Akfred I (Earl of Carcassonne)

The early years

Most likely, Akfred I was the second son of the ruler of Carcassonne, Oliba I , who died in 837. However, since Akfred’s father’s name is not called in early medieval historical sources , there are suggestions that he could be Olib’s grandson or nephew ^[2] .

Perhaps around 865, Akfred I and his older brother Oliba II received the county of Rheses , which became the dowry of the wife of Akfred Adelinda, daughter of Count Bernard Plantwell . Not later than 870, Oliba II was endowed with the King of the West Frankish State Charles II Lysy and Carcassonne County , which allowed the brothers to reunite in their hands all the possessions of Oliba I, which their family lost after his death ^[3] . It is assumed that Akfred ruled Razes on behalf of Oliba II, while the main activity of his older brother was the reign of Carcassonne ^[4] .

The first mention of the name of Akfred in contemporary historical sources dates back to September 23, 873, when he, together with Counts Oliba, Vifred Volosaty, and Miro Stary, participated in the consecration of the church in the village of Formigmera , which they built in memory of their common ancestors ^[5] . Around 879, Oliba II died. Probably his sons, Bensio and Akfred , were still underage, so the management of both counties passed to their uncle ^[3] .

Earl of Carcassonne and Raz

The main source of information about the board of Akfred I - a few legal acts of the late IX - early X century, which have come down to our time. These documents report that in 883 and 884, Acfred presided at two court hearings, the first of which was also attended by Bishop of Carcassonne Villerand and Viscount Sickfred ^[6] . It is also known about several donations made by the Earl of Carcassonne to the monasteries in his possession, of which the abbeys of John the Baptist in Montoglio and St. Mary in Lagras were most generously gifted ^[7] .

The documents testify to the possible existence of disagreements between the new monarch of the West Frankish state Ed and Akfred I: in the royal charters given to the Carcassonne abbeys in 888 and 890, the existence of count power is not mentioned at all here, and in the gift act of 889 to the monastery of Saint-Polycarp the ruler of Razes is named a certain Sounier, who is identified with the self-titled Count Ampurias ^[3] . Despite this, like his predecessor, Akfred I the whole reign of Ed continued to be his faithful vassal. The formal act of recognizing the legality of the transfer of power from the Carolingians to the Robertins was the minting of coins containing the royal monogram of Ed. Made around the year 890, they were the first coins minted in Carcassonne since the city joined the Frankish state in the 8th century ^[8] . Also, the documents given at that time in Carcassonne County are dated from the reign of King Ed. About the relationship of Akfred I with King Charles III the Simple , who ascended the throne in 898, nothing is known due to the lack of information in extant historical sources ^[7] .

During his reign, Akfred I maintained friendly relations with the rulers of the counties of future Catalonia and patronized the local diocese of Elna ^[3] . At the same time, it is known about his tense relations with the ruler of Toulouse, Ed , who claimed suzerainty over the possessions of Akfred. Ed may have managed to force the Earl of Carcassonne to admit his dependence on Toulouse, but his attempts to take control of the wealthy Carcassonne abbeys ended unsuccessfully ^[9] .

It is assumed that Akfred I died in 906, since on February 19 of this year a document was dated on the execution of the widow of the deceased count the conditions of his will ^[6] . The new ruler of Carcassonne was the senior nephew of the deceased count, Bensio ^[2] .

Family

Wife: Adelinda (died no earlier than 927), daughter of Count Bernard Plantwell and Irmengard of Auvergne. Children from this marriage were ^[1] :

• Guillaume II Young (died December 26, 926) - Duke of Aquitaine (918–926)
• Akfred (died 927) - Duke of Aquitaine (926–927)
• Bernard III (died 932) - Count of Auvergne in 927.

• Débax H., Pontiès F. Saint Hilaire, saint Saturnin et Roger. Un réseau guilhelmide dans le comté de Carcassonne au X ^e siècle . (fr.)
• Débax H. Les comtés de Carcassonne et de Razès et leurs marges (IX ^e —XII ^e siècles) . (fr.)
• Histoire Générale de Languedoc . - Toulouse: Édouard Privat, Libraire-Éditeur, 1875 .-- T. II. - 908 p.
• Lewis AR The Development of Soutern French and Catalan Society, 750-1050. Chapter 7 . (eng.)
• Mémoires de la Société des arts et des sciences de Carcassonne . - Carcassonne: L. Pomiés, Imprimeur de Las Société, 1856. - T. II. - P. 139-141.

• Toulouse nobility Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Date of treatment October 11, 2014. Archived on April 5, 2012.
• Aquitaine dukes . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Date of treatment October 11, 2014. Archived February 29, 2012.
• Acfred I Enciclopèdia Catalana. Date of treatment October 11, 2014. Archived September 3, 2012.