Berengar II of Italy
Berengar II (* 900, † August 4 966 in Bamberg) was Margrave of Ivrea ( 925-964 ) and King of Italy ( 950-961 ), and thus one of the national kings.
Life
Berengar was the son of Margrave Adalbert I of Ivrea and Gisela, daughter of Unruochingers Berengar I, and thus a descendant of Charlemagne. 925 he was appointed as his father's successor, Margrave of Ivrea.
He rebelled against King Hugo I of Italy, whose niece Willa, daughter of Boso, Margrave of Tuscany, he was married, but had 940 to the East Frankish king Otto I flee. 945 he returned with a small army and was greeted by the cities and barons of the country as liberators.
After the abdication Hugos in 946, although the 18- year-old son Lothar II received the title of king, but Berengar II reigned in his place until 950 Lothar died suddenly and the Lombard rulers Berengar II and his son Adelbert chose to kings. As Tommy's young widow Adelaide refused to marry Adelbert, Berengar II 951 locked them up in a tower of the castle Garda. She escaped, Otto I called for help. This moved to Italy, defeated Berengar II, Adelheid married themselves and could be explained without coronation as king of the Lombards. Berengar had retreated to the mountain fortress of San Marino. The back of the Alps withdrawing Otto left his son Conrad the Red back in Italy. The Berengar brought through negotiations to come 952 as a vassal of Otto I to the Diet of Augsburg. Then he and his son received the Kingdom of Italy with the release of the Margraviate of Verona and the Duchy of Friuli to the Duchy of Bavaria as a royal fief.
During the uprising of Otto's son Liudolf 953/54 Ottonian rule was weakened, which Berengar II used to reclaim the separated areas. He was also against the Pope and several northern Italian nobleman. As Berengar besieged the Marquis Azzo in Canossa, Otto sent an army under his time between back into the favor captured son Liudolf. This urged the king 957 back to his fortress of San Giulio, from where he was soon afterwards delivered by his own people, but dismissed by Liudolf. After Liudolf death on September 6, 957 Berengar again took over the rule in Italy. When Pope John XII. and the Italian nobleman Otto phoned again for help, the king went to 961 even on an expedition to Italy. When he was advancing to Berengar's troops refused to fight. In August 961 Otto conquered after a short battle of Pavia and declared deposed Berengar. This fled and entrenched himself on his fortress of San Leo in the territory of Montefeltro, until he finally surrendered 964. Otto I sent the prisoner to Bamberg, where he died in 966. His wife Willa went to a monastery. His son Adalbert II ( Ivrea ) retired to Burgundy, his son Guy died in 970 in the battle against Swabia, and his son Conrad was Margrave of Ivrea from 970 until his death in 1001, and Duke of Spoleto 996-998.