Seguin II of Gascony
Encyclopedia
Seguin II called Mostelanicus, was the Count of Bordeaux
and Saintes
from 840 and Duke of Gascony
from 845. He was either the son or grandson of Seguin I
, the duke appointed by Charlemagne
.
When Louis the Pious
subdued Aquitaine
and took it from his rebellious grandson Pepin II
in 839, he began partitioning it into counties for those loyal to him. Seguin was one of the new counts. It was probably the emperor's intention to install a duke with local connections to offset the power of Sancho Sánchez
, the local factional leader who opposed both Pepin and then Louis.
Seguin continued to support Louis until his death and then his successor in the west, Charles the Bald
, but his fidelity to the latter waivered and he went over to the side of Pepin. He was rewarded with the title of dux Wasconum — Duke of Gascony — which probably referred to the Frankish
march against the Gascons of Sancho. In Autumn 845, Sequin marched on the Vikings assaulting Bordeaux
and Saintes
but was captured and put to death.
Count of Bordeaux
The Count of Bordeaux or comes Burdagalensis was the ruler of the city of Bordeaux and its environs in the Merovingian and Carolingian periods. The names of the counts are scarcely known until the ninth century, when they start to take on a larger role because of their strategic importance in the...
and Saintes
Saintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....
from 840 and 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...
from 845. He was either the son or grandson of Seguin I
Seguin I of Gascony
Seguin I Lupo was Duke of Gascony from 812 until 816, when Louis the Pious deposed him "because of his boundless arrogance and wicked ways", according to the contemporary Frankish chroniclers. The "Basques across the Garonne and around the Pyrenees" rebelled against the removal of their duke, but...
, the duke 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...
.
When 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...
subdued Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
and took it from his rebellious grandson Pepin II
Pepin II of Aquitaine
Pepin II, called the Younger , was King of Aquitaine from 838 as the successor upon the death of his father, Pepin I. Pepin II was eldest son of Pepin I and Ingeltrude, daughter of Theodobert, count of Madrie...
in 839, he began partitioning it into counties for those loyal to him. Seguin was one of the new counts. It was probably the emperor's intention to install a duke with local connections to offset the power of Sancho Sánchez
Sancho Sánchez of Gascony
Sancho II Sánchez or Sans II Sancion succeeded his brother Aznar Sánchez as count of Vasconia Citerior in 836, in spite of the objections of Pepin I, King of Aquitaine.After Pepin's death in 838, confusion enveloped southern Gaul...
, the local factional leader who opposed both Pepin and then Louis.
Seguin continued to support Louis until his death and then his successor in the west, 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...
, but his fidelity to the latter waivered and he went over to the side of Pepin. He was rewarded with the title of dux Wasconum — Duke of Gascony — which probably referred to the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
march against the Gascons of Sancho. In Autumn 845, Sequin marched on the Vikings assaulting Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
and Saintes
Saintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....
but was captured and put to death.
Sources
- Monlezun, Jean Justin. Histoire de la Gascogne. 1846.
- Higounet, Charles. Bordeaux pendant le haut moyen age. Bordeaux, 1963.