Person:Arduin of Ivrea (1)

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Arduin (; – 14 December 1015) was an Italian nobleman who was King of Italy from 1002 until 1014.

In 990 Arduin became Margrave of Ivrea and in 991 Count of the Sacred Palace of the Lateran in Rome. In 1002, after the death of Emperor Otto III, the Italian nobles elected him King of Italy in the Basilica of San Michele Maggiore in Pavia, making him the first non-German on the Italian throne in 41 years. Arduin was considered the choice of the nobility and opposed by the episcopate, but he was initially supported by the Archbishop of Milan.

In Germany, however, Henry II was elected to succeed Otto, and he contested Arduin's election in Italy. In 1004, Henry invaded Italy, defeated Arduin and was crowned king in Pavia. He soon withdrew back to Germany, and Arduin was able to reassert his authority at least in the northwest of Italy for the next decade. Henry II invaded Italy again in 1014 and was proclaimed Emperor in Rome, at which point Arduin was finally forced to relinquish his crown. He died soon after at the Abbey of Fruttuaria, ending the independence of the Kingdom of Italy from Germany.

The study of Arduin's reign has been bedeviled by the many forged diplomas in his name. These caused older scholarship to overrate his importance after Henry's first expedition in 1004, but it is now clear that Arduin's sphere of influence was restricted to a small part of Italy after that. He did, however, have continuing support in Pavia.

Disputed Lineages

Different wikipedia pages offer competing theories on the identity of the Berta/Bertha who Arduin married.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Arduin of Ivrea, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.