Berengar I, King of Italy

BERENGARIO I, king of ITALY. — Upon the deposition of Carlo il Grosso, the margrave of Friuli B. asserted his right to the succession, being the son of Margrave Eberardo and Gisela, daughter of Ludovico il Pio. He was crowned king of Italy at Pavia in Jan.–Feb. 888 by the archbishop of Milan. Guido, margrave of Spoleto, however, contested the throne, and a bitter and uncertain war broke out between the two rivals. B. was driven from Pavia, but continued to be recognized as king in northeastern Italy. He then summoned the German king Arnolfo against his rival. The latter sought to seize the kingdom of Italy and made two expeditions into the peninsula; after his disappearance, B. moved to reconquer the throne. He now had to fight Guido’s son and successor, Lamberto; the two soon reached an agreement, however, and divided the kingdom between them, recognizing the Adda as the boundary. When Lamberto died (898), B. finally remained sole master of the kingdom. Shortly afterward, however, he had to face the invasion of the Magyars (899): the weakness he displayed in repelling the enemy aroused the discontent of some counts, who appealed to Ludovico di Provenza. The latter came to Italy twice, and in 901 was king at Pavia and emperor at Rome. B. defeated him on both occasions and blinded him (903). Believing himself by then secure master of Italy, he devoted his attention to reorganizing the country, making use of the authority of the bishops, whom he called upon to construct defenses against the continual threat of the Magyars. In Dec. 915 he was crowned emperor at Rome. In 921 the tranquility of Italy was disrupted by the revolt of a group of feudal lords who set up against B. the king of Burgundy Rodolfo II. In 923 B. was defeated at Fiorenzuola and withdrew to Verona, where he was killed in a church by one of his vassals, named Fiamberto, on 7 Apr. 924.