Berenger, duke of Septimania

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Berenger

Birthdate:
Death: between circa 836 and circa 837 (32-55) (killed in battle)
Immediate Family:

Son of Unruoch, marquis & duke of Friuli and Engeltrude of Paris
Brother of St. Eberhard, margrave & duke of Friuli; NN; Adalhard, abbé de Saint-Bertin and NN

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About Berenger, duke of Septimania

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 with 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. Gaucelm, Bernard's brother, was also dispossessed of the majority of his lands, but for a time kept the Empúries 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 Louis with 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. Thus the decision was simplified, and the Emperor gave the region's counties to Bernard and Toulouse to Guerin.


UNRUOCH, son of --- (-13 Nov before 853). m ENGELTRUDE, daughter of ---. The primary source which names Engeltrude as wife of Unruoch and mother of his children has not yet been identified. Unruoch & his wife had three children:

a) BERENGER ([790/95]-killed in battle [836/37]). The original manuscript of Thegan’s Vita Hludowici Imperatoris names "Beringarii, Hunroci quondam comitis filii"[611]. Thegan's Vita Hludowici Imperatoris names "…Berengarium sapientem, propinquum suum" as missus of Emperor Louis[612]. The precise family relationship between Berengar and Emperor Louis I to which this refers is not known. It is possible that it refers to the marriage, which took place shortly before the events recorded in this passage in the Vita, between Berengar's younger brother Eberhard and the emperor's daughter Gisela, although this is remote. No indication has yet been found of any possible Carolingian ancestry of either of Berengar's parents. Berengar's birth date is estimated on the assumption that he was adult when he was recorded as count in 819, but also bearing in mind the estimated birth date range of his younger brother Eberhard. Comte de Toulouse 819. Einhard's Annales name "Berengario Tolosæ et Warino Arverni comite" as fighting "Lupus Centulli Wasco" in 819[613]. The Vita Hludowici Imperatoris records the rebellion of "Wasco, Lupus Centulli cognomento" and fighting "Werinum Arvernorum comitem et Berengarium Tholosanum"[614]. Duke of Septimania. "Ragnarius episcopus et Berengarius comes" are named as imperial missi in "sex…comitatus…Remis, Catolonis, Suessionis, Silvanectis, Belvacus et Laudunum…[et] quatuor…episcopatus …Noviomacensem, Ambianensem, Tervanensem et Camaracensem" in documents of Emperor Louis dated May 825 and 827[615]. Emperor Louis I granted "comitatum Brivatensem" to "fideli nostro Berengario…comiti" by charter dated 825[616]. “Berengarius...chomis” donated property to “abbate...Teuderedo” at the monastery of Alaon, as his predecessor “Crischonius abba” had received, by charter dated to [816/33][617]. Thegan's Vita Hludowici Imperatoris names "Badaradum episcopum Saxonicum et Gerhardum…ducem et Berengarium sapientem, propinquum suum" as missi of Emperor Louis[618], the passage being undated but included among text which records events in the first half of the 830s. Thegan's Vita Hludowici Imperatoris records the death in 836 of "Berengarius dux fidelius et sapiens" whom Emperor Louis and his sons "luxit multo tempore"[619].
b) EBERHARD ([805/10]-in Italy 16 Dec 866, bur Cysoing, Abbey of St Calixtus). .
c) ADALHARD (-Saint-Amand 3 Feb 864, bur Saint-Amand).
d) daughter . The wife of Suppo III is shown in Europäische Stammtafeln[623] as the daughter of Unruoch but the primary source on which this is based has not yet been identified. It is probably speculative, based on the name of his son who was called "consanguineus" of Berengar I King of Italy in the latter’s charter dated 12 May 890. m SUPPO III Marchese di Spoleto, son of --- (-[878/79]).]
e) --- . The exact relationship of Adalric to Graf Eberhard is not known, but assuming that nepos in the latter’s testament should be translated by nephew, one of Adalric’s parents was Eberhard’s sibling. m ---.] One child:

i) ADALRIC [Udalrich] (-after 866).


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Berenger, duke of Septimania's Timeline

790
790
814
814
- June 835
Age 24
Contea di Tolosa, Tolosa, France
832
October 832
- June 835
Age 42
Ducato di Settimania, Settimania, France
October 832
- June 835
Age 42
Contea di Barcellona
836
836
Age 46