The Bosonids were a

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

Carolingian era The Carolingian Empire (800–888) was a large Frankish-dominated empire in western and central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lom ...

dukes, counts, bishops and knights descended from

Boso the Elder Boso (or Boson) "the Elder" ( 800 – 855) was a Frankish Count of Turin and Count of Valois of the Bosonid dynasty. Family and issue He was married to Engeltrude. They had the following issue: * Boso, Count of Valois (d. 874) * Teutberga (d. b ...

. Eventually they married into the

Carolingian dynasty The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

and produced kings and an emperor of the

Frankish Empire Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...

. The first great scion of the dynasty was Boso V,

Count of Arles This is a list of the counts of Arles. * Garin, or Warin, (until 853), also ''Guerin'' in French, ''Garí'' in Spanish, and ''Guerí'' in Catalan; also duke of Toulouse (835–840), margrave of Burgundy, and count of Autun, Mâcon, Chalon, Meme ...

and of other Burgundian counties in the mid-9th century. Boso rose in favour as a courtier of

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ser ...

. He was even appointed

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

in 875. After the death of Charles' son Louis II, Boso refused to recognise both Louis' sons, Carloman and

Louis III Louis III may refer to: * Louis the Younger, sometimes III of Germany (835–882) * Louis III of France (865–882) * Louis the Blind, Louis III, Holy Roman Emperor, (c. 880–928) * Louis the Child, sometimes III of Germany (893–911) * Louis III ...

as kings of France and proclaimed himself

King of Provence The land of Provence has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Its independent existence has its origins in the frontier nature of the dukedom in Merovingian Gaul. In this position, influenced and affected by ...

in 879 at

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Emperor Charles III 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 ...

. He died in 887 and was succeeded by his son

Louis Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

under the regency of his wife Ermengard, a daughter of the

Emperor Louis II Louis II (825 – 12 August 875), sometimes called the Younger, was the king of Italy and emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 844, co-ruling with his father Lothair I until 855, after which he ruled alone. Louis's usual title was ''impera ...

. Louis was adopted by Charles III and legitimised in his royal title. With this legal basis, he sought to take the place of his

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

relatives on the imperial and Italian thrones in 900. He was crowned in

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

and then in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, but could not actually hold on to power there.

Bosonids

**daughter, possibly named Richildis, married to

Bivin of Gorze Bivin of Gorze (810/830–863) was a Frankish founder of the Bivinids family. He was married to a daughter of Boso the Elder, who may have been called Richildis. During his life he functioned as lay abbot of the Gorze Abbey.Pierre Riche, ''The ...

; for offspring see his branch **Boso, count in Italy **

Teutberga Teutberga (died 11 November 875) was a queen of Lotharingia by marriage to Lothair II. She was a daughter of Bosonid Boso the Elder and sister of Hucbert, the lay-abbot of St. Maurice's Abbey. Life For political reasons, to forge ties of kinship ...

, married to

Lothar II Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was the king of Lotharingia from 855 until his death. He was the second son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. He was married to Teutberga (died 875), daughter of Boso the Elder. Reign For political ...

king of Lotharingia **

Hucbert Hucbert ( 820 – 864) was a Frank and son of the count Boso the Elder. Therefore, he was a Bosonid, and the namesake for the Huberterian branch of the family. His rise to power commenced under Lothair I but continued under Lothair II, reaching i ...

, lay abbot of St-Maurice-in-Valais ***

Theobald of Arles Theobald (c. 854-895), count of Arles, was a Frank from the Bosonid-family. He was a son of Hucbert. He and his wife Bertha had two sons, Hugh of Italy and Boso of Tuscany Boso ( it, Bosone; died after 940?) was a Burgundian nobleman who spen ...

, married to

Bertha Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German ''berhta'' meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names ''Beorhtgifu'' meaning "bright gift" or ''Beorhtwynn'' meaning "bright joy". The name occurs as a theonym, s ...

, daughter of

and

Waldrada Waldrada (also Vuldetrada) (531572), wife (firstly) of Theudebald, King of Austrasia (ruled 548–555), reputed mistress (secondly) of Chlothar I, King of the Franks (ruled until 561), was the daughter of Wacho, King of the Lombards (ruled ''ca''. ...

****

Hugh of Arles Hugh (c. 880–947), known as Hugh of Arles or Hugh of Provence, was the king of Italy from 926 until his death. He belonged to the Bosonid family. During his reign, he empowered his relatives at the expense of the aristocracy and tried to estab ...

, king of Italy ***** Lothair, king of Italy *****

Hubert, Duke of Spoleto Hubert (or Humbert, Italian ''Uberto'' or ''Umberto''; died c. 969) was the illegitimate son of King Hugh of Italy and his concubine Wandelmoda. He became Margrave of Tuscany in 936 and Duke of Spoleto and Margrave of Camerino in 943. Hubert had ...

(illegitimate) ******

Hugh, Margrave of Tuscany Hugh ( la, Ugo, Hugo; 953/4 – 21 December 1001), called the Great, was the Margrave of Tuscany from 969 until his death in 1001, and the Duke of Spoleto and Margrave of Camerino from 989 to 996 (as "Hugh II"). He was known for his restoration ...

*****Bertha (Eudokia), married

Romanos II Romanos II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Ρωμανός, 938 – 15 March 963) was Byzantine Emperor from 959 to 963. He succeeded his father Constantine VII at the age of twenty-one and died suddenly and mysteriously four years later. His son Bas ...

Roman Emperor of

Macedonian dynasty The Macedonian dynasty (Greek: Μακεδονική Δυναστεία) ruled the Byzantine Empire from 867 to 1056, following the Amorian dynasty. During this period, the Byzantine state reached its greatest extent since the Muslim conquests, ...

****

Boso, Margrave of Tuscany Boso ( it, Bosone; died after 940?) was a Burgundian nobleman who spent much of his career in Italy, where he became Margrave of Tuscany about 932. He ruled semi-autonomously and was a benefactor of the churches of his region. He lost his office in ...

*****Bertha or Gersenda, married firstly Boso of Burgundy (of Bivin's branch of Bosonids, below), and secondly

Raymond II of Rouergue Raymond II, sometimes numbered Raymond I (c. 904 – 961) was the count of Rouergue and Quercy from 937 to his death. He was the son of Ermengol of Rouergue and Adelaide. Under Raymond, Rouergue achieved a suzerainty over neighbouring counties and h ...

*****

Willa Willa is a feminine given name. Notable people and characters with the name include: * Willa or Guilla of Provence (died before 924), early medieval Frankish queen * Willa of Tuscany (died 970), queen consort of Berengar II of Italy * Willa Brown ( ...

, married

Berengar II of Italy Berengar II ( 900 – 4 August 966) was the King of Italy from 950 until his deposition in 961. He was a scion of the Anscarid and Unruoching dynasties, and was named after his maternal grandfather, Berengar I. He succeeded his father as Marg ...

*****Rotbold/Rotbald (+950) ******

Boso II of Provence Boson II of Arles (928 – 965/67) was Count of Avignon from 935 and Count of Arles from 949. Around 953, Boso II married Constance, possibly a daughter of the Bosonids#Bivinids, Bivinid Charles Constantine of Vienne, Charles Constantine, Count ...

, married Constantia, daughter of Carolus Constantinus *******

Rotbold I, Count of Provence Rotbold I (also spelled ''Rothbold'', ''Rotbald'', ''Rodbald'', ''Robald(us)'', ''Roubaud'', or ''Rotbaud''; died 1008) was a French nobleman. He was Count of Provence from 968 until his death and margrave from 993. He was the elder of two sons of ...

********

Rotbold II, Count of Provence Rotbold II (also ''Rothbold'', ''Rotbald'', ''Rodbald'', ''Roubaud'', or ''Rotbaud'') (died 1014 or 1015) was the Count and Margrave of Provence from 1008 to his death. He was the only son of Rotbold I and Emilde, daughter of Stephen, Viscount of ...

*********

William III of Provence William III (died after 1037) was the count and margrave of Provence from 1014 to his death. He inherited the titles of his father Rotbold II but preceded his cousin William IV as count.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln z ...

******* William I, Count of Provence ********

Constance of Arles Constance of Arles (c. 986 – 28 July 1032), also known as Constance of Provence, was Queen of France as the third spouse of King Robert II of France. Life Born Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europ� ...

, married

Robert II of France Robert II (c. 972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious (french: link=no, le Pieux) or the Wise (french: link=no, le Sage), was King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty. Crowned Junior King in 987, he assisted his ...

********

William II of Provence William II (or III) (late 980s – 1019), called the Pious, was the Count of Provence. Life William was the son of William I (or II) of Provence and Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou, who were married by January 984. William appears in the documents of ...

*********

William IV of Provence William IV (died 1030) was the Count of Provence from 1018 to his death. He was a son of William II, whom he succeeded, and a co-count with his brothers Fulk Fulk is an old European personal name, probably deriving from the Germanic ''folk'' ("pe ...

*********

Fulk Bertrand of Provence Fulk Bertrand IHis name appears as Fulco or Fulcho and Bertrannus in contemporary documents. It is Foulques in modern French. His ordinal is a reference to a second Bertrand, his son, who later reigned in Provence. (died 27 April 1051) was the join ...

**********

William Bertrand of Provence William Bertrand (died 28 July 1094Also sometimes cited as 29 April 1090.), known as William V or Bertrand I or II, was the count and margrave of Provence from 1051 to his death. He succeeded his father Fulk Bertrand on his death in that year, but ...

**********

Geoffrey II of Provence Geoffrey II (also Josfred or Josfredus; died 13 February 1067Or 1065) was the first count of Forcalquier following the death of his father Fulk Bertrand in 1062. His elder brother William Bertrand inherited Provence, but not the title of margrave. ...

*********

Geoffrey I of Provence Geoffrey I or JosfredAlso spelled Jauffred, Jozfred, Gosfred, or Gausfred. (died February between 1061 and 1063) was the joint Count of Provence with his elder brothers William IV and Fulk from 1018 to his death. He was the third son of William I ...

**********

Bertrand II of Provence Bertrand II, otherwise William VI (died 1093Or before 1067), was count of Provence following the death of his father Geoffrey I of Provence, though he is not mentioned until the next year (1063). He was either the eldest or second-eldest son of Geo ...

**********

Gerberga, Countess of Provence Gerberga (1045/65–1115), also spelled Gerberge or Gerburge, was the Countess of Provence for more than a decade, until 1112. Provence is a region located in the southeastern part of modern-day France that did not become part of France until 1481 ...

***********

Douce I, Countess of Provence Douce I (also Dulcia or Dolça, called "of Rouergue" or "of Gévaudan") ( – 1127) was the daughter of Gilbert I of Gévaudan and Gerberga of Provence and wife of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona. In 1112, she inherited the Counts of Prove ...

Bivinids

*Richard, count of Amiens **Richard **

, married to a daughter of

, possibly named Richildis *** Richard the Justiciar, Duke of Burgundy, first married to Adelaida of Auxerre **** Rudolf, Duke Burgundy, King of France, married Emma of Paris *****Louis *****Judith ****

Hugh the Black Hugh the Black (died 952) was Duke of Burgundy from 923 until his death in 952. He was a Bosonid through his father, who was the younger brother of Boso of Provence. Hugh was the son of Richard of Autun, Duke of Burgundy, and Adelaide of Auxerr ...

, Duke of Burgundy *****daughter or sister of Hugh the Black? Married to Gilbert of Burgundy ******Adelaida, surnamed Werra, married to Robert of Meaux ******Liegardis, married

Otto, Duke of Burgundy Otto of Burgundy (944 – 22 February 965) was Duke of Burgundy from 956 to his death. Otto was a son of Hugh the Great, duke of the Franks, and his wife Hedwig of Saxony, a sister of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. He was a brother of King Hugh Cape ...

****Boso, count, married Bertha, daughter of Boso, Margrave of Tuscany (of Boso the Elder's branch of Bosonids) ****Gibuin, count of Dijon; from a second marriage *****Hugo, count of Dijon ******Richard, count of Dijon ******Hugo, count ****** Gibuin, bishop of Chalon ******Odo *** Richildis, married to

***? possibly Bivin, count of Metz? *** Boso, count of Vienne, king of the Provence, married secondly to Ermengard, daughter of Louis II ****

Louis the Blind Louis the Blind ( 880 – 5 June 928) was the king of Provence from 11 January 887, King of Italy from 12 October 900, and briefly Holy Roman Emperor, as Louis III, between 901 and 905. His father was a Bosonid and his mother was a Carolingian ...

; married Anna, daughter of

Leo VI Leo VI (or Leon VI, notably in Greek) may refer to : * Leo VI the Wise, Byzantine emperor 886 to 912 * Pope Leo VI, 928 to 929 * King Leo VI of Armenia (1342 – 1393), of the House of Lusignan, last Latin king of the Armenian crusader Kingdom of C ...

Roman Emperor of

***** Carolus Constantinus, count of Vienne, married Theoberga of Sens ******Hugobert ******Richard ******(perhaps) Constantia, married

, son of Rotbold (+950) ****

Engelberga Engelberga (or Angilberga, died between 896 and 901) was the wife of Emperor Louis II and thus Carolingian empress to his death on 12 August 875.Bougard, François (1993)"ENGELBERGA (Enghelberga, Angelberga), imperatrice"‘’Treccani’’. As ...

, married to William the Pious, duke of Aquitaine

Sources

*Pierre Riché, ''The Carolingians, a family who forged Europe''. {{Monarchs of France, state=collapsed Carolingian dynasty Frankish noble families

Bosonids

Bivinids

Further reading

Sources