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Lothair II(835 – 8 August 869) was the king ofLotharingiafrom 855 until his death in 869. He was the second son of EmperorLothair IandErmengarde of Tours.He was married toTeutberga(died 875), daughter ofBoso the Elder.
| Lothair II | |
|---|---|
 Seal of Lothair II | |
| King of Lotharingia | |
| Reign | 855–869 |
| Predecessor | Lothair I |
| Successor | Charles the Bald |
| Born | 835 |
| Died | 8 August 869 Piacenza |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Teutberga Waldrada |
| Issue more... | Hugh, Duke of Alsace Bertha |
| Dynasty | Carolingian |
| Father | Lothair I |
| Mother | Ermengarde of Tours |
Reign
editFor political reasons, his father made him marry Teutberga in 855. Just a few days before his death in late autumn of 855, Emperor Lothair I divided his realm ofMiddle Franciaamong his three sons, a partition known asTreaty of Prüm.Lothair II received the Middle Francia territory west of theRhinestretching from theNorth Seato theJura Mountains.It became known asRegnum Lothariiand early in the 10th century asLotharingiaorLorraine(a designation subsequently applied only to theDuchy of Lorraine). His elder brotherLouis IIreceived northernItalyand the title ofEmperor,and his younger brother Charles received the western parts of his father's domains,Burgundyand theProvence.
On the death of his brother Charles in 863, Lothair added some lands south of theJurato this realm, but except for a few feeble expeditions against theNormanpirates he seems to have done little for its government or its defense. Thirty-six of Lothair II's royalcharterssurvive.[1]
Teutberga was not capable of bearing children and Lothair's reign was chiefly occupied by his efforts to obtain an annulment of their marriage, and his relations with his unclesCharles the BaldandLouis the Germanwere influenced by his desire to obtain their support for this endeavour. Although quarrels and reconciliations between the three kings followed each other in quick succession, in general it may be said that Louis favoured annulment, and Charles opposed it, while neither lost sight of the fact that Lothair had no sons to inherit his lands. Lothair, whose desire for annulment was prompted by his affection for his mistress,Waldrada,put away Teutberga, butHucberttook up arms on her behalf, and after she had submitted successfully to theordeal of water,Lothair was compelled to restore her in 858. Still pursuing his purpose, he won the support of his brother, EmperorLouis II,by a cession of lands and obtained the consent of the local clergy, such asAdventius of Metz,to the annulment and to his marriage with Waldrada, which took place in 862.
AsynodofFrankishbishopsmet at Metz in 863and confirmed this decision, but Teutberga fled to the court of Charles the Bald, andPope Nicholas Ivoided the decision of the synod. An attack onRomeby the emperor was without result, and in 865 Lothair, threatened withexcommunicationand convinced that Louis and Charles at their recent meeting had discussed the partition of his kingdom, again took back his wife. Teutberga, however, either from inclination or compulsion, now expressed her desire for an annulment, and Lothair went to Italy to obtain the assent of the new pope,Adrian II.Placing a favourable interpretation upon the words of the pope, he had set out on the return journey, when he was seized with fever and died atPiacenzaonAugust 8, 869.
Succession
editHis son,Hugh,by Waldrada, was declared illegitimate, so his heir was his brother,Louis II of Italy.As Louis was at that time campaigning against theEmirate of Bari,his kingdom was divided by and between his uncles Charles the Bald and Louis the German by theTreaty of Meerssen.
Descendants
editLothair II had some sons and probably three daughters, all by Waldrada, and all of whom were declared illegitimate:
- Hugh(c.855 – 895),Duke of Alsace(867–885)
- Gisela (c. 865 – 908), who in 883 marriedGodfrey,theVikingleader ruling inFrisia,who was murdered in 885
- Bertha(c. 863 – 925), who married CountTheobaldofArles(c. 854 – 895), nephew of Teutberga. They had two sonsHugh of ItalyandBoso of Tuscany.After Theobald's death, between 895 and 898 she marriedAdalbert II of Tuscany(c. 875 – 915).[2]They had at least three children:Guy,[3]who succeeded his father as count and duke ofLuccaand margrave ofTuscany;Lambert,who succeeded his brother in 929 but lost the titles in 931 to his half-brother Boso of Tuscany, and Ermengard.
- Ermengarde (d. 90?)
- Odo (d. c. 879)[citation needed]
References
edit- ^Die Urkunden Lothars I. und Lothars II., ed. Theodor Schieffer (Berlin, 1966); seehttp://turbulentpriests.group.shef.ac.uk/our-dearest-wife-and-son-king-lothar-iis-charters/
- ^Wickham, Chris(1990).Early Medieval Italy: Central Power and Local Society 400-1000.University of Michigan Press. pp. 59–60.ISBN0-472-08099-7.
- ^Townsend, Geo (1847)Ecclesiastical and Civil History Philosophically Considered,Vol. II, p. 157
Bibliography
edit
- Hincmar,"Opusculum de divortio Lotharii regis et Tetbergae reginae," inCursus completus patrologiae,tome cxxv., edited byJ. P. Migne(Paris, 1857–79)
- M. Sdralek,Hinkmars von Rheims Kanonistisches Gutachten uber die Ehescheidung des Königs Lothar II(Freiburg, 1881)
- E. Dummler,Geschichte des ostfränkischen Reiches(Leipzig, 1887–88)
- E. Muhlbacher,Die Regenten des Kaiserreichs unter den Karolingern(Innsbruck, 1881)