Boso of Provence

Boso was a Frankish nobleman from the Bosonid-family, who was related to the Carolingian dynasty, [His mother's father, Boso, provided a daughter, Tetburgis/Teutberga, Boso's aunt, to be wife of Lothair II. (Constance B. Bouchard, "The Bosonids or Rising to Power in the Late Carolingian Age" "French Historical Studies" 15.3 (Spring 1988, pp. 407-431) genealogical table, p.409..] who rose to become King of Provence (879 – 887).

Boso was the son of Bivin of Gorze, a count in Lotharingia. His aunt Theutberga was the wife of king Lothair II of Lotharingia. Boso was also a nephew of the Italian count Boso, for whom he was named, and of Hucbert, lay abbot of Saint Maurice d’Agaune, to which he succeeded as lay abbot in 869.

ervice of Charles the Bald

In 870, Charles the Bald, King of West Francia, married Boso's sister Richilde. This marriage paved the way for Boso's career in the service of his royal brother-in-law. In the same year, Boso was appointed Count of Lyon and Vienne, replacing Gerard of Roussillon.

In 872, Charles appointed him chamberlain and "magister ostiariorum" (master of porters) to his heir Louis the Stammerer. Boso likewise received investiture as Count of Bourges. Louis was reigning as a subordinate king of Aquitaine, but because of his youth, it was Boso who looked after the administration of that realm.

In the autumn of 875, Boso accompanied Charles on his first Italian campaign and at the diet of Pavia in February 876 he was appointed arch-minister and "missus dominicus" for Italy and elevated to the rank of duke. He was probably also charged with the administration of Provence. He acted as a viceroy and increased his prestige even more by marrying Ermengard, the only daughter of the Emperor Louis II.

Out of favour

Boso disapproved of Charles' second Italian campaign in 877 and conspired with other like-minded nobles against his king. After Charles's death in October, these nobles forced Charles's son to confirm their rights and privileges.

Boso also formed close relations to the Papacy and accompanied Pope John VIII in September 878 to Troyes, where the Pope asked King Louis for his support in Italy. The Pope adopted Boso as his son and probably offered to crown Louis emperor. It is said that he wanted to crown Boso emperor. [Caravale, Mario (ed). "Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: LXI Guglielmo Gonzaga – Jacobini". Rome, 2003.]

Independent rule

In April 879, Louis died, leaving behind two adult sons, Louis and Carloman. Boso joined with other western Frankish nobles and advocated making Louis III of France the sole heir of the western kingdom, but eventually both brothers were elected kings. Boso, however, renounced allegiance to both brothers and in July claimed independence by using the style "Dei gratia id quod sum": by the Grace of God, that is what I am. He also claimed that his imperial father-in-law had named him as his heir. On 15 October 879, the bishops and nobles of the region around the rivers Rhône and Saône assembled in the Synod of Mantaille elected Boso king as successor to Louis the Stammerer, the first non-Carolingian king in Western Europe in more than a century. [Constance B. Bouchard, "The Bosonids or Rising to Power in the Late Carolingian Age" "French Historical Studies" 15.3 (Spring 1988), pp. 407-431.] . This event marks the first occurrence of a "free election" among the Franks, without regard to royal descent, inspired by a canonical principle (but not constant practice) of ecclesiastical elections.

Boso's realm, usually called the Kingdom of Provence, comprised the ecclesiastical provinces of the archbishops of Arles, Aix, Vienne, Lyon (without Langres), and probably Besançon, as well as the dioceses of Tarentaise, Uzès, and Viviers.

After Louis and Carloman had divided their father's realm at Amiens in March 880, the two brothers joined to march against Boso. They took Mâcon and the northern parts of Boso's realm. Then uniting their forces with those of Charles the Fat, they unsuccessfully besieged Vienne from August to November.

In August 882, Boso was again besieged at Vienne by his relative, Richard, Count of Autun, who took the city in September. After this, Boso could not regain most of his realm and was restricted to the vicinity of Vienne.

He died in 887 and was succeeded by his son Louis the Blind. Boso was the progenitor of three successful lineages, called the "Bosonids" by modern historians. Through his marriage to Ermengard he also had two daughters: Ermengard (c.877-917), who married Manasses, Count of Chalon, and Ethelberga, who married first Carloman and then William the Pious, Count of Auvergne. [Riché, "Les Carolingiens: Une famille qui fit l'Europe", genealogical table XII (Bosonides).]

It is possible (though not certain) that the famous Guilla of Provence, queen of Upper Burgundy, was his daughter, then presumably by an earlier wife than Ermengarde.

Notes

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
before=Louis the Stammerer
title=King of Lower Burgundy
years=879–887
after=Louis the Blind