Ranulf II of Aquitaine
Encyclopedia
Ranulf II (850 – 5 August 890) was Count of Poitou from 866 and Duke of Aquitaine
from 887. On the death of Charles the Fat
in 888, he styled himself King of Aquitaine and did so until 889 or his death, after which the title fell into abeyance.
He may have been selected as a temporary king by the Aquitainian nobles, for they accepted Odo of France after his death. Only the Annales Fuldenses
definitively give him this title. He is recorded to have taken custody of Charles
, the young son of Louis the Stammerer
and he certainly did not recognise Odo as king. He appeared in the Annales Vedastes in 889 with the title dux maximae partis Aquitaniae: "duke of the major part of Aquitaine." He founded the viscountcy of Thouars at about that time, part of larger movement to create viscounts with powers over regional fortresses to man them against the Vikings.
Ranulf was a son of Ranulf I
and Bilichild of Maine. He married an Ermengard (died 935) and by her had a son, Ranulf III, who succeeded him in Poitiers. His illegitimate son Ebalus
succeeded him in Aquitaine and, upon the death of Ranulf III, in Poitiers too.
Duke of Aquitaine
The Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of Frankish, English and later French kings....
from 887. On the death of Charles the Fat
Charles the Fat
Charles the Fat was the King of Alemannia from 876, King of Italy from 879, western Emperor from 881, King of East Francia from 882, and King of West Francia from 884. In 887, he was deposed in East Francia, Lotharingia, and possibly Italy, where the records are not clear...
in 888, he styled himself King of Aquitaine and did so until 889 or his death, after which the title fell into abeyance.
He may have been selected as a temporary king by the Aquitainian nobles, for they accepted Odo of France after his death. Only the Annales Fuldenses
Annales Fuldenses
The Annales Fuldenses or Annals of Fulda are East Frankish chronicles that cover independently the period from the last years of Louis the Pious to shortly after the end of effective Carolingian rule in East Francia with the accession of the child-king, Louis III, in 900...
definitively give him this title. He is recorded to have taken custody of Charles
Charles the Simple
Charles III , called the Simple or the Straightforward , was the undisputed King of France from 898 until 922 and the King of Lotharingia from 911 until 919/23...
, the young son of Louis the Stammerer
Louis the Stammerer
Louis the Stammerer was the King of Aquitaine and later King of West Francia. He was the eldest son of Charles the Bald and Ermentrude of Orléans. He succeeded his younger brother in Aquitaine in 866 and his father in West Francia in 877, though he was never crowned Emperor...
and he certainly did not recognise Odo as king. He appeared in the Annales Vedastes in 889 with the title dux maximae partis Aquitaniae: "duke of the major part of Aquitaine." He founded the viscountcy of Thouars at about that time, part of larger movement to create viscounts with powers over regional fortresses to man them against the Vikings.
Ranulf was a son of Ranulf I
Ranulf I of Aquitaine
Ranulf I was a Count of Poitiers and Duke of Aquitaine . He is considered a possible son of Gerard, Count of Auvergne, and Hildegard , daughter of Louis the Pious and Ermengard...
and Bilichild of Maine. He married an Ermengard (died 935) and by her had a son, Ranulf III, who succeeded him in Poitiers. His illegitimate son Ebalus
Ebalus of Aquitaine
Ebalus or Ebles Manzer or Manser was Count of Poitou and Duke of Aquitaine on two occasions: from 890 to 892 and from 902 and 927 to his death....
succeeded him in Aquitaine and, upon the death of Ranulf III, in Poitiers too.
Sources
- Lewis, Archibald Ross. The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965.
- MacLean, Simon. Kingship and Politics in the Late Ninth Century: Charles the Fat and the end of the Carolingian Empire. Cambridge University Press: 2003.