Anscar I of Ivrea

Anscar I of Ivrea

Anscar I(Latin:Anscarius;850 - March 902) was themargrave of Ivreafrom 888to his death. From 877 or 879, he was the count ofOscheretinBurgundy.He supportedGuy III of Spoletofor thethrone of Franceafter the deposition ofCharles the Fatin 887, but after Guy's failed attempt and the coronation ofOdo,he returned with Guy across theAlps,where the duke was electedKing of Italy.In gratitude, Guy created theMarch of Ivreain the northeast and invested his Burgundian supporter.

He might have been the son of Otto, cousin of the emperorLothar II,and a grandson of Amadeus (c. 790–827), a count inLangres. Anscar was a counsellor ofBoso of Provenceand ally ofFulk,who strongly supported theCarolingian dynastyin France. With Fulk, he probably invited Guy to France. Anscar fought on behalf of Guy's kingship in Italy. He battledArnulf of Carinthiaduring the latter's invasion of 894 and he supported Guy's sonLambertafter Guy's death that year. In 896, he was one of the few in the north to oppose Arnulf's second invasion. After Lambert's death, he supportedBerengar of Friulias king and became his chief counsellor.

Anscar's wife was unknown, but he had only one son,Adalbert,through whom he was theprogenitorof theAnscarid dynasty.

Sources

• Chaume, Maurice.Le Sentiment National Bourguignon.Dijon: 1922
• Wickham, Chris.Early Medieval Italy: Central Power and Local Society 400-1000.MacMillan Press: 1981.