Battle of Firenzuola
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Firenzuola was fought on 29 July 923 between the forces of Rudolph II of Burgundy
and Adalbert I of Ivrea
on one side and Berengar I of Italy
on the other. The battle was a defeat for Berengar, who was thus de facto dethroned and replaced by Rudolf as King of Italy
. His own grandson and namesake, Berengar II
, who would later be king of Italy as well, fought on the winning side against him.
Berengar was supported principally by the German faction in Italy. He was defeated by Guido of Spoleto in 889. He re-emerged as sole king in Italy in 898 after the death of Lambert of Spoleto. Louis of Provence was elected as king of Italy in 900, with support particularly from Anscar of Ivrea
. Berengario defeated Louis twice, the second time conclusively in 905 when he had his rival blinded. He was crowned Emperor
at Rome in 916. He allied himself with the Hungarians to defeat Rudolph, who emerged as another rival candidate for the Italian throne, but was later forced back to Verona by Rudolf, and finally defeated by him at Firenzuola.
Rudolph II of Burgundy
Rudolph II was king of Upper Burgundy , Lower Burgundy , and Italy . He was the son of Rudolph I, king of Upper Burgundy, and it is presumed that his mother was his father's known wife, Guilla of Provence...
and Adalbert I of Ivrea
Adalbert I of Ivrea
Adalbert I was the son of Anscar of Ivrea and, from his death in 902, margrave of Ivrea.He rebelled against his father-in-law Berengar I in 905 in support of Louis III. When Louis was defeated, captured, and blinded, Adalbert was exiled to Burgundy, whence his family had originated...
on one side and Berengar I of Italy
Berengar I of Italy
Berengar of Friuli was the Margrave of Friuli from 874 until no earlier than 890 and no later than 896, King of Italy from 887 until his death, and Holy Roman Emperor from 915 until his death.Berengar rose to become one of the most influential laymen in the empire of Charles the Fat before he...
on the other. The battle was a defeat for Berengar, who was thus de facto dethroned and replaced by Rudolf as King of Italy
King of Italy
King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers of the Italian peninsula after the fall of the Roman Empire...
. His own grandson and namesake, Berengar II
Berengar II of Italy
Berengar of Ivrea , sometimes also referred to as Berengar II of Italy, was Margrave of Ivrea and usurper King of Italy from 950 until his deposition in 961, the last before Italy's incorporation into the Holy Roman Empire...
, who would later be king of Italy as well, fought on the winning side against him.
Berengar was supported principally by the German faction in Italy. He was defeated by Guido of Spoleto in 889. He re-emerged as sole king in Italy in 898 after the death of Lambert of Spoleto. Louis of Provence was elected as king of Italy in 900, with support particularly from Anscar of Ivrea
Anscar of Ivrea
Anscar I was the margrave of Ivrea from 888 to his death. From 877 or 879, he was the count of Oscheret in Burgundy. He supported Guy III of Spoleto for the throne of France after the deposition of Charles the Fat in 887, but after Guy's failed attempt and the coronation of Odo, Count of Paris, he...
. Berengario defeated Louis twice, the second time conclusively in 905 when he had his rival blinded. He was crowned Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
at Rome in 916. He allied himself with the Hungarians to defeat Rudolph, who emerged as another rival candidate for the Italian throne, but was later forced back to Verona by Rudolf, and finally defeated by him at Firenzuola.