Zwentibold

Duke Zwentibold (* 870/871; † August 13 900), also Zwentibald, from the noble family of the Carolingian was from May 895-900 King of Lotharingia.

Life

It received its name from his godfather, the Moravian Knjazen Svatopluk I ( Zwentibold is the frankisierte form of Svatopluk ).

Zwentibold was the firstborn, but illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia and initially intended as his successor. After Arnulf, however, the child 893 a legitimate son had been born with Ludwig, Arnulf instead sat against the resistance of the local aristocracy by choosing Zwentibolds as King of Lotharingia. Zwentibold was still rejected by the nobility. After Arnulf's death, the leading nobles Lotharingiens fell from Zwentibold from, calling his at this time only seven years half-brother Louis, who had been raised in Forchheim on February 4, 900 King of the Ostfrankenreichs, the land and worshiped this, causing the needle to safeguard his own interests hoped.

Between 27 March and 13 June 897, he married Oda (* 875/880; † 2 July after 952 ), a daughter of Duke Otto the Illustrious of the family of Liudolfinger.

In contemporary sources Zwentibold is portrayed as untalented and unrestrained, but he encouraged the building of churches and monasteries. The second and last king of an independent Lorraine he is there worshiped as a local saint.

His feast day is August 13, the day on which he perished from the family of Matfriden near Susteren in the battle against the Count Gerhard, Matfrid and Stephan. His grave is in the local abbey.

After Zwentibolds death, his wife Oda married in the same year Gerhard († June 22 910 ), who had defeated her husband.

Swell

• Libellus de rebus Trevirensibus, MGH SS rer. Mer XIV, p 104