Turpio (or Turpion; died 4 October 863) was a

Count of Angoulême Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

in the

Frankish empire The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lomba ...

. The sources are contradictory concerning the date of his appointment as count and his allegiance, but they agree that he died trying to fend off a raid by the

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

. In 838, when the Emperor

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

led an army into

Aquitaine Aquitaine (, ; ; ; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne (), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former Regions of France, administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administ ...

to put down the rebellion of his grandson Pepin, he replaced the counts who had rallied to Pepin—such as Turpio's brother Emeno,

Count of Poitou Among the people who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers (, ; or ''Poitou'', in what is now France but in the Middle Ages became part of Aquitaine) are: *Bodilon * Warinus (638–677), son of Bodilon *Hatton (735-778) Carolingian Count ...

—with appointees of his own. According to

Adhemar of Chabannes Adhemar is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Adhemar of Salerno (died 861), prince * Adhemar of Capua (died after 1000), prince * Adhémar de Chabannes (988–1034), French monk and historian * ...

, writing in the early 11th century, Turpio was appointed Count of Angoulême. However,

Lupus of Ferrières Lupus Servatus, also Servatus Lupus ( 805 – c. 862), in French Loup, was a Benedictine monk and Abbot of Ferrières Abbey during the Carolingian dynasty, who was also a member of Charles the Bald's court and a noted theological author of the 9t ...

, in a letter dated 840, addressed to either Abbot or perhaps Bishop

Jonas of Orléans Jonas (c. 760–843) was Bishop of Orléans and played a major political role during the reign of Emperor Louis the Pious. Jonas was born in Aquitaine. Probably a cleric by the 780s, he served at the court of Louis the Pious, who ruled as K ...

, makes a certain Rainald (Reinoldus), not Turpio, the new Count of Angoulême, and implies that Turpio was on the side of Pepin. Whenever Turpio's tenure began, its main feature was a series of Viking raids, culminating in the great raid of 862–63, in which they allied with Pepin, besieged

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

and raided the Angoumois, killing Turpio in battle. The ''

Chronicon Aquitanicum The ''Chronicon Aquitanicum'' is a set of annals covering the years 830 to 930 with several gaps and an added notice on the year 1025. It is found in the "great encyclopedia codex", BN lat. 5239, of the Abbey of Saint Martial at Limoges. Its entr ...

'' records, under the year 863, that "Turpio, count of Angoulême, fought with the Northmen, killing their king, named Maurum, and himself being killed." The ''

Annales Engolismenses Annals are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year. The equivalent word in Latin and French is ''annales'', which is used untranslated in English in various contexts. List of works with titles contai ...

'' provide a date for the battle, and Turpio's death: the fourth day of the nones of October 863. Their account is more detailed:

Count Turpio—a most strong knight and the best defender, a magnificent man, a lover of the clergy, a builder of churches and one who restored the poor—joined the Northmen in battle, and killed Mauro, only then to be killed; and the whole region was captured and burned.''Annales Engolismenses'', MGH SS, 16:486 ("863. 4. Non. Oct. Turpio comis, miles fortissimus defensorque optimus, vir magnificus, amator clericorum, ecclesiarum edificator pauperumque recreator, cum Normannis congreditur, et occiso Mauro, ab illo occiditur, et tota illa regio a Normannis capitur et succenditur").

Turpio was succeeded by his brother Emeno, who is recorded as Count of Angoulême at the time of his death in 866.The ''Chronicon Aquitanicum'' calls him "Emeno Turpionis frater, Engolismae comes".

Notes

{{Reflist 863 deaths Counts of Angoulême Year of birth unknown