Ebroin (died 850-54) was

bishop of Poitiers The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poitiers (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Pictaviensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Poitiers'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in France. The archepiscopal see is in the city of Poitiers. Th ...

from 839 to his death. He took on the administration of the

county of Poitiers The County of Poitou (Latin ''comitatus Pictavensis'') was a historical region of France, consisting of the three sub-regions of Vendée, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. Its name is derived from the ancient Gaul tribe of Pictones. The county was bounded on ...

during a troubled period and continued to faithfully support King

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 ...

. In 835 Ebroin's cousin, Count Rorig I of Maine, petitioned King Pippin I for the monastery of Glanfeuil to be given to Ebroin. Glanfeuil had been placed under the authority of another relative of Ebroin's, Abbot Ingelbert of Saint-Pierre-des-Fossés, by the Emperor

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 ...

in 833. In 844 Ebroin bestowed the office of abbot on Rorig's son Gauslin. On 14 July 847 Charles confirmed Ebroin's right of possession (''ius'' 'et''''dominatio'') of abbey, apparently without oversight from Fossés, and its heritability in his family. In 839 Ebroin sided with Charles the Bald against

Pippin II Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Frankish statesman and military leader who de facto ruled Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke and Prince of the F ...

in the battle for the subkingdom of Aquitaine, which had been ruled by Pippin I, Charles' brother and Pippin's father, until his death in 838. According to the ''

Vita Hludovici ''Vita Hludovici'' or ''Vita Hludovici Imperatoris'' (The Life of Louis or the Life of the Emperor Louis) is an anonymous biography of Louis the Pious, Holy Roman Emperor and King of the Franks from AD 814 to 840. Author The work was written ...

'', Ebroin was Charles's advisor on Aquitainian affairs. Between Charles's first visit to Poitiers in April 839 and February 840, when the emperor left him in charge of conducting a campaign against Pippin II, Charles appointed Ebroin as his

archchaplain An Archchaplain is a cleric with a senior position in a royal court. The title was used in the Frankish kingdom in the Carolingian period. Holy Roman Archchaplains * Willigis (c982-c1007) * Erkanbald Erkanbald (died 17 August 1021) was the A ...

. Ebroin was among the leaders of the army being assembled to fight Pippin in northern Aquitaine 844. On 14 June 844, while on the march south to meet Charles in the south, the army was ambushed by Pippin's forces in the

Angoumois Angoumois (), historically the County of Angoulême, was a county and province of France, originally inferior to the parent duchy of Aquitaine, similar to the Périgord to its east but lower and generally less forested, equally with occasional vin ...

. The king's uncle, Abbot Hugh, was killed, and Ebroin, along with Bishop Ragenar of Amiens and Abbot

Lupus of Ferrières Lupus Servatus, also Servatus Lupus ( 805 – c. 862), in French Loup, was a Benedictine monk and Abbot of Ferrières Abbey during the Carolingian dynasty, who was also a member of Charles the Bald's court and a noted theological author of the 9th ...

, was captured. Ebroin had been freed by December 844, when he attended the council of Ver. He helped negotiate the settlement of June 845, in which most of Aquitaine was ceded to Pippin in

vassalage A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

to Charles. There is no record of Ebroin after 850. It is usually assumed that he died defending Poitiers from some rebels in 854. It is also possible that Charles's execution of a probable relative of Ebroin's, a certain Count Gauzbert, in March 853 pushed Ebroin into rebellion. He was replaced as archchaplain by

Hilduin Hilduin (c. 785 – c. 855) was Bishop of Paris, chaplain to Louis I, reforming Abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Denis, and author. He was one of the leading scholars and administrators of the Carolingian Empire. Background Hilduin was from a pr ...

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