Arduin of Ivrea

Arduin
King of Italy
Reign	15 February 1002–1014
Coronation	14 May 1004, inSan Michele Maggiore
Predecessor	Otto III
Successor	Henry II
Born	c. 955 Pombia,Kingdom of Italy
Died	14 December 1015 (aged 59–60) Abbey of Fruttuaria,Italy
Burial	Abbey of Fruttuaria
Spouse	Bertha
Issue	Arduin Otto Guibert
House	Anscarids
Father	Dado of Pombia
Religion	Chalcedonian Christianity

Arduin(Italian:Arduino;c. 955– 14 December 1015) was an Italian nobleman who wasking of Italyfrom 1002 until 1014.

In 990 Arduin becamemargrave of Ivreaand in 991count of the Sacred Palace of the Lateranin Rome. In 1002, after the death of EmperorOtto III,the Italian nobles elected him king of Italy in theBasilica of San Michele MaggioreinPavia,making him the first non-German on the Italian throne in 41 years. Arduin was considered the choice of the nobility and opposed by the episcopate, but he was initially supported by thearchbishop of Milan.

In Germany, however,Henry IIwas elected to succeed Otto, and he contested Arduin's election in Italy. In 1004, Henry invaded Italy, defeated Arduin and was crowned king in Pavia. He soon withdrew back to Germany, and Arduin was able to reassert his authority at least in the northwest of Italy for the next decade. Henry II invaded Italy again in 1014 and was proclaimed emperor inRome,at which point Arduin was finally forced to relinquish his crown. He died soon after at theAbbey of Fruttuaria,ending the independence of the Kingdom of Italy from Germany.

The study of Arduin's reign has been bedeviled by the many forged diplomas in his name.These caused older scholarship to overrate his importance after Henry's first expedition in 1004, but it is now clear that Arduin's sphere of influence was restricted to a small part of Italy after that.He did, however, have continuing support in Pavia.

Background

Arduin was born around 955 inPombiaduring a period in which theKingdom of Italywas struggling to maintain its independence from the ambitions of theKingdom of Germany.Italy was conquered in 961 by the German kingOtto the Great,and the Italian KingBerengar IIwas deposed. Arduin, Berengar's grand-nephew, was only a boy when this happened. Although Otto unified the crowns of Italy and Germany and was crownedemperor,this did not erase the influence of Berengar'sAnscariddynasty in northern Italy, as theMarch of Ivreawas inherited by Berengar's third sonConrad.

In the subsequent years, the political situation in Northern Italy was marked by the struggle between the bishops (who at the time were high-ranking nobles appointed by the emperor himself to rule the largest fiefs, and who thus owed their fortune to their personal relationship with him) and the minor nobles, whose only source of livelihood were small, rural fiefs, and who were threatened by the expansionism of the bishops.

Biography

Margrave of Ivrea

Arduin was born around 955 inPombiaand named after his maternal grandfather,Arduin Glaber.His father,Dado, Count of Pombia,was a nephew of King Berengar II.Arduin marriedBertha,who is often said to be the daughter ofOtbert II, Margrave of Milan.They had three sons: Arduin (sometimes called Ardicino), Otto, and Guibert. From them descended the later counts ofIvreaand in turn those ofAgliè,Brosso,Castellamonte,Front,andRivarolo.

In 990, Arduin succeeded his kinsmanConradin theMarch of Ivrea.Conrad was Berengar II's son and was married to a daughter of Arduin Glaber. It is unclear if Arduin was appointed to Ivrea by the king–emperorOtto IIIor if he succeeded as Conrad's heir.The March of Ivrea, since its restructuring under Berengar II in 950, consisted of the counties ofBurgaria,Ivrea,Lomello,Ossola,Pombia,Stazzona,andVercelli,and the dioceses ofIvrea,Novara,Vercelli,andVigevano,plus part of the dioceses ofPaviaandMilan.Arduin becameCount of the Sacred Palace of the Lateranin Rome in 991.

During his rule in Ivrea, Arduin backed the claims of the monastic orders and of the minor nobles, a policy that inevitably led to clashes with the imperially appointed bishops. The hostility turned into open conflict in the year 997, when the EmperorOtto IIIgranted to Pietro,Bishop of Vercelli,the fief of Caresana. Arduin did not recognise the donation. There were riots in the city of Vercelli between the knights and the bishop's followers, during which the bishop was killed. Arduin intervened in the city, formally to restore order; during the clashes, the cathedral, where the bishop had been interred, was burned. The bishop-countWarmund of Ivreacondemned Arduin for the killing of Pietro, excommunicated him, and obtained from the Emperor a proclamation that the city of Ivrea, along with the land for three miles outside the walls, was free from Arduin's rule.

In the year 1000 Arduin was in Rome to explain his position to the newly appointedPope Sylvester II.Otto III was also present in the city, and Warmund and Leone (successor of Pietro as Bishop of Vercelli) probably were as well. The Pope confirmed Arduin's excommunication and demanded that he abdicate his title in favor of his son. Arduin did not accept the sentence. He returned in his lands, and, instead of abdicating, expelled Warmund from Ivrea and rapidly conquered the cities of Vercelli andNovara,while his followers took control ofComoand several cities of thePiedmont.

The fortified church of Santa Croce atSparone,also known as theRocca di SparoneorRocca di Arduino,is the site where, according to tradition, Arduin held out against the besieging Emperor Henry

King of Italy

At that point a clash with the Emperor seemed inevitable, but Otto III suddenly died near Rome on 23 January 1002 without leaving a direct heir, throwing the empire into a succession crisis. On 15 February, a diet of feudal lords and knights inPaviaacclaimed Arduin king of Italy. According to the chroniclerArnulf of Milan,Arduin was "elected by the Lombards in Pavia and was called 'caesar' [emperor] by all". He then made the rounds of the kingdom with thearchbishop of Milanpublicly at his side. Arduin was crowned in Pavia, in theBasilica of San Michele Maggiore.However, while Arduin had the loyalty of the minor nobles, that of the bigger landlords, more tied to the imperial power, was much more questionable, and opposition to his rule was instigated by the bishops, led byFrederick, Archbishop of Ravenna.

In Germany,Henry IIwas acclaimed king on 7 June 1002, and he did not recognize Arduin's coronation. Henry granted theMarch of Veronato DukeOtto I of Carinthia,and then sent Otto to Italy to depose Arduin; but in the spring of 1003, Arduin defeated Otto in a pitchedbattle at Fabricanear theBrentaRiver.

This was only the beginning. Henry personally invaded Italy with a large force that left Germany in March 1004 and arrived atTrentoon 9 April 1004. He met Arduin outsideVerona,where Arduin was disappointed by a poor showing from his erstwhile supporters. Henry entered Pavia, the traditional Lombard capital, and had himself crowned king of Italy on 14 May in San Michele in the face of a disapproving crowd. Then he burned the city that had given shelter to Arduin to the ground. This had its effect: "All of Italy was horrified by this and likewise extremely fearful. As confidence in Arduin waned from this time on, Henry's power prevailed everywhere."

King in the northwest

At this point, Henry was satisfied by his formal recognition as ruler of Italy and returned to Germany in the early summer of 1004. Arduin had withdrawn to his stronghold in theOrco Valley,and Henry chose not to pursue him with the main body of his army. Some imperial forces besieged the valley until the winter 1004–1005 but then withdrew; afterwards, Arduin rapidly regained control of all of his previous possessions.

Arduin's rule lasted until 1014, when Henry descended into Italy again, this time to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome byPope Benedict VIII.There were several skirmishes between Henry's army and Arduin's followers, both in Rome and as Henry began to withdraw back into Germany. But at that point the old king, probably sick and tired, chose to abdicate the Italian throne. He secured the possession of the main part of the March of Ivrea for his son Arduin II (the March was dissolved, but the younger Arduin was appointed Count of Ivrea), renounced all of his titles, and retired to the BenedictineAbbey of Fruttuaria,which he had founded in 1003. He died there on 14 December 1015.

Coinage

Arduin's coinage was designed to resemble that of Otto III as closely as possible. Unusually, the character∂,a rounded minuscule D, was used in his name to make it resemble Otto's monogram. Two types ofdenarius,both minted at Pavia, are known for Arduin. The first bears the inscriptionAR∂O +HINVS REGEM(Arduin king) on the obverse and+IHPERATOR(emperor) on the reverse. It is not clear if the latter is simply a holdover from Otto III's coinage or represents Arduin's anticipation of a future imperial coronation. The second type readsAR∂O IN GRACIA DI REX(Arduinin the grace of Godking) andPAPIA CIVITAS +GLORIO(Pavia glorious city). Arduin may have been able to mint coins in Pavia after Henry returned to Germany in 1004. There are no known coins of Henry II from the period before 1014, although coins of Otto III may have continued to be struck in the confusion.

Trivia

The open-hardwareArduinoproject name comes from an Italian bar named after King Arduin.

Sources

• Arnaldi, Girolamo (1962). "Arduino, re d'Italia".Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani.Vol. 4. Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana.
• Day, William R.; Matzke, Michael; Saccocci, Andrea; Screen, Elina (2016).Medieval European Coinage, Volume 12: Northern Italy.Cambridge University Press.