Guy IV (''Guido'' or ''Wido''; assassinated 897) was the Duke of Spoleto and Camerino from 889 and Prince of Benevento from 895. He was the son of Guy II of Spoleto.His parentage is highly disputed. He is referred to as a son of

Guy III of Spoleto Guy III of Spoleto (german: Wido, it, Guido; died 12 December 894) was the margrave of Camerino from 880 and then duke of Spoleto and Camerino from 883. He was crowned king of Italy in 889 and emperor in 891. He died in 894 while fighting for co ...

and

Ageltrude Ageltrude or Agiltrude (around 860 - died 27 August 923) was the Empress and Queen of Italy as the wife of Guy (reigned 891–94). She was the regent for her son Lambert (reigned 894–98) and actively encouraged him in opposing the Carolingian ...

and also of one Conrad, count of Lecco.

Guaimar I of Salerno Guaimar I (also ''Waimar'', ''Gaimar'', or ''Guaimario'') (c. 855 – 901) was the prince of Salerno from 880, when his father entered the monastery of Monte Cassino in August. His parents were Prince Guaifer and Landelaica, daughter of Lando I of ...

He is called both a first cousin and a brother of

Lambert II of Spoleto Lambert (c. 880 – 15 October 898) was the King of Italy from 891, Holy Roman Emperor, co-ruling with his father from 892, and Duke of Spoleto and Camerino (as Lambert II) from his father's death in 894. He was the son of Guy III of Spoleto an ...

. Thus, his exact relationship to the emperors Guy and Lambert and to the Empress Ageltrude is uncertain. In either 888, when his father was crowned

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...

, or 889, when his father was crowned

King of Italy King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader, ...

, Guy was granted the Duchies of Spoleto and Camerino. Though his father never secured the French kingdom, he did maintain his Italian crown and thus happily divested himself of his responsibilities in Spoleto itself, the hereditary possession of his family. Guy was a capable warrior and leader. He conquered

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

from the eastern Romans and made himself prince there (895). He offered the

regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of his conquered principality to

, the husband of his sister Itta, but Guaimar was captured ''en route'' to Benevento by Adelfer, the

gastald A gastald (Latin ''gastaldus'' or ''castaldus''; Italian ''gastaldo'' or ''guastaldo'') was a Lombard official in charge of some portion of the royal demesne (a gastaldate, ''gastaldia'' or ''castaldia'') with civil, martial, and judicial powers. ...

Avellino Avellino () is a town and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

. Guy had to go down and besiege Avellino to get his release. After reigning in Benevento for a year and eight months, Guy travelled to

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 ...

to meet the Emperor Lambert. He was murdered on the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest List of rivers of Italy, river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where ...

by agents of

Alberic Alberic (french: Albéric; german: Alberich; nl, Alberik, lat, Albericus) is a name closely related to Aubrey. People with the name: People with the mononym * Alberic I, Count of Dammartin (died after 1162) *Alberic II, Count of Dammartin (di ...

, who seized Spoleto and set himself up as duke.

Notes

Sources

* Caravale, Mario (ed). ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: LX Grosso – Guglielmo da Forlì''.

, 2003. * Caravale, Mario (ed). ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: LXI Guglielmo Gonzaga – Javobini''.

, 2003.
''Lexikon des Mittelalters'': Wido IV. Herzog von Spoleto (882/83-897).
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Guy 04 of Spoleto 9th-century dukes of Spoleto Princes of Benevento Lombard warriors Guideschi dynasty Margraves of Italy Assassinated Italian people 9th-century births 897 deaths Year of birth unknown 9th-century Lombard people