Marozia

The daughter of Theophylact I and Theodora, Marozia, was wedded to Alberic I of Spoleto in 909. Alberic's link to the counts of Tusculum (who were the chief power in Rome) was advantageous for him. With the death of Theophylact in 924 or 925, Alberic (via Marozia) became the ruler of Rome.

Their first child, John, was born in 910, shortly after they were married, but Liudprand of Cremona claimed John was the result of an affair between Marozia and Pope Sergius III, whom Alberic and Theophylact had put on the throne after ousting an antipope.

Marozia would have known Sergius for years as her father's cousin, and the story of the affair is found not only in Liudprand but also in the Liber Pontificalis ("Book of the Popes"). Another historian of the time, Floduard, refers to John as the brother of Alberic II, another of Marozia's sons (but that to me does not mean they could not have different fathers).

After Alberic I died in 924, Marozia married Guy of Tuscany, who was an enemy of the then-Pope John X. John had been supported by the counts of Tusculum, especially Marozia's mother, Theodora. John's dream of a unified Italy meant supporting powerful lords who might assume that role. This did not sit well with Marozia and Guy. They imprisoned Pope John in 928. He either died in a dungeon due to its horrible conditions, or was smothered with a pillow.

Marozia made sure the next two popes were under her control, Leo VI and Stephen VII.

Guy of Tuscany died in 929, and Marozia planned to marry Guy's half-brother Hugh of Arles (seen in the illustration). Hugh was considered King of Italy (which at the time was the northern part of the Italian Peninsula and Corsica). This marriage would be illegal under canon law because of their affinity.* The teenaged Alberic II was opposed to this. There are two stories that explain his hostility to Hugh. One is that during the wedding banquet Alberic spilled some water on Hugh, who slapped the boy in public. The other is that Alberic discovered a plot by Hugh to have him blinded and therefore disqualify him from ruling when his time came. In either case, Alberic raised troops and prevented the wedding, causing Hugh to flee and imprisoning Marozia.

Marozia spent five years in prison. In 931, Marozia's son became Pope John XI. Several more popes were descended from her. Alberic II's son Octavian became Pope John XII in 955. Popes Benedict VIII, John XIX, and Benedict IX, and antipope Benedict X were also descended from her.

We should probably take a closer look at Liudprand of Cremona, from whom we may be getting lots of (mis?)information. But that's for tomorrow.

*This was the same case as Henry VII and Catherine of Aragon, who was his brother's widow.

Was Ermengard Married?

King Louis II of Italy was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire. He did not have a son to succeed him, but only a single surviving daughter, Ermengard, named for her grandmother, Ermengarde of Tours. In her youth she was educated by Anastasius Bibliothecarius, the archivist/librarian.

In 869, the Carolingian and Byzantine Empires started discussing an alliance to defeat the Saracens in southern Italy. During these discussions, the notion of a stronger alliance came up, by marriage of Ermengard to Constantine, the eldest son of Emperor Basil I. Constantine had been named co-emperor with his father, and was being groomed for that position.

But now we enter highly suspect territory. To start with, we do not know the birth years of either Ermengard or Constantine. Were they old enough to truly marry? Or was this a more of a "child engagement" plan as we have seen in other political alliances through marriage? Some historians claim they were married; some claim there is no evidence for it and the plan never went beyond announcing the betrothal.

The Annales Bertiniani (Annals of Abbey of St. Bertin, covering years up to 882) referred to Ermengard in 879 as filia imperatoris Italiae et desponsata imperatori Greciae ("daughter of the emperor of Italy and engaged to the emperor of Greece"), but they also say she was engaged to Basil, so we aren't sure how accurate the writer was. Also, 879 is the year that Constantine died unexpectedly, with no chronicle suggesting that he had heirs and no suggestion that Ermengard was a widow.

In fact, by 879 she was already married to someone else, despite what other chronicles may have recorded. Some time in the first half of 876, she was married to Boso of Provence (pictured above; there are no reliable images of Ermengard). Boso (c.841 - 887) was a Frankish nobleman who, in 879, became King of Lower Burgundy and Provence.

In 878, Ermengard and Boso sheltered Pope John VIII when he had to flee Rome because of Saracens. In papal correspondence between Pope John and Ermengarde's mother, Engelberga, he mentions the good impression the couple made on him. They had three children. A daughter named Engelberga after Ermengarde's mother married William I, Duke of Aquitaine, founder of Cluny Abbey. There was another daughter of whom we are not certain, but some believe she was Guilla of Provence, who was consort first to Rudolf I of Upper Burgundy (making her possibly the mother of King Rudolf II of Burgundy) and later to Hugh of Arles, border count of Provence.

They also had a son, Louis the Blind, whose story includes a marriage link that become as confusing to historians as his mother's, if not more so. We'll check that out tomorrow, and lament how inaccurate our historical records truly are once we go back a millennium. See you then.