Berengar II(c.900 – 4 August 966) was theKing of Italyfrom 950 until his deposition in 961. He was a scion of theAnscaridandUnruochingdynasties, and was named after his maternal grandfather,Berengar I.He succeeded his father asMargrave of Ivreaaround 923 (whence he is often known asBerengar of Ivrea), and after 940 led the aristocratic opposition to kingsHughandLothair II.In 950 he succeeded the latter and had his son,Adalbertcrowned as his co-ruler. In 952 he recognised the suzerainty ofOtto Iof Germany, but he later joined a revolt against him. In 960 he invaded thePapal States,and the next year his kingdom was conquered by Otto. Berengar remained at large until his surrender in 964. He died imprisoned in Germany two years later.
| Berengar II | |
|---|---|
 Berengar bows to King Otto,Manuscriptum Mediolanense,c.1200 | |
| King of Italy | |
| Reign | 950–961 |
| Predecessor | Lothair II |
| Successor | Otto I |
| Born | c. 900 |
| Died | 4 August 966 BambergCastle, March of the Nordgau, Kingdom of Germany |
| Spouse | Willa of Tuscany |
| Issue | Adalbert of Italy Guy of Ivrea Conrad of Ivrea Rozala of Italy |
| House | Anscarids |
| Father | Adalbert I of Ivrea |
| Mother | Gisela of Friuli |
Ruling Ivrea (923–50)
editBerengar was a son of MargraveAdalbert I of Ivreaand his wifeGisela of Friuli,daughter of theUnruochingkingBerengar I of Italy.He succeeded his father as margrave about 923 and marriedWilla,daughter of theBosonidmargraveBoso of Tuscanyand niece of KingHugh of Italy.The chroniclerLiutprand of Cremona,raised at Berengar's court atPavia,gives several particularly vivid accounts of her character.[1]
About 940 Berengar led a revolt of Italian nobles against the rule of his uncle. To evade an assault by Hugh's liensmen, he, forewarned by the king's young sonLothair,had to flee to the court of KingOtto Iof Germany. Otto avoided taking sides; nevertheless, in 945 Berengar was able to return to Italy with hired troops, welcomed by the local nobility. Hugh was defeated and retired toArles,and he was nominally succeeded by Lothair. From the time of Berengar's successful uprising, all real power and patronage in the Kingdom of Italy was concentrated in his hands, with Hugh's son Lothair as titular king. Lothair's brief reign ended upon his early death in 950, presumably poisoned.
Ruling Italy (950–61)
editBerengar then assumed the royal title with his sonAdalbertas co-ruler and were crowned inPavia,in theBasilica of San Michele Maggiore.[2]He attempted to legitimize his kingship by forcing Lothair's widowAdelaide,the respective daughter, daughter-in-law, and widow of the last three Italian kings, into marriage with Adalbert. However, the young woman fiercely refused, whereafter Berengar had her imprisoned atGardaCastle, allegedly mistreated by Berengar's wife Willa. With the help of CountAdalbert Atto of Canossashe managed to flee and entreated the protection of King Otto of Germany. Otto, himself a widower since 946, took the occasion to gain theIron Crown of Lombardy:Adelaide's requests for intervention resulted in his 951 invasion of Italy. Berengar had to entrench himself atSan Marino,while Otto received the homage of the Italian nobility, married Adelaide himself, and assumed the title of aKing of the Lombards.He afterwards returned toGermany,appointing his son-in-lawConradItalian regent at Pavia.
Berengar by Conrad's agency appeared at the 952ReichstaginAugsburgand paid homage to Otto. He and his son Adalbert remained Italian kings as Otto'svassals,though they had to cede the territory of the formerMarch of Friulito him, which the German king enfeoffed to his younger brother DukeHenry I of Bavariaas the ImperialMarch of Verona.When Otto had to deal with the revolt of his son, DukeLiudolf of Swabiain 953, Berengar attacked the Veronese march and also laid siege to Count Adalbert Atto'sCanossa Castle.
Losing control and death (961–66)
editIn 960, Berengar invaded thePapal StatesunderPope John XII,on whose appeal finally King Otto, aiming at his coronation asHoly Roman Emperor,again marched against Italy. Berengar's troops deserted him and Otto by Christmas 961 had taken Pavia by default and declared Berengar deposed. He proceeded toRome,where he was crowned emperor on 2 February 962. He then once more turned against Berengar, who was besieged atSan Leo.
Meanwhile, Pope John had entered into negotiations with Berengar's son Adalbert, which in 963 caused Otto to move into Rome, where he deposed the pope and hadPope Leo VIIIelected. The next year, Berengar finally surrendered to Otto's forces; he was imprisoned atBambergin Germany, where he died in August 966.[3]His wife Willa spent the rest of her life in a German nunnery.
Notes
edit- ^Antapodosis( "Book of Retributions" ) III.1; IV.11-12; V.32.
- ^Elliott, Gillian.""Representing Royal Authority at San Michele Maggiore in Pavia"".Zeitschrift fur Kunstgeschichte 77 (2014).Retrieved30 July2022.
- ^Philip Grierson and Mark Blackburn,Medieval European Coinage: Volume 1, The Early Middle Ages (5th-10th Centuries)(Cambridge University Press, 1986) 258.