Guerin of Provence
Encyclopedia
Guerin, Garin, Warin, or Werner ( or Guarnarius; died 845 or 856) was the Count of Auvergne, Chalon, Mâcon, Autun, Arles and Duke of Provence, Burgundy
, and Toulouse. Guerin stabilised the region against the Saracens from a base of Marseille
and fortified Chalon-sur-Saône
(834). He took part in many campaigns during the civil wars that marked the reign of Louis the Pious
(814 – 840) and after his death until the Treaty of Verdun
(843). The primary sources for his life are charters and chronicles like the Vita Hludovici
.
There is a good deal of confusion amongst authors over the exact identity of this person. He has been allocated as a son of William of Gellone
and his second wife Guitbergis (or Vuithbergis) on the basis of the Liber Manualis of Dhuoda
, wife of Bernard of Septimania, one of William's sons by his first wife. Otherwise, he has been recently hypothesised as the son or grandson of Adalard, Count of Chalon, who defended that site against Waifer of Aquitaine
. Warin was thus Count of Chalon by heredity or by grateful gift of the king on account of his father's service. This latter theory hinges on the assumption that there were two Guerins who have been subsequently confused: Guerin I and his son Guerin II. Neither descent from William of Gellone nor the two persons hypothesis are universally accepted. His proximity, in extant documents of the time, to Bernard of Septimania has been used as evidence for a relationship to that family, as has the existence of a related "Count Guerin" in later charters of the 850s and 860s. Guerin has been suggested as a brother of Bernard I of Auvergne, whose relationships are unknown.
In 818, Louis the Pious
granted him the Auvergne, probably because of a connection of his wife's, for she was possibly the daughter of the previous count Ithier. In 825, he received the town of Cluny
from Hildebald, Bishop of Mâcon, in an exchange.
In 819, he and Berengar of Toulouse invaded Gascony
to put down a rebellion of Lupus III Centule
, as recorded by both the Annales regni Francorum and the Vita Hludowici. By 820, Gascony was pacified and Carolingian
authority restored, but not across the Pyrenees
in Navarre
.
On 24 July 840 in Strasbourg
, Lothair precipitated a new civil war by declaring his imperium over all the lands of the empire and, joining with his nephew Pepin II of Aquitaine
, attacked the Loire Valley
. While Ermenaud III of Auxerre, Arnulf of Sens, Audri of Autun, and Gerard II of Paris pledged themselves for Lothair, Guerin and Adalbert of Avallon remained with Charles the Bald
. In March 841, the Burgundians
faithful to Charles accompanied Guerin to Aquitaine, from which they expelled Lothair and Pepin. In May, Guerin, as dux cum Tolosanis et Provincianis, joined Charles and the king of Bavaria
, Louis the German
, at Châlons-sur-Marne. In June, Pepin finally joined with Lothair in Auxerre
. On 25 June 841, Lothair and Pepin initiated the ensuing Battle of Fontenay and had the upper hand until the arrival of Guerin and his army of Provençals turned the tide in favour of Charles.
Charles sent Guerin to expel Bernard of Septimania from Toulouse
in 842 and then against Gothia
in 843. After the Treaty of Verdun in August that year, he was the dux and marchio in Provence under Lothair. He may have inherited that office from Leibulf
around 829. In 844, he received Autun, which had been stripped from Bernard's heir William
. The French historian Pierre Andoque asserts that Bernard was captured in 843 by Guerin in Uzès
and brought before Charles to be executed in 844. He was succeeded in 845 by Fulcrad
as duke, with Marseille going to a count Adalbert.
Guerin married Albane (or Ava) and was the father of Isembard and of Ermengarde mother of William I Duc of Aquitania.
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of West Franks...
, and Toulouse. Guerin stabilised the region against the Saracens from a base of Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
and fortified Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon....
(834). He took part in many campaigns during the civil wars that marked the reign of Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
(814 – 840) and after his death until the Treaty of Verdun
Treaty of Verdun
The Treaty of Verdun was a treaty between the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, the son and successor of Charlemagne, which divided the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms...
(843). The primary sources for his life are charters and chronicles like the Vita Hludovici
Vita Hludovici
Vita Hludovici or Vita Hludovici Imperatoris is an anonymous biography of Louis the Pious, Holy Roman Emperor and King of the Franks from AD 814 to 840.-Author:...
.
There is a good deal of confusion amongst authors over the exact identity of this person. He has been allocated as a son of William of Gellone
William of Gellone
Saint William of Gellone was the second Count of Toulouse from 790 until his replacement in 811. His Occitan name is Guilhem, and he is known in French as Guillaume d'Orange, Guillaume Fierabrace, and the Marquis au court nez.He is the hero of the Chanson de Guillaume, an early chanson de geste,...
and his second wife Guitbergis (or Vuithbergis) on the basis of the Liber Manualis of Dhuoda
Dhuoda
Dhuoda was the author of the Liber Manualis, a handbook written for her son. Her date of birth and death are unknown but it is circa 803-843.-Life:...
, wife of Bernard of Septimania, one of William's sons by his first wife. Otherwise, he has been recently hypothesised as the son or grandson of Adalard, Count of Chalon, who defended that site against Waifer of Aquitaine
Waifer of Aquitaine
Waifer was the duke of Aquitaine from 748 to 768, succeeding his newly-monastic father Hunold....
. Warin was thus Count of Chalon by heredity or by grateful gift of the king on account of his father's service. This latter theory hinges on the assumption that there were two Guerins who have been subsequently confused: Guerin I and his son Guerin II. Neither descent from William of Gellone nor the two persons hypothesis are universally accepted. His proximity, in extant documents of the time, to Bernard of Septimania has been used as evidence for a relationship to that family, as has the existence of a related "Count Guerin" in later charters of the 850s and 860s. Guerin has been suggested as a brother of Bernard I of Auvergne, whose relationships are unknown.
In 818, Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
granted him the Auvergne, probably because of a connection of his wife's, for she was possibly the daughter of the previous count Ithier. In 825, he received the town of Cluny
Cluny
Cluny or Clungy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. It is 20 km northwest of Mâcon.The town grew up around the Benedictine Cluny Abbey, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910...
from Hildebald, Bishop of Mâcon, in an exchange.
In 819, he and Berengar of Toulouse invaded Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
to put down a rebellion of Lupus III Centule
Lupo III Centule of Gascony
Lupo III Centule was the Duke of Gascony briefly from 818 until his deposition by Pepin I of Aquitaine in 819...
, as recorded by both the Annales regni Francorum and the Vita Hludowici. By 820, Gascony was pacified and Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
authority restored, but not across the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
in Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
.
On 24 July 840 in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Lothair precipitated a new civil war by declaring his imperium over all the lands of the empire and, joining with his nephew Pepin II of Aquitaine
Pepin II of Aquitaine
Pepin II, called the Younger , was King of Aquitaine from 838 as the successor upon the death of his father, Pepin I. Pepin II was eldest son of Pepin I and Ingeltrude, daughter of Theodobert, count of Madrie...
, attacked the Loire Valley
Loire Valley
The Loire Valley , spanning , is located in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. Its area comprises approximately . It is referred to as the Cradle of the French Language, and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards, and artichoke, asparagus, and...
. While Ermenaud III of Auxerre, Arnulf of Sens, Audri of Autun, and Gerard II of Paris pledged themselves for Lothair, Guerin and Adalbert of Avallon remained with Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
. In March 841, the Burgundians
Burgundians
The Burgundians were an East Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from mainland Scandinavia to the island of Bornholm, whose old form in Old Norse still was Burgundarholmr , and from there to mainland Europe...
faithful to Charles accompanied Guerin to Aquitaine, from which they expelled Lothair and Pepin. In May, Guerin, as dux cum Tolosanis et Provincianis, joined Charles and the king of Bavaria
King of Bavaria
King of Bavaria was a title held by the hereditary Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria in the state known as the Kingdom of Bavaria from 1805 until 1918, when the kingdom was abolished...
, Louis the German
Louis the German
Louis the German , also known as Louis II or Louis the Bavarian, was a grandson of Charlemagne and the third son of the succeeding Frankish Emperor Louis the Pious and his first wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye.He received the appellation 'Germanicus' shortly after his death in recognition of the fact...
, at Châlons-sur-Marne. In June, Pepin finally joined with Lothair in Auxerre
Auxerre
Auxerre is a commune in the Bourgogne region in north-central France, between Paris and Dijon. It is the capital of the Yonne department.Auxerre's population today is about 45,000...
. On 25 June 841, Lothair and Pepin initiated the ensuing Battle of Fontenay and had the upper hand until the arrival of Guerin and his army of Provençals turned the tide in favour of Charles.
Charles sent Guerin to expel Bernard of Septimania from Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in 842 and then against Gothia
Gothia
Gothia is a name given to various places where the Goths lived during their migrations:* Götaland, the traditional original homeland of the Goths.* Dacia was referred to as Gothia during the fourth century, when it was settled by Goths....
in 843. After the Treaty of Verdun in August that year, he was the dux and marchio in Provence under Lothair. He may have inherited that office from Leibulf
Leibulf of Provence
Leibulf, Leybulf, or Letibulf was the Count of Provence in the early ninth century. Along with Gaucelm, who ruled Gothia, and Bera, who ruled Catalonia, he was one of the three most important magnates in the south during the early reign of Louis the Pious, during which the emperor reorganised that...
around 829. In 844, he received Autun, which had been stripped from Bernard's heir William
William of Septimania
William of Septimania was the son of Bernard and Dhuoda. He was the Count of Toulouse from 844 and Count of Barcelona from 848....
. The French historian Pierre Andoque asserts that Bernard was captured in 843 by Guerin in Uzès
Uzès
Uzès is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.It lies about 25 km north-northeast of Nîmes.-History:Originally Ucetia, Uzès was a small Gallo-Roman oppidum, or administrative settlement. The town lies at the source of the Eure, from where a Roman aqueduct was built in the first...
and brought before Charles to be executed in 844. He was succeeded in 845 by Fulcrad
Fulcrad
Fulcrad or Folcrat was the Duke of Provence , succeeding Guerin in 845 AD.He was granted the title of Dux or Duke in 843 after the treaty of Verdun due to Lothair’s mistrust and previous conflict with Fulcrad’s predecessor Guerin. In 845, he revolted against the Emperor Lothair I from his base of...
as duke, with Marseille going to a count Adalbert.
Guerin married Albane (or Ava) and was the father of Isembard and of Ermengarde mother of William I Duc of Aquitania.
Sources
- Lewis, Archibald R. The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965.
- Guinard, P. Recherches sur les origines des seigneurs de Semur-en-Brionnais. Semur-en-Brionnais, 1996.
- Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Nobility of Aquitaine — Comtes d'Auvergne 819-940.