Rudolph II of Burgundy

Who was Rudolph II of Burgundy?

Rudolph II was king of Upper Burgundy, Lower Burgundy, and Italy. He was the son of Rudolph I, king of Upper Burgundy, a member of the Elder House of Welf, and it is presumed that his mother was his father's known wife, Guilla of Provence. He married Bertha of Swabia.

Following his ascent to the throne in 912, Rudolph was asked by several Italian nobles to intervene in Italy on their behalf against Emperor Berengar in 922. Having entered Italy, he was crowned King of the Lombards at Pavia. In 923, he defeated Berengar at Piacenza; Berengar was murdered the following year, possibly at the instigation of Rudolph. The king then ruled Upper Burgundy and Italy together, residing alternately in both kingdoms.

However, in 926 the Italian nobility turned against him and requested that Hugh of Arles, the effective ruler of Provence, rule them instead. Rudolph returned to Upper Burgundy to protect himself, assuring Hugh's coronation as King of Italy in the process. The Italians then switched sides again, declaring that they wished for Rudolph to reclaim the throne. To prevent this, Hugh and Rudolph signed a treaty in 933, granting Rudolph rule of Lower Burgundy in exchange for his renunciation of all claims on the Italian throne. He married his daughter Adelaide to Hugh's son Lothair. The two Burgundian kingdoms unified, Rudolph ruled until his death in 937. He was succeeded by Conrad. Adelaide later became the second wife of Otto the Great, Holy Roman Emperor, and the mother of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor.