Isembard (also spelled Isembart or Isembert) was a Burgundian nobleman and count of Autun. According to the '' Annales Fontanellenses'', his father was Warin of Provence. Janet L. Nelson, ''Charles the Bald'' (London: Longman, 1992), 161 n. 4. In 850, Isembard and Count Aledramn of Barcelona were sent by King

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, 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 series of civil wars during t ...

to subdue the rebellious Margrave

William of Septimania William of Septimania (29 November 826 – 850) was the son of Bernard and Dhuoda. He was the count of Toulouse from 844 and count of Barcelona from 848. The sources for his life are primarily the ''Annales Bertiniani'' and the '' Chronica ...

. They were both captured through a ruse. On 21 March 858, at the synod of Quierzy, Isembard was one of the lay magnates who swore fidelity to King Charles. He was thus probably one of the "leading men of Burgundy" whom the ''

Annales Bertiniani ''Annales Bertiniani'' (''Annals of Saint Bertin'') are late Carolingian, Frankish annals that were found in the Abbey of Saint Bertin, Saint-Omer, France, after which they are named. Their account is taken to cover the period 830-82, thus con ...

'' record as joined Charles at Brienne and

Chalon Chalon may refer to: Culture *Chalon people, a Native American tribe of California *Chalon language, an Ohlone language spoken by the Chalon people Places *Chalon, Isère, formerly Châlons, in France's Isère ''département'' *Le Chalon, in th ...

that November, when he and

Louis the German Louis the German (German language, German: ''Ludwig der Deutsche''; c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany (German language, German: ''Ludwig II. von Deutschland''), was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 8 ...

almost came to battle. On 20 June 859, Isembard (or possibly his son), described as a ''fidelis'' (loyal follower) in the charter, received a ''

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

'' in the Narbonnais from the king, to be held in perpetuity (''in proprium aeternaliter'') as an

allod Allod, deriving from Frankish language, Frankish ''alōd'' meaning "full ownership" (from ''al'' "full, whole" and ''ōd'' "property, possession"; Medieval Latin ''allod'' or ''allodium''), also known as allodial land or proprietary property, was ...

.Nelson, ''Annals of St-Bertin'', 88 n. 15.

Archibald R. Lewis Archibald Ross Lewis (August 25, 1914 – February 4, 1990) was an American historian, World War II Veteran, professor, and author. He wrote 14 books, and more than 100 articles. As a professor he taught at the University of South Carolina, Univer ...

, ''The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050'' (University of Texas Press, 1965), 115, 119, 162. This royal grant was made at the instigation of

Humfrid Humfrid was the count of Barcelona, Girona, Empúries, Roussillon, and Narbonne from 858 to 864. He also bore the title margrave of Gothia (''Gothiæ marchio''), as he held several frontier counties.The source for his famous title is the ''Annales ...

, the

margrave of Gothia The title Prince of Gothia (''princeps Gothiæ'') or Prince of the Goths (''princeps Gothorum'') was a title of nobility, sometimes assumed by its holder as a sign of supremacy in the region of Gothia and sometimes bestowed by the sovereign of We ...

. In 864, Isembard (or possibly his son again) was a royal '' missus'' and the viscount of

Narbonne Narbonne ( , , ; ; ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was ...

. The appointment of a royal ''fidelis'' to the office of viscount demonstrates that at this stage in Charles's reign, the king still coveted influence at the local level even in the far south of his realm.

Notes

{{Reflist Counts of Autun