Arduin Glaber
Encyclopedia
Arduin Glaber was the Count of Auriate from c. 935 and Margrave of Turin from c. 950. He placed his family, the Arduinici
, on a firm foundation and established the march of Turin through conquests and royal concessions. The Chronicon Novaliciense, the chronicle of the abbey of Novalesa
, is the primary source for his life.
Arduin was the eldest son of Roger, Count of Auriate, a Frankish
nobleman who immigrated to Italy in the early tenth century. Auriate comprised the region bounded by the Alps
, the Po River
, and the Stura
, today the regions of the Saluzzese
and Cuneese
. Arduin succeeded his father sometime around 935.
Count Arduin (Ardoino comes) is first documented on 13 April 945, when he sat in judgement at a conference (placitum) of count Lanfranc at Pavia
in the presence of King Lothair II
. It was probably earlier, between 940 and 942, that he had acquired Turin
and the Susa Valley
, bring Novalesa back under Christian control. In 941 King Hugh
exiled Berengar of Ivrea and abolished the March of Ivrea
. Since Berengar's family, the Anscarids
, had thitherto held Turin, it is probably that Hugh bestowed it on Arduin at this time. By the spring of 942 Berengar had arrived at the court of Otto I of Germany.
Berengar returned on Hugh's death, he dominated the younger Lothair II and his mother Adelaide
. He appears as summus consiliarius (highest counsellor) in March–April 945 and consors regni (royal consort) in June 948. Arduin moved closer to Berengar during this period and probably benefited from Berengar's coronation on 15 December 950. On 13 November 950 he was given the administration of the abbey of Novalesa, legally by Lothair, but probably through Berengar. At that time Turin was Arduin's principal residence. Though he is not recorded with the title of marchio (margrave) until 20 June 967, it was probably during the reorganisation of the marches on Berengar's succession that he received the title and the marca Arduinica. The march consisted of the counties of Auriate, Turin, Asti
, Albenga
, and probably Bredula, Alba, and Ventimiglia
.
The early twelfth-century Vita Mathildis, biography of Matilda of Canossa, by Domnizo places Arduin at the siege of Canossa
by Berengar in 951, after Adelaide, the former queen mother, had sought the protection of Adalbert Atto of Canossa
. This story is probably false, since Arduin was cultivating a marital alliance with Adalbert Atto, whose daughter Prangarda eventually married his son and successor, Manfred I
.
From an early date Arduin was certainly occupied with the Saracens who had occupied the Susa Valley
and established a base at Fraxinetum in neighbouring Provence
. He may have expelled them from the valley in 940–41. To this he probably added Albenga, Alba, and Ventimiglia by conquest. He definitely took part in the wars of William I
and Rotbold II of Provence
against the Saracens of Fraxinetum. According to Liutprand of Cremona
in his Antapodosis, in 972 or 973 Arduin and Rotbold led the successful assault on Fraxinetum itself. William meanwhile attacked the abductors of Abbot Maieul of Cluny
. According to a later comital document of 1041, he took the cities of Tenda
, Briga
, and Saorgio from them and granted them concessions. Arduin was last recorded alive on 4 April 976. Despite the fact that he repatriated their land from the Saracens, the monks of Novalesa—who had fled Saracen incursions in 906 and were still in Turin as late as 929—accused him of disrespecting their rights:
Arduin married a woman named Vmille in the Necrologio Sanctæ Andreæ Taurinensis, probably Emilia or Immula. They had two daughters: Alsinda, who married Giselbert II of Bergamo, and Richilda, who married Conrad of Ivrea
. Arduin was succeeded by his eldest son Manfred
. He had two younger sons named Arduin and Otto.
Arduinici
The Arduinici were a noble Frankish family that immigrated to Italy in the early tenth century, possibly from Neustria. They were descended from and take their name after one Arduin ....
, on a firm foundation and established the march of Turin through conquests and royal concessions. The Chronicon Novaliciense, the chronicle of the abbey of Novalesa
Novalesa
Novalesa is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km west of Turin, on the border with France.As of 31 December 2004, Novalesa had a population of 560 and an area of 28.3 km²....
, is the primary source for his life.
Arduin was the eldest son of Roger, Count of Auriate, a Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
nobleman who immigrated to Italy in the early tenth century. Auriate comprised the region bounded by the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, the Po River
Po River
The Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...
, and the Stura
Stura
Stura was a département of the First French Empire in present Italy. It was named after the river Stura di Demonte. It was formed in 1802, when Napoleon Bonaparte occupied the Kingdom of Sardinia. Its capital was Cuneo. It was divided into the arrondissements of Cuneo, Alba, Mondovì, Saluzzo, and...
, today the regions of the Saluzzese
Saluzzo
Saluzzo is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont region, Italy.The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc...
and Cuneese
Cuneo
Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area...
. Arduin succeeded his father sometime around 935.
Count Arduin (Ardoino comes) is first documented on 13 April 945, when he sat in judgement at a conference (placitum) of count Lanfranc at Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
in the presence of King Lothair II
Lothair II of Italy
Lothair II , often Lothair of Arles, was the King of Italy from 948 to his death. He was of the noble Frankish lineage of the Bosonids, descended from Boso the Elder...
. It was probably earlier, between 940 and 942, that he had acquired Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
and the Susa Valley
Susa Valley
The Susa Valley is a valley in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, located between the Graian Alps in the north and the Cottian Alps in the south. It is the longest valley in Italy. It extends over in an east-west direction from the French border to the outskirts of Turin. The valley takes its...
, bring Novalesa back under Christian control. In 941 King Hugh
Hugh of Italy
Hugh of Arles was King of Italy from 924 until his death. He was a Bosonid. During his reign, he empowered his relatives at the expense of the aristocracy and tried to establish a relationship with the Byzantine-Roman Empire...
exiled Berengar of Ivrea and abolished the March of Ivrea
March of Ivrea
The March of Ivrea was a large frontier county in the northwest of the medieval Italian kingdom from the late 9th to the early 11th century. Its capital was Ivrea in present-day Piedmont, and it was held by a Burgundian family of margraves called the Anscarids...
. Since Berengar's family, the Anscarids
Anscarids
The Anscarids or Anscarii or the House of Ivrea were a medieval Frankish dynasty of Burgundian origin which rose to prominence in Italy in the tenth century, even briefly holding the Italian throne. They also ruled the County of Burgundy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and it was one of their...
, had thitherto held Turin, it is probably that Hugh bestowed it on Arduin at this time. By the spring of 942 Berengar had arrived at the court of Otto I of Germany.
Berengar returned on Hugh's death, he dominated the younger Lothair II and his mother Adelaide
Adelaide of Italy
Saint Adelaide of Italy , also called Adelaide of Burgundy, was the second wife of Otto the Great, Holy Roman Emperor...
. He appears as summus consiliarius (highest counsellor) in March–April 945 and consors regni (royal consort) in June 948. Arduin moved closer to Berengar during this period and probably benefited from Berengar's coronation on 15 December 950. On 13 November 950 he was given the administration of the abbey of Novalesa, legally by Lothair, but probably through Berengar. At that time Turin was Arduin's principal residence. Though he is not recorded with the title of marchio (margrave) until 20 June 967, it was probably during the reorganisation of the marches on Berengar's succession that he received the title and the marca Arduinica. The march consisted of the counties of Auriate, Turin, Asti
Asti
Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...
, Albenga
Albenga
Albenga is a city and comune situated on the Gulf of Genoa on the Italian Riviera in the Province of Savona in Liguria, northern Italy.left|thumb|220px|Towers of Albenga.The economy is mostly based on tourism, local commerce and agriculture-History:...
, and probably Bredula, Alba, and Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia is a city and comune in Liguria, northern Italy, in the province of Imperia. It is located southwest of Genoa by rail, and 7 km from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia River, which divides the town into two parts...
.
The early twelfth-century Vita Mathildis, biography of Matilda of Canossa, by Domnizo places Arduin at the siege of Canossa
Canossa
Canossa is a comune and castle town in Emilia-Romagna, famous as the site where Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV did penance in 1077, standing three days bare-headed in the snow, in order to reverse his excommunication by Pope Gregory VII...
by Berengar in 951, after Adelaide, the former queen mother, had sought the protection of Adalbert Atto of Canossa
Adalbert Atto of Canossa
Adalbert Atto was the first Count of Canossa and founder of that noble house which eventually was to play a determinant rôle in the political settling of Italy and the Investiture Controversy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.Adalbert first appears in sources as a son of Sigifred, who is...
. This story is probably false, since Arduin was cultivating a marital alliance with Adalbert Atto, whose daughter Prangarda eventually married his son and successor, Manfred I
Manfred I of Turin
Manfred I or Maginfred was the second Margrave of Turin from 977. He inherited the county of Auriate and the vast marca Arduinica in the Susa Valley from his father Arduin Glaber. In his reign, the marca extended from the Alps to the Ligurian Sea and the Po Valley. Under him, Pavia became a...
.
From an early date Arduin was certainly occupied with the Saracens who had occupied the Susa Valley
Susa Valley
The Susa Valley is a valley in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, located between the Graian Alps in the north and the Cottian Alps in the south. It is the longest valley in Italy. It extends over in an east-west direction from the French border to the outskirts of Turin. The valley takes its...
and established a base at Fraxinetum in neighbouring Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
. He may have expelled them from the valley in 940–41. To this he probably added Albenga, Alba, and Ventimiglia by conquest. He definitely took part in the wars of William I
William I of Provence
William I , called the Liberator, was Count of Provence from 968 to his abdication. In 975 or 979, he took the title of marchio or margrave. He is often considered the founder of the county of Provence...
and Rotbold II of Provence
Rotbold II of Provence
Rotbold II was the Count of Provence from 968 to his death and margrave from 993. He was the elder of two sons of Boso II of Arles and Constance, the younger being William I, who took up the title of marchio in 979 and that of dux later...
against the Saracens of Fraxinetum. According to Liutprand of Cremona
Liutprand of Cremona
Liutprand, also Liudprand, Liuprand, Lioutio, Liucius, Liuzo, and Lioutsios was a Lombard historian and author, and Bishop of Cremona....
in his Antapodosis, in 972 or 973 Arduin and Rotbold led the successful assault on Fraxinetum itself. William meanwhile attacked the abductors of Abbot Maieul of Cluny
Majolus of Cluny
Saint Majolus of Cluny was an abbot of Cluny. As a youth Majolus fled his family's estates near Rietz to stay with relatives at Mâcon due to the Muslim invasions. Majolus studied at Lyon and later became archdeacon of Mâcon.Offered the bishopric of Besançon, he became a monk of Cluny instead...
. According to a later comital document of 1041, he took the cities of Tenda
Tende
Tende is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Geography:Tende is located within Mercantour National Park in the French Alps. The mountainous commune is bordered by Italy to the north, with the boundary determined by the watershed line between the two countries...
, Briga
Briga Alta
Briga Alta is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km south of Turin and about 13 km southeast of Cuneo, on the border with France...
, and Saorgio from them and granted them concessions. Arduin was last recorded alive on 4 April 976. Despite the fact that he repatriated their land from the Saracens, the monks of Novalesa—who had fled Saracen incursions in 906 and were still in Turin as late as 929—accused him of disrespecting their rights:
Arduin married a woman named Vmille in the Necrologio Sanctæ Andreæ Taurinensis, probably Emilia or Immula. They had two daughters: Alsinda, who married Giselbert II of Bergamo, and Richilda, who married Conrad of Ivrea
Conrad of Ivrea
Conrad Cono was the Margrave of Ivrea from 970 to his death. He was the third son of Berengar II of Italy and Willa of Tuscany. His elder brothers were Adalbert and Guy, both of whom ruled the march before him...
. Arduin was succeeded by his eldest son Manfred
Manfred I of Turin
Manfred I or Maginfred was the second Margrave of Turin from 977. He inherited the county of Auriate and the vast marca Arduinica in the Susa Valley from his father Arduin Glaber. In his reign, the marca extended from the Alps to the Ligurian Sea and the Po Valley. Under him, Pavia became a...
. He had two younger sons named Arduin and Otto.