Zwentibold
Born	(870-01-01)1 January 870 Babaria, East Francia
Died	13 August 900(900-08-13) (aged 30) Lotharingia
Spouse(s)	oda of Saxony
Children	Godfrey, count of Lorraine Otto de Lorraine(949 death) Benedetta Cecilia Relenda
Parents	Arnulf of Carinthia(father) Vinburga(mother)

Zwentibold (or Zventibold, Swentiboldo, 1 January 870 – 13 August 900) was the illegitimate son of the Carolingian Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia.^[1] In 895, his father, then king of East Francia, granted him the Kingdom of Lotharingia, which he ruled until his death.^[1]After his death he was declared a saint and martyr by the Catholic Church.

Life [edit]

Early life [edit]

Zwentibold was illegitimate son of East Francian emperor Arnulf of Carinthia, his mother Vinburga(d. 18 May 898) was a one of concubine.

Zwentibold intervened in the scramble for the throne in West Francia (France) between Count Odo of Paris and Charles the Simple, but they began to cooperate against Zwentibold, when it became apparent that he intended to become king of West Francia himself. The eldest son of Arnulf was at first marked out for his succession in East Francia. According to the 870 Treaty of Meerssen and the 880 Treaty of Ribemont, the Lotharingian kingdom of former Middle Francia had fallen to the East Frankish realm. When in 893 King Arnulf's wife Ota gave birth to his legitimate son and successor Louis the Child, Zwentibold in compensation received the Lotharingian royal title, which at last had been held by Lothair II.

King of Lotharingia [edit]

In Summer 893 Arnulf, receiving pleas of intervention against [emperor] Wido of Spoleto from pope Formosus and Berengar of Friuli, king of Italy, sent Zwentibold down the Brenner Pass with an army. Joining forces with Berengar in Verona, the two marched to Wido's capital, Pavia, and besieged it unsuccessfully, finally renouncing to the siege: according to Liutprand of Cremona, Zwentibold accepted money from Wido in order to leave, although it is not clear if it was in the form of a personal bribe or a tribute to his father. Zwentibold's retreat was nonetheless seen as a failure, and on hearing the news of the retreat, Arnulf summoned a new army and personally led it to Italy and took Pavia a few months later.

As a part of the plans to integrate Lotharingia into the East Frankish realm, the rule of King Zwentibold was enforced by his father, supported by the archbishops Herman I of Cologne and Ratbod of Trier, against the resistance of the local nobility. As he helped the common population too much, he began to be hated in a few years. He was fighting unruly nobles when his father Arnulf died in 899 and the legitimate son Louis the Child at the age of six became king of East Francia.^[1]

Death [edit]

Zwentibold attempted to take advantage of the succession of his minor half-brother to establish complete independence for his Lotharingian kingdom. However, after he had lost his father's backing, the entire nobility supported Louis and asked him to intervene. In 900, Count Reginar I of Hainault rose against Zwentibold and slew him near present-day Susteren.

After Zwentibold's death, his half-brother King Louis the Child of East Francia also ruled over Lotharingia. However, under his reign the East Frankish realm disintegrated and from 903 Zwentibold's kingdom was administered by the Lahngau Count Gebhard, a scion of the Conradine dynasty, who received the title of a Duke of Lorraine.

Family [edit]

Zwentibold was named after his godfather, King Svatopluk I of Great Moravia (Zwentibold being a Frankish transcription of Svatopluk). In 897, he married Oda, a daughter of Duke Otto I of Saxony. His mortal remains are buried at Susteren Abbey.

• Godfrey, count of Lorraine
• Otto de Lorraine(? – 2 December 949)
• Benedetta (ca. 888 -?), abbey of Susteren
• Cecilia (ca. 889 -?), abbey of Susteren
• Relenda (ca. 900 -?)

Ancestry [edit]

References [edit]

• Collins, Roger (1999). Early Medieval Europe 300–1000, 2nd edition. Palgrave Macmillan
• Annales Fuldenses, sive Annales regni Francorum orientalis, 10th century.
• Liutprand of Cremona, Antapodosis, 10th century

Notes [edit]

v t e Pippinids, Arnulfings, and Carolingians Legend: → ≡ "father of", · ≡ "brother of" Begga, the daughter of Pepin I, married Ansegisel, the son of Arnulf of Metz, and was the mother of Pepin II. Pippinids Carloman → Pepin I → Grimoald I → Childebert the Adopted Arnulfings Arnulf of Metz → Clodulf · Martin · Ansegisel → Pepin II, his sons Drogo, sons Arnulf · Hugh · Godfrey · Pepin Grimoald I, son Theudoald Charles Martel, sons Carloman · Pepin III · Grifo · Bernard · Jerome · Remigius Childebrand, son Nibelung I  → Nibelungids Early Carolingians Sons of Charles Martel Carloman, son Drogo Pepin III, sons Charlemagne, sons Pepin the Hunchback · Charles the Younger · Pepin · Louis the Pious · Lothair · Drogo · Hugh · Theoderic Carloman, son Pepin Pepin Bernard, sons Wala · Adalhard · Bernhar Carolingian Empire Sons of Charlemagne Pepin, son Bernard → Pepin → Counts of Vermandois Louis the Pious, sons Arnulf of Sens Lothair I, sons Louis II → Ermengard → Louis the Blind → Bosonids Lothair II → Hugh Charles Pepin I, son Pepin II Louis the German, sons Carloman → Arnulf → Louis the Child · Ratold · Zwentibold → Godfrey  · Otto Louis the Younger → Louis · Hugh Charles the Fat → Bernard Ratold → Adalbert Charles the Bald, sons Louis the Stammerer → Louis III · Carloman · Charles the Simple Charles the Child Carloman Lothair the Lame · Drogo · Pepin · Charles West Francia West Francia was in the hands of the Robertians from 888 until 898. It was the last Carolingian kingdom. Charles the Simple, sons Louis IV · Arnulf · Drogo · Rorico Louis IV, sons Lothair IV · Charles · Louis · Charles of Lorraine · Henry Lothair IV, sons Louis V · Arnulf Charles of Lorraine, sons Otto · Louis · Charles

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