Noble family of medieval Europe
The
Anscarids
(
Latin
:
Anscarii
) or the
House of Ivrea
were a medieval dynasty of
Burgundian
and
Frankish
origin which rose to prominence in
Northern Italy
in the tenth century, even briefly holding the
Italian throne
. The main branch ruled the
County of Burgundy
from the eleventh to fourteenth centuries and it was one of their members who first declared himself a
count palatine
. The
cadet
Castilian branch of Ivrea
ruled the
Kingdom of Galicia
from 1111 and the
Kingdoms of Castile
and
Leon
from 1126 until 1369. The Spanish
House of Trastamara
, which ruled in Castile, Aragon, Naples, and Navarre at various points between the late 14th and early 16th centuries, was an illegitimate cadet branch of that family.
Ivrea
[
edit
]
The founder of the family's fortunes was a petty Burgundian count named
Anscar
, who, with the support of his powerful brother, the
archbishop of Rheims
Fulk the Venerable
, brought
Guy III of Spoleto
to
Langres
to be crowned
King of France
in 887. Their plot failing, Anscar accompanied Guy back to Italy to seek that vacant throne and, in gratefulness to Anscar, Guy created the
March of Ivrea
to bestow on his Burgundian faithful. Anscar's descendants held the march until 1030. Perhaps the most illustrious scion of the house was his grandson
Berengar
, the first of three Anscarids to be crowned king of Italy.
[
citation needed
]
Berengar seized the throne in 950 after the death of
Lothair II
. He was opposed, immediately, by Lothair's widow
Adelaide
, whom he imprisoned after his attempt to force her marriage to his son,
Adalbert II
, failed.
Emperor Otto I
came down the peninsula and forced him to do homage in 952. For the next eleven years, Berengar and his co-crowned son governed Italy until Otto finally formally deposed them in 963.
[
citation needed
]
From 1002 to 1014
Arduin of Italy
held the Italian throne in opposition to the German
Henry II
.
[
citation needed
]
Counts of Burgundy
[
edit
]
Adalbert was eventually forced to flee to Burgundy, where he died at
Autun
. His widow remarried to
Otto-Henry, Duke of Burgundy
and her son by Adalbert,
Otto William
, was adopted by the duke. In 982, the
County of Burgundy
(which will later be known as
Free County
) is created. Otto-Henri supported Otto-William to be the first
count of Burgundy
. At the death of the duke, the count inherited the
duchy of Burgundy
. After the
council of Hery
(
1015
),
Robert II of France
and his son,
Henry I of France
, confiscated the duchy, leaving only a small portion around
Dijon
to Otto-William.
[
citation needed
]
The greatest of the free counts was
Renaud III
, who, from 1127, used the title
franc-comte
as a sign of independence of
German
or
Imperial
authority, but was forced to submit to
Conrad III
. His daughter and heiress,
Beatrice
, married
Frederick Barbarossa
and united the Anscarid inheritance with that of the
Hohenstaufen
. Burgundy was inherited by her son
Otto I
, who had an Anscarid name. Thus the county was lost for the House of Ivrea, but it came back when
Hugh of Chalon
married to
Adelaide
countess of Burgundy, daughter of
Beatrice II of Hohenstaufen
(Otto I's daughter). However, in 1303 died
Otto IV, Count of Burgundy
, last male of the main line and the county inherited to the Dampierre family and finally to the Capetian-Valois dukes of Burgundy.
[
citation needed
]
John I of Chalon-Arlay
, a younger brother of Hugh of Chalon, became the founder of the line of Chalon-Arlay. His descendant,
John III of Chalon-Arlay
married
Mary de Beaux
princess of Orange, thus the principality was acquired by the family. The last male offspring was
Philibert of Chalon
who died in 1530. The possessions inherited to son of his sister
Claudia of Chalon
, i.e.
Rene of Nassau
.
[
citation needed
]
Raymond
, fourth son of
Count William I of Burgundy
, travelled to
Castile-Leon
in the late eleventh century and there married
Urraca
, the future monarch. She was succeeded by their son,
Alfonso VII
. Subsequent
monarchs of Castile
and
Leon
were their agnatic descendants until the 16th century, although the crown had passed to an illegitimate cadet branch, the
House of Trastamara
, in the late 14th century.
[
citation needed
]
Family tree of House of Ivrea
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
Sources
[
edit
]
- Wickham, Chris
.
Early Medieval Italy: Central Power and Local Society 400?1000
. MacMillan Press: 1981.
House of Ivrea
|
Preceded by
(founder)
|
counts of Burgundy
982?1190
|
Succeeded by
|
House of Ivrea
|
Preceded by
House of Andechs
|
counts of Burgundy
1279?1330
|
Succeeded by
|