Gerard II (Count of Paris)

Board

During the life of Emperor Louis I the Pious, Gerard II was the Count of Paris. In 834, he was one of the initiators of the reconciliation of the emperor Louis with his sons . In 837/838 , he took the oath of allegiance to the emperor's youngest son, Karl Lysy .

But after the death of Louis I, Gerard went over to the side of his eldest son, the new emperor Lothar I , since he and Lothar were married to sisters. After the defeat of Lothar at the battle of Fontenoy, Gerard lost Paris, but retained possession in Avallonois and Lazua. Lothar made Gerard his palatine , and in 844 - the duke of Lyon and Vienne.

After the death of Lothar in 855, Gerard II became the guardian and de facto ruler of the kingdom of Provence under the young king Charles , son of Lothar.

In 859, Gerard II entered into an agreement with Karl’s brother, Lothar II , king of Lorraine , according to which Karl recognized Lothar as his heir. In the same year, Gerard founded the monastery of Vezle . To guarantee the independence of the monastery, Gerard transferred it under the protection of the papal throne. Pope Nicholas I accepted this gift.

In 860, Gerard II defeated the Normans , who climbed the Rhone . In the fall of 861, Gerard defended the kingdom from Karl Lysy when he undertook a campaign against Macon .

After the death of Charles in 863, Emperor Louis II was the first to arrive in Provence, ahead of Lothar II, who could not force his brother to fulfill the 859 agreement. However, on April 30, 863, Gerard entered into an agreement with Lothar at Mantel Castle, according to which he becomes his first adviser and subordinates the counties of Lyon, Vienne and Vivare, which are part of the Duchy of Lyon.

In 866, Gerard II came into conflict with Karl Lysy because of the county of Bourges , since Karl gave preference to Count Akfred ^[1] . At the beginning of 868, Karl Lysy confirmed the transfer of the Vezle monastery to the papal throne, but soon the people of Gerard killed Count Akfred. After that, the struggle between Karl and Gerard began in Berry, Auxerre and Avalon, but the information on the results is rather contradictory: some sources speak of Karl’s victory, others - of his defeat. But after the death of Lothar in 869, Gerard lost his position, he lost his possessions and took refuge in Vienne.

On August 8, 870, Karl Lysy and Louis II of Germany agreed in Mersen on the division of the state of Lothar II. Gerard did not recognize this treaty and rebelled against Karl Lysy. Karl Lysy supported the archbishops of Lyon Remigius I and Vienne Adon in December besieged Vienne. After months of siege, Gerard was forced to capitulate. Karl included Vienne and Lyon in his kingdom, and in 871 transferred them to his brother-in-law Boson .

Gerard II and his wife Berta moved either to Avignon or Vezla, where they died - Berta in 873 , and Gerard in 878/879 .

Marriage and children

Wife: from approx. 819 - Berta (died 873), daughter of Count Tours and Bourges Hugo III the Fearful

• Terry (died 845)
• Ava

Gerard served as a prototype for the hero of the epic Gerard of Roussillon , part of the Carolingian cycle .

• Hlawitschka, Eduard: Die Anfänge des Hauses Habsburg-Lothringen. Genealogische Studien zur Geschichte Lothringens und des Reiches im 9., 10. und 11. Jahrhundert, Saarbrücken 1969, Seite 165,167,171

• Mittelalterliche Genealogie im Deutschen Reich bis zum Ende der Staufer: Gerhard II. Graf von paris
• Histoire du Royaume de Bourgogne Cisjurane ou de Provence