Lothair II (926/8 – 22 November 950), often Lothair of Arles, was the

King of Italy King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by ...

from 947 to his death. He was of the noble Frankish lineage of the Bosonids, descended from

Boso the Elder Boso the Elder (c. 800 – c. 855), also known as Boson the Elder, was a Frankish nobleman and the earliest known ancestor of the Bosonid dynasty, a prominent aristocratic family in the Carolingian Empire. He held the title of Count of Turin, and ...

. His father and predecessor was Hugh of Provence, grandson of

Lothair II Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was a Carolingian king and ruler of northern parts of Middle Francia, that came to be known as Lotharingia, reigning there from 855 until his death in 869. He also ruled over Burgundy, holding from 855 just th ...

, King of

Lotharingia Lotharingia was a historical region and an early medieval polity that existed during the late Carolingian and early Ottonian era, from the middle of the 9th to the middle of the 10th century. It was established in 855 by the Treaty of Prüm, a ...

, and his mother was a German princess named Alda (or Hilda). Although he held the title of ''rex Italiae'', he never succeeded in exercising power there. In 931, Lothair's father, Hugh, made him co-regent. He was married, 12 December 947, to the fifteen-year-old

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, the spirited and intelligent daughter of

Rudolph II of Burgundy Rudolph II (/885 – 12 or 13 July 937) was King of Upper Burgundy from 912 until 933, and then King of the united Kingdom of Burgundy (the polity later known as the Kingdom of Arles) from 933 until his death in 937. He was also King of Italy f ...

and

Bertha of Swabia Bertha of Swabia (; ; AD – after 2 January 966), a member of the Alemannic Hunfriding dynasty, was queen of Burgundy from 922 until 937 and queen of Italy from 922 until 926, by her marriage with King Rudolph II. She was again queen of Ital ...

. Their marriage was part of a political settlement designed to conclude a peace between her father and his. In 933, Hugh of Arles had given up his kingdom (Provence) to his inveterate enemy Rudolph II, who merged the two kingdoms into a new

Kingdom of Burgundy Kingdom of Burgundy was a name given to various successive Monarchy, kingdoms centered in the historical region of Burgundy during the Middle Ages. The heartland of historical Burgundy correlates with the border area between France and Switze ...

, but died in 937. The couple had a daughter, Emma, born as early as 948, who was married in 966 to the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

Lothair of France Lothair (; ; 941 – 2 March 986), sometimes called Lothair II,After the emperor Lothair I. IIICounting Lothair II of Lotharingia, who ruled over modern Lorraine and Belgium. or IV,Counting Lothair II of Italy. was the penultimate Carol ...

. Lothair's power in Italy was nominal. From the time of the successful uprising of the nobles in 945, when Hugh was forced into exile, Berengar of Ivrea kept all real power and patronage in his hands. In 950, Lothair died at

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, perhaps poisoned by Berengar, who attempted to cement his usurped political power in

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

by forcing Lothair's widow to marry his son Adalbert. Instead she entreated the protection of Otto I of Germany, whom she married. Lothair figures briefly in the part related to Adelaide in the ''Gesta Ottonis'', an epic poem about Otto I of Germany, an epic poem about written ca. 960 by Hroswitha of Gandersheim.

References

Bibliography

* * * * *Pierre Riché. ''Les Carolingiens, une famille qui fit l'Europe''. Paris: 1983. (in French) *Jean-Charles Volkmann. ''Bien Connaître les généalogies des rois de France''. (in French) *"Lothar II." ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved April 25, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-9049021.
"Lothar koenig von Italien"
Genealogical references (in German). {{DEFAULTSORT:Lothair 02 of Italy 920s births 950 deaths Year of birth uncertain 10th-century kings of Italy Bosonids Frankish kings Frankish warriors