Berenguer the Wise
Berengar, called
the Wise (known in
French as
Bérenger le Sage and in both
Catalan and
Spanish as
Berenguer de Tolosa) was
count (or duke) of Toulouse (
814-
835) and
duke (or
margrave) of
Septimania (
832-
835) as well as
count of Barcelona [
1]. He was the son of Margrave
Unroch II of Friuli and Ingeltrude of
Paris and brother of Margrave
Eberhard of Friuli, and thus uncle of the
Berengar of Friuli,
Holy Roman Emperor[
2][
3]. Their dynasty is known as the
Unrochides or
Hunrochides in French and the
Unruochingers in
German.
In
814,
Louis the Pious installed Berengar in
Toulouse to replace
Raymond Raphinel,
Charlemagne's appointee.
He was a councillor of
Pepin I of Aquitaine in
816. In November
831, Pepin of Aquitaine revolted against his father, Louis the Pious. Berengar advised him not to rebel, but
Bernard of Septimania incited him to revolt. In the beginning of
832, Louis the Pious began campaigning against his rebellious son. Berengar, loyal to the
Emperor, penetrated the domains of Bernard, taking
Roussillon (with
Vallespir),
Razès, and
Conflent. On
February 2,
832, Berengar was already in
Elna. Finally, in
autumn of the same year, successive victories by the imperial forces compelled Pepin and Bernard to appear before the Emperor (October) to plea for peace. Pepin was dispossessed of his kingdom and sent, a prisoner, to
Trier, conceding his territories to
Charles the Bald, yougest son of the Emperor. Bernard was accused of infidelity and dispossessed of all his lands in
Septimania and
Gothia. They were delivered to Berengar of Toulouse. Probably
Gaucelm was also dispossessed of his counties, but for a time preserved the
county of Ampurias in his name (he lost it to Berengar later). In the year
833, by the mediation of the abbot Angenís of
Fontanelle, he resigned and departed toward the properties of his family in
Burgundy, together with his staunch lieutenant
Sanila. Gaucelm and Sanila were executed for having defended
Chalon-sur-Saône against the assault of
Lothair I in
834 (even his sister, a
nun, Gerberga, was executed).
In
833,
Aznar I Galíndez, count of
Urgel and
Cerdanya, usurped the counties of
Pallars and
Ribagorza, from under Berengar's rule.
In
834, when Lothair was defeated, Bernard, having fought on the side of Pepin, reclaimed his old domains as the price of his support and the price his follower's had paid in blood. He received them and Berengar was weakened.
Aznar I Galíndez was deposed as count of Pallars, Ribagorza, Urgel, and Cerdanya and his counties were granted to
Sunifred of Carcassonne, son of
Bello of Carcassonne, and brother of
Oliba of Carcassonne. Sunifred took Cerdanya easily but Aznar resisted in Urgel (until
838), Pallars (until c.
843), and Ribagorza (until c.
844). The counties of Ampurias and Roussillon were granted to the brothers
Sunyer and
Alaric, of unknow orign, but perhaps also from the ruling dynasty of
Carcassonne.
Thus, Berengar's
Pyrenean lands were confiscated unlawfully and redistributed to others by the imperial authority, his
Catalonian grants were regranted to his old enemy, and he was left with nothing but Toulouse after fighting loyally for the old emperor and the successful Pepin. In June
835, Bernard and Berengar were summoned to an Assembly at
Cremieux, near
Lyon, where a decision would be made about the distribution of lands in Septimania and Gothia, but during the trip Berengar died unexpectedly. Now without obstacle, the Emperor gave the counties of the regions to Bernard and Toulouse to one
Warin.
