- Bernat of Gothia, Count of Barcelona
Bernard II (in Catalan, "Bernat de Gothia" and in Spanish, "Bernardo de Gothia") was the
Count of Barcelona , Girona andMargrave of Gothia andSeptimania from 865 to 878.Origins
Bernard was the son of Bernard I,
count of Poitou (814-844), and Bilichilde, daughter of Rorgon I,count of Maine . He was the paternal cousin ofEmeno ,Count of Angoulême (839-863), who died fighting theVikings . On his mother's side he was a nephew ofRorgon II of Maine and of the royalChancellor Gauzlin,Abbot ofSaint-Germain-des-Prés .End of Rebellion
Bernard was loyal to Charles the Bald in the civil war that erupted in 851. After the flight of
Humfrid in 864 and the death of the other rebels, kingCharles the Bald redistributed the Counties and Marches ofSpain andLanguedoc . In 864, Bernard was installed in the Counties of Auvergne andAutun in centralFrance after Bernard Plantapilosa (son ofBernard of Septimania ) was dispossessed of them for rebellion. At that timeAuxerre andNevers were given toRobert the Strong who also received Autun in 865. In 865,Toulouse , Limousin,Pallars , and Ribagorza were entrusted to Bernard, whose father Raymond had been dispossessed by Humfrid three years before. Ermengol, count ofAlbi receivedRouergue , Oliba receivedCarcassonne and probablyRazès .The King however redistributed the Counties of Auvergne and Autun from Bernard of Gothia and gave him instead the more strategically important Counties of Barcelona,
Ausona ,Roussillon ,Narbonne ,Agde ,Béziers ,Melgueil , andNîmes .The young King
Charles the Child , son Charles the Bald and thus grandson ofLouis the Pious , died29 September 866 creating a crisi of succession inAquitaine . There were many vacancies to be filled in Aquitaine: Ranulph of Poitou, Landri ofSaintonge , Emeno ofPérigord and Angoulême,Bishop Ralph ofBourges , and Bernard of Auvergne were all either dead or had rebelled.Government Reforms
Wulgrin, a relative of Charles the Bald was given the Counties of Angoulême, Périgord,
Agen , and Saintogne, while other family members received their own newly-vacated lands: Wullfadus was namedBishop of Bourges , Effroi (who had been a rebel from 862 to 864, but was now loyal to the king) was made Count of Poitou (he however died very soon afterwards. The nominal independence of the Aquitainian kingdom was restored with the proclamation of Charles' sonLouis the Stammerer as King, although real power was retained by a Council of Nobles loyal to Charles. Upon the death of Effroi of Poitiers, the County was given to Bernard of Gothia. At this time, the County of Autun, whose Countship had been vacant since the death of Robert the Strong, was returned to Bernard Plantapilosa who had been reconciled to the king. Auvergne was given to Gari.Towards 869, Saloman, count of
Urgel ,Cerdanya , andConflent , died and within the year so hadOtger , Count ofGerona andBesalú . In 870, the King assigned Otger's counties to the County of Barcelona (and hence Bernard of Gothia). Saloman's titles were given toWilfred the Hairy , eldest son ofSunifred I . The County of Conflent was given to the second son of Sunifred,Miró the Old (the other three sons of Sunifred; Radulf, Sunifred, and Riculf however were not given any titles).In 872, Charles the Bald gave the Government of Aquitaine to his son-in-law Boso, Count of
Lyon andVienne , and showered him with titles and territories: the County ofBerry , Royal Chamberlain, and "Magister Ostiariorum". However, Bernard of Gothia and Bernard of Plantapilosa were asked to assist in the government of the Empire. The County of Auvergne was also given to Plantapilosa.Bernard of Toulouse, was compensated for not being given greater power, by being granted the lands of his enemy Oliba II in Carcassonne and Razès. Shortly after however Bernard was assassinated by a vassal of (Oliba's former ally) Bernard of Plantapilosa, in August 872. Oliba II was restored to his old possessions and Plantapilos was given Toulouse and Limousin, but Pallars and Ribagorza escaped his control.
876 Reforms
In 876 Charles the Bald reformed his government in the south of the kingdom again. He placed
Provence andItaly under the command of Boso and gave the County of Berry to Bernard of Gothia. A year later, Count Ekhard, who had many lands inMâcon andChaunois , died and his domains were also added to those of Boso, who had Provence taken away but retained Italy and his own counties. Autun was given for the second time to Bernard. OnOctober 8 876 Bernard Plantapilosa was captured byLouis the Younger , king of Saxony, at theBattle of Andernach and was as a result not given any new lands.Bishop Wullfadus died on
April 1 876 andFrotario was named his successor by Charles. However Bernard opposed the elevation of the new bishop, who would have been a counterweight to the immense power and holdings which Bernard had attained. He did not take arms directly against the King, but sought to oppose the King's directions.877 Rebellion
877 finally saw an open rebellion with Boso, Hugh the Abbot, Bernard Plantapilosa, and Bernard of Gothia all taking up arms against the King. King Charles however died on
October 6 877 in the middle of the rebellion. The death of the king did not stop the conflict. They fought Charles' appointed successor, Louis formerly King of Aquitain were he had been their overlord.Hincmar ,Archbishop of Rheims , subdued Boso, Plantapilosa, and Hugh, leaving Bernard, his brother Emeno, uncle Abbot Gauzlin ofSaint Denis , and other uncle CountGosfrid ofMaine to fight alone.Louis was crowned on
December 8 877.Pope John VIII invoked the Council ofTroyes to condemn the rebels for their actions against Bishop Frotario and for the taking of ecclesiastic property.On
September 11 878 , Louis dispossessed Bernard of his honours. Theodoric, his Chamberlain, was given Autun; Plantapilosa received Berry and Septimania; Wilfred the Hairy received Urgel, Cerdanya, Barcelona, Ausona, Gerona, and Besalú; and Miró the Old received Roussillon.Bernard continued to resist in Autun until 879 after which he died.
-
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.