Berthold ( 900 – 23 November 947), of the Luitpolding dynasty, was the younger son of Margrave Luitpold of Bavaria and Cunigunda, sister of Duke Erchanger of Swabia. He followed his nephew

Eberhard Eberhard is an old Germanic name meaning the strength or courage of a wild boar. People First name *Eberhard of Friuli (815–866), Duke and key figure in the Carolingian Empire *Eberhard of Béthune (died 1212), Flemish grammarian *Eberhard I, Du ...

Duke of Bavaria The following is a list of monarchs during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1918, Bavaria has been under a republican form of government, and from 19 ...

in 938. It is known that Berthold was a count in the

March of Carinthia March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 ...

in 926 while his elder brother Arnulf the Bad was Bavarian duke. In 927 German King

Henry the Fowler Henry the Fowler ( or '; ; – 2 July 936) was the duke of Saxony from 912 and the king of East Francia from 919 until his death in 936. As the first non- Frankish king of East Francia, he established the Ottonian dynasty of kings and emper ...

vested him with ducal rights in Carinthia. When in 938, Arnulf's son and successor Eberhard tried to retain the autonomous status of the Bavarian duchy, he was removed and banished by King Otto I the Great, who appointed Berthold in his place. Unlike the powerful late duke Arnulf, Berthold was not given the right to appoint bishops or administer royal property, but he remained loyal to the

Ottonian dynasty The Ottonian dynasty () was a Saxons, Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman emperors, especially Otto the Great. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin in the German ...

throughout his reign. He even planned to marry Otto's sister Gerberga, widow of Duke Gilbert of Lorraine, and later Hedwige, another sister, but these plans fell through. Instead he married Biltrude, a Bavarian noblewoman, about 939. In 943, he dealt defeat to the

Magyars Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common culture, language and history. They also have a notable presence in former parts of the Kingdom of Hungary. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...

at the battle of Wels (12 August) and staved off their attacks for a while, as Arnulf had done before him. With Berthold's accession to the throne, Bavaria and the Carinthian march were once again united. After his death in 947, however, King Otto I the Great did not enfeoff Berthold's minor son Henry the Younger with his duchy, but instead gave it to his own brother Henry I, who had married Arnulf's daughter

Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic Church, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Christian Old Testament of the Bible but Development of the Hebrew Bible canon, excluded from the ...

. In 976 Henry the Younger received the severed

Duchy of Carinthia The Duchy of Carinthia (; ; ) was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, and was the first newly created Imperial State after the original German stem duchies. Car ...

in compensation. Duke Berthold is buried at

Niederaltaich Abbey Niederaltaich Abbey (Abtei or Kloster Niederaltaich) is a house of the Benedictine Order founded in 741, situated in the village of Niederalteich on the Danube in Bavaria. Foundation and early history After its foundation in 741 by Duke Odilo, D ...

References

Sources

* 900s births 947 deaths Year of birth uncertain 10th-century dukes of Bavaria Luitpoldings {{Germany-duke-stub