**BERENGARIO I**, king of ITALY. — Upon the deposition of Charles the Fat, Margrave B. of Friuli claimed rights to the succession, being born of Margrave Eberhard and Gisela, daughter of Louis the Pious. He was crowned king of Italy in Pavia in January–February 858 by the archbishop of Milan. However, Guido, Margrave of Spoleto, contested the throne, and a bitter and uncertain war ensued between the two rivals. B. was driven from Pavia but continued to be recognized as king in northeastern Italy. He then incited Arnulf, king of Germany, against his rival. Arnulf sought to seize the kingdom of Italy and made two expeditions into the peninsula; after his death, B. moved to reclaim the throne. Now, however, he had to contend with Guido’s son and successor, Lambert: soon, however, the two reached an agreement and divided the kingdom, setting the Adda as the boundary. After Lambert’s death in 899, B. finally remained sole master of the kingdom. But shortly thereafter, he had to face the invasion of the Magyars in 899; his weakness in repelling the enemy provoked the discontent of certain counts, who appealed to Louis of Provence. Louis came to Italy twice, and in 901 was king in Pavia and emperor in Rome. B. defeated him both times and had him blinded in 905. Believing himself now secure master of Italy, he turned his attention to reorganizing the country, relying on the authority of the bishops, whom he employed to build defenses against the constant threat of the Magyars. In December 915, he was crowned emperor in Rome. In 921, the tranquility of Italy was shattered by an insurrection of a group of feudal lords who opposed B. with Rudolph II, king of Burgundy. In 923, B. was defeated at Fiorenzuola and withdrew to Verona, where he was killed in a church by one of his vassals named Flambardus on 7 April 924.
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Bibl.:** The principal sources are *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The main works cited are *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The main works cited are *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The main works cited are *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGHI (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B.* I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35), Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B.* I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35), Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. DümmlerI (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B.* I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35), Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B.* I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35), Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B.* I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35), Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B.* I (Fonti per la storia d'ItaliaI (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomati di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomati di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomati di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomati di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomati di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomati di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomati di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando di Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH- The principal works performed in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando of Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works performed in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando of Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works performed in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando of Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works performed in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando of Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works performed in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando of Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGHI (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando of Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando of Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando of Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando of Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando of Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (The principal works cited are in *Gesta Berengarii imperatoris*, ed. E. Dümmler, ibid. 1901; L. Schiaparelli, *I diplomi di B. I (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, 35)*, Rome 1903; Liutprando of Cremona, *Antapodosis*, ed. J. Becker, Hanover 1915 (MGH, in usum scholarum) passim (v. index).
