Bernard Plantapilosa or Bernard II of Auvergne (22 March 841-886), or Plantevelue, son of

Bernard of Septimania Bernard (or Bernat) of Septimania (795–844), son of William of Gellone, was the Frankish Duke of Septimania and Count of Barcelona from 826 to 832 and again from 835 to his execution. He was also count of Carcassonne from 837. He was appointed t ...

and

Dhuoda Dhuoda (''fl.'' AD 824–844) was a Frankish writer, as well as Duchess consort of Septimania and Countess consort of Barcelona. She was the author of the ''Liber Manualis'', a handbook written for her son.Cherewatuk, Karen. "''Speculum Matris'': ...

, was the

Count of Auvergne This is a list of the various rulers of Auvergne. History In the 7th century Auvergne was disputed between the Franks and Aquitanians. It was later conquered by the Carolingians, and was integrated for a time into the kingdom of Aquitaine. The ...

(as Bernard II) from 872 to his death. The

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Charles the Fat Charles III (839 – 13 January 888), also known as Charles the Fat, was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 888. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandso ...

granted him the title of Margrave of Aquitaine in 885. His mother's '' Liber Manualis'' mentions that he was born at

Uzès Uzès (; ) is a commune in the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. In 2017, it had a population of 8,454. Uzès lies about north-northeast of Nîmes, west of Avignon and south-east of Alès. History Originally ''Uc ...

in the year following the death of

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...

. He was appointed

Margrave of Septimania {{One source, date=December 2021 The title Prince of Gothia (''princeps Gothiæ'') or Prince of the Goths (''princeps Gothorum'') was a title of nobility, sometimes assumed by its holder as a sign of supremacy in the region of Septimania#Gothia_in_C ...

(or Gothia) before 868. He was the

lay abbot Lay abbot ( la, abbatocomes, abbas laicus, abbas miles, ) is a name used to designate a layman on whom a king or someone in authority bestowed an abbey as a reward for services rendered; he had charge of the estate belonging to it, and was entitle ...

Brioude Brioude (; Auvergnat: ''Briude'') is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-central France. It lies on the banks of the river Allier, a tributary of the Loire. History At Brioude, the ancient ''Bri ...

between 857 and 868 and

Count of Autun Autun () is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the e ...

and from 864 to 869. He was deposed before 876 and replaced by

Bernard of Gothia Bernard II (in Catalan, ''Bernat de Gothia'') was the count of Barcelona, Girona and margrave of Gothia and Septimania from 865 to 878. Origins Bernard was the son of Count Bernard I of Poitiers (814-844) and Bilichilde, daughter of Count Rorgo ...

in that year. He returned to favour under Charles the Fat. In the war against

Boso of Provence Boso (french: Boson; c. 841 – 11 January 887) was a Frankish nobleman of the Bosonid family who was related to the Carolingian dynasty and who rose to become King of Lower Burgundy and Provence. Origin Boso was the son of Bivin of Gorze, ...

, he obtained the county of

Mâcon Mâcon (), historically anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the prefecture of the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home to near 34,000 residents, who are referred to in French as M� ...

Family

He married Ermengard, countess of Auvergne in her own right as its heiress. Her father is often given as a count Bernard I of Auvergne, active in the 860s, but these instances may represent Ermengard's husband ''Plantapilosa'' and not a predecessor in the county. An earlier Count Bernard was active in the Auvergne in the 840s, but has no known connection to Ermengard.Bouchard, ''Those of My Blood'', p. 189 Instead, she was perhaps daughter of

Guerin of Provence Guerin, Garin, Warin, or Werner ( la, Werinus or ''Guarnarius''; died 845 or 856) was the Count of Auvergne, Chalon, Mâcon, Autun, Arles and Duke of Provence, Burgundy, and Toulouse. Guerin established the region against the Saracens from a base ...

, Count of Auvergne, and his wife Ava. Their children were: *

William I of Aquitaine William I (22 March 875 – 6 July 918), called the Pious, was the Count of Auvergne from 886 and Duke of Aquitaine from 893, succeeding the Poitevin ruler Ebalus Manser. He made numerous monastic foundations, most important among them the found ...

* Warin * Ava * Adelinda, who married

Acfred I of Carcassonne Acfred I (died 906) was the Count of Razès from 837 and Count of Carcassonne from 877. Acfred was the younger son of Oliba I of Carcassonne and part of the Bellonid Dynasty. He inherited Razès on his father's death, while his elder brother Oli ...

Etymology

''Plantapilosa'' is often claimed to mean "Hairyfeet" or "Hairypaws".E.g. Chris Wickham, ''The Inheritance of Rome'', p. 511 This is based on the Latin meaning "sole of foot" of ''planta''.

Notes

Sources

* Bouchard, Constance Brittain ''Those of My Blood: Creating Noble Families in Medieval Francia'', University of Pennsylvania Press: 2001. * Hummer, Hans J. ''Politics and Power in Early Medieval Europe: Alsace and the Frankish Realm 600–1000''. Cambridge University Press: 2005. * MacLean, Simon. ''Kingship and Politics in the Late Ninth Century: Charles the Fat and the end of the Carolingian Empire''. Cambridge University Press: 2003. {{Toulouse Counts 841 births 886 deaths People from Uzès 9th-century people from West Francia Counts of Barcelona Counts of Auvergne