Adalbert of Italy

Noble person

0932 – 0971

23

Who was Adalbert of Italy?

Adalbert was the Margrave of Ivrea and a joint king of Italy with his father from 950 to 961.

Adalbert, born c. 936 was the son of the Margrave Berengar of Ivrea and Willa. In 950, both he and his father were crowned kings of Italy after the death of Lothair II. His father tried to force Adelaide, widow of Lothair, to marry Adalbert and cement their claim to the kingship. When she refused and fled, she was tracked down and imprisoned for four months at Como.

In 951, King Otto I of Germany invaded Italy and rescued Adelaide, marrying her himself. He forced Berengar and Adalbert to do homage to him for their kingdom in 952. In 953, Adalbert began besieging Count Adalbert Azzo of Canossa, in his Canossan castle, where Adelaide had taken refuge two years prior. In 957, Liudolf, Duke of Swabia, invaded Lombardy and caused Berenagar to flee, though Adalbert gathered a large force at Verona. He was defeated, but Liudolf died prematurely and his army left.

In 960, he joined his father in attacking the pope, John XII. Otto came down at the pope's call and defeated the two co-kings and was crowned Emperor. When Otto drove him out of Italy Adalbert fled to Burgundy. From there he fled to Corsica. When he returned, he tried to take Pavia, the Italian capital, but was defeated by another invading Swabian army, this time under Burchard III. Only the interference of his brothers Conrad and Guy, who died fighting, saved him to fight another day, which he never did. His negotiations with the Byzantine Empire fell through and he retired with his wife Gerberga to Burgundy. Adalbert died at Autun on 30 April 971.

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Born
0932
Parents
Children
Died
Apr 30, 0971
Autun

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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