burgundy and later since 912 consort of Hugh of Arles, border count of Provence, who in 926 became king of Northern Italy.Everything else...
. He married Bertha of Swabia
Bertha of Swabia
Bertha of Swabia was Queen consort of Burgundy. She was the daughter of Burchard II, Duke of Swabia and his wife Regelinda.In 922, she was married to Rudolph II of Burgundy. Adelaide of Italy was their common daughter...
.
Following his ascent to the throne in 912, Rudolph was asked by several Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
nobles to intervene in Italy on their behalf against Emperor Berengar in 922. Having entered Italy, he was crowned King of the Lombards at 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...
. In 923, he defeated Berengar at Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
; Berengar was murdered the following year, possibly at the instigation of Rudolph. The king then ruled Upper Burgundy and Italy together, residing alternately in both kingdoms.
However, in 926 the Italian nobility turned against him and requested that Hugh of Arles
Hugh of Italy
Hugh of Arles was King of Italy from 924 until his death. He was a Bosonid. During his reign, he empowered his relatives at the expense of the aristocracy and tried to establish a relationship with the Byzantine-Roman Empire...
, the effective ruler of Provence (or Lower Burgundy), rule them instead. Rudolph returned to Upper Burgundy to protect himself, assuring Hugh's coronation as King of Italy in the process. The Italians then switched sides again, declaring that they wished for Rudolph to reclaim the throne. To prevent this, Hugh and Rudolph signed a treaty in 933, granting Rudolph rule of Lower Burgundy in exchange for his renunciation of all claims on the Italian throne. He married his daughter Adelaide
Adelaide of Italy
Saint Adelaide of Italy , also called Adelaide of Burgundy, was the second wife of Otto the Great, Holy Roman Emperor...
to Hugh's son Lothair
Lothair II of Italy
Lothair II , often Lothair of Arles, was the King of Italy from 948 to his death. He was of the noble Frankish lineage of the Bosonids, descended from Boso the Elder...
. The two Burgundian kingdoms
Kingdom of Arles
The Kingdom of Arles or Second Kingdom of Burgundy of the High Middle Ages was a Frankish dominion established in 933 from lands of the early medieval Kingdom of Burgundy at Arles...
unified, Rudolph ruled until his death in 937. He was succeeded by Conrad
Conrad of Burgundy
Conrad the Peaceful was the king of Burgundy from 937 until his death. He was the son of King Rudolph II, the first king of a united Burgundy and Bertha of Swabia...
.
See also
- Kingdom of Italy (medieval)Kingdom of Italy (medieval)The Kingdom of Italy was a political entity under control of Carolingian dynasty of Francia first, after the defeat of the Lombards in 774. It was finally incorporated as a part of the Holy Roman Empire in 962....
- King of ItalyKing of ItalyKing of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers of the Italian peninsula after the fall of the Roman Empire...