Rozala of Italy (also known as Rozala of Lombardy, Rozala of Ivrea or Susanna of Ivrea; –1003) was countess consort of Flanders by marriage to

Arnulf II of Flanders Arnulf II (960 or 961 – 30 March 987) was Count of Flanders from 965 until his death. Life He was the son of Baldwin III of Flanders and Mathilde Billung of Saxony, daughter of Hermann Billung, Herman, Duke of Saxony.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Euro ...

, and queen of the Franks by marriage to

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 ...

. She was regent of Flanders in 987-988 during the minority of her son

Baldwin IV of Flanders Baldwin IV (980 – 30 May 1035), called the Bearded, was the count of Flanders from 987 until his death. Baldwin IV was the son of Count Arnulf II of Flanders (c. 961 — 987) and Rozala of Italy (950/60 – 1003), of the House of Ivrea.Detlev Sc ...

Biography

Rozala (Susanna), born sometime between 950 and 960, was the daughter of King Berengar of Ivrea, King of Italy (c. 900 – 966).Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 5 Her mother was

Willa of Tuscany Willa, known as ''Willa of Tuscany'' (911/912–970), was a medieval noblewoman. By birth, she was a member of the Bosonid noble dynasty. By marriage to Berengar II of Italy she was Countess of Ivrea from 930 to 963, and queen consort of Italy fro ...

, the daughter of

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 i ...

and his wife Willa. In 976, she married

Arnulf II, Count of Flanders Arnulf II (960 or 961 – 30 March 987) was Count of Flanders from 965 until his death. Life He was the son of Baldwin III of Flanders and Mathilde Billung of Saxony, daughter of Herman, Duke of Saxony.Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammta ...

(d. 987). On her husband's death in 987, she became as regent for her young son. She lost the regency the following year, when she married again. Flanders were under threat from France, and to avoid this threat, she arranged a marriage with the son of the king of France. Upon marriage, her regency was turned over to her mother-in-law, her son's paternal grandmother

Matilda of Saxony, countess of Flanders Matilda of Saxony (c. 935-942 – 25 May 1008) was a Saxon aristocrat who became county of Flanders, countess of Flanders by marriage to Baldwin III, Count of Flanders. Life Matilda was the daughter of Hermann Billung. She first married Baldwin ...

. On , she married secondly the much younger

Robert the Pious 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 h ...

(972–1031), the ''Rex Filius'' of France; the marriage had been arranged by his father

Hugh Capet Hugh Capet (; french: Hugues Capet ; c. 939 – 14 October 996) was the King of the Franks from 987 to 996. He is the founder and first king from the House of Capet. The son of the powerful duke Hugh the Great and his wife Hedwige of Saxony, ...

. According to disputed account, she brought her husband Montreuil and

Ponthieu Ponthieu (, ) was one of six feudal counties that eventually merged to become part of the Province of Picardy, in northern France.Dunbabin.France in the Making. Ch.4. The Principalities 888-987 Its chief town is Abbeville. History Ponthieu play ...

as a dowry, others assert that she was bequeathed her right to that territory. Upon her marriage, she took the name of ''Susannah'', and was the queen consort of the co-ruling king Robert, under senior King Hugh. From 991/992, the couple lived basically separated, because they did not have a good relationship, and because Rozala had become too old (c. 38) to have more children. When her father-in-law died in 996, Robert repudiated her completely, desiring to marry

Bertha of Burgundy Bertha of Burgundy (964 – 16 January 1010) was Queen of the Franks as the second wife of King Robert II. Bertha was the daughter of King Conrad of BurgundyStefan Weinfurter, ''The Salian Century: Main Currents in an Age of Transition'', transl ...

in her place.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 11 That marriage was not lawful because of too close kinship so Robert married a third time 1003 with

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� ...

who bore him seven children. Rozala retired back to Flanders, where she died and was buried. Robert retained control of her "dowry", or the rights to the mentioned territory.

Marriages

Rozala was firstly (976–987) married to

. They had the following children: *

Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders Baldwin IV (980 – 30 May 1035), called the Bearded, was the count of Flanders from 987 until his death. Baldwin IV was the son of Count Arnulf II of Flanders (c. 961 — 987) and Rozala of Italy (950/60 – 1003), of the House of Ivrea.Detlev Sc ...

(980–1035) * Mathilda (d. 995). The second marriage (988–996) with

did not produce any children.

Notes

References

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rozala of Italy 10th-century births 1003 deaths Year of birth uncertain Anscarids House of Flanders House of Capet Frankish queens consort Repudiated queens Countesses of Flanders 10th-century women rulers 10th-century French people 10th-century French women 11th-century French people 11th-century French women Daughters of kings