RETURN TO CONTENTS PAGE

Revised 27/04/2010

RETURN TO FRANKISH FAMILIES PAGE

SEPTIMANIA

(GOTHIA)

[MERO171] King Clovis I defeated the Visigoths near Poitiers (507), and repelled them to Septimania, an area bordered by the Pyrenees to the west and the Rhone to the east, (but apparently not named after the seven ancient cities of Agde, Beziers, Carcassonne, Elne, Maguelonne, Narbonne and Nimes, see "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", Vol III, Appendix 19, Edward Gibbon). Later, the Saracens seized several of these cities.

The French forces, under King Pepin III the short of the Franks, captured Narbonne from the Ummayad Caliphs of Spain (759), and incorporated Septimania into the Frankish kingdom. (Septimania approximates to latter-day Languedoc.)  ["Langue d'oc" translates as "language of yes"]

According to legend, when Narbonne was originally captured (759), this was done with the assistance of the Jews of that city. As a reward for the Jewish assistance, King Pepin sent a mission to Baghdad to the Abbasid Dynasty Caliph Al-Mansur (757-75), the traditional enemies of the Ummayad Caliphs (see BANU UMMAYAD Tribe). As a result Baghdad sent Davidic Prince Makhir, a magnate and scholar. He arrived in France in 768 (the year in which King Pepin died), where he was made the ruler of the Jewish community in Southern France. He changed his name to Theodore of Narbonne, and was also given the title of March Count of Septimania. The background of Makhir is unclear, but he was presumably of the Jewish Exilarch House of Bostanai, and a relative of [BAB3742] Davidic Prince Solomon who was similarly sent to France (802), at the request of Pepin's son Charlemagne to the Abbasid Dynasty Caliph Harun-al-Rashid (786-809), grandson of Caliph Al-Mansur (see BABYLON EXILARCHS - THIRD DYNASTY). This legend can be neither substantiated not disproved.

FIRST LINE

[SEPT241] Count Thierry IV of Autun m. [PEPI232] Aldane d'Austrasia
. [SEPT252] Duke William I of Aquitaine m2. Orible de Toulouse
. . [SEPT261] March Count Bernard of Septimania m. [GASC243] Dhuoda Sanchez de Gascony
. . . [SEPT271] March Count Bernard II of the Spanish March m2. [SEPX273] Ermengarde
. . . . [SEPA281] Vicomte Ranulfe de Macon m. ?
. . . . [SEPT282] Ava d'Aquitaine m. [AUVX271] Hector d'Auvergne
. . . . [SEPT281] Duke William I of Aquitaine m2. Ermengarde
. . . . . [SEPT292] Lady Ermengarde of Aquitaine m. [PRO3291] Count Rotbald I in Provence
. [SEPT251] Duke William I of Aquitaine m1. [PEPI252] Cunegonde de France
. . [SEPT262] Herbert de Gellone m. ?
. . . [SEPT272] Kunigunde de Gellone m. [ITAL291] King Bernhard of Italy

45.  [SEPT241] Thierry IV, Count of Autun, married [PEPI232] ldane/Aldana (said to be, without proof, a daughter of Charles Marten, see PALACE OF AUSTRASIA). He died c.790.

43-44. [SEPT251] William I le cornet (born c.751-55), deposed Count Chorson to become 2nd Count of Toulouse (790), married 1. [PEPI252] Cunegonde (sister & heiress of Count William I of Razes [the last Merovingian prince], and daughter of King Carloman, see AUSTRASIA (HOUSE OF PEPIN)); then 2.  Orible (daughter of Chorson/Torson, 1st Count of Toulouse [778-790], by --- widow of Thibaut de Orange); then 3. Guitburge (daughter of [SPOD221] Count Lambert of Hornbach, see TREVES COUNTY).

A Muslim, Hisham I, declared a Holy War against the Christians (793). Half his army attacked Asturias in the north and the other half invaded Languedoc, reaching Narbonne. This latter force was met by William, who defeated them. However, when William faced them again at Villedaigne, he was defeated. But his obstinate resistance had so weakened the Muslim forces that their main force retreated to Spain, leaving a garrison behind in Narbonne, which then remained in Muslim control until 803. For his exploits he was known as Saint William. Later, Count William took part in the campaign that took Barcelona from the Muslims.

William founded the monastery at Gellone (804). He retired there as a monk (806), where he eventually died c.812-814.

42. [SEPT261] Bernard the tyrant (born c.795, son of William & Orible), March Count of Septimania (820-), Count of Barcelona (826-32 & 835-44), Count of Toulouse (835-844), married (at Aix-la-Chapelle, 28th June 824) [GASC243] Dhuoda/Duodene Sanchez (daughter of DUKE SANCHO I LOPEZ, see GASCONY DUKEDOM). Dhouda died February 841-42 (and left a diary). In 844 Bernard was deposed and condemned to death for treason on the orders of King Charles II the bald. He was finally beheaded at Toulouse (844). Bernard's honours of Agde, Barcelona, Beziers, Gerona, Melgeuil, Narbonne and Nimes were handed by King Charles to [BARC321] Count Sunifred of Urgel (died 848). However the countship of Toulouse was handed over to his son William (848) by Pepin II d'Aquitaine.

41.  [SEPT271] Bernard II plantevelue (born at Uzes, 841, son of Bernard & Dhuoda) was Lay Abbot of Brioude (857-68), Count of Autun (864), March Count of Septimania (by 868), Count of Auvergne (872-86), March Count of Aquitaine (885-86). He married 1. (849) Ledegarde; then 2. [SEPX273] Ermengarde (presumed daughter of Bernard II d'Auvergne, see later), and was killed in battle (885-86).

40. [SEPT281] William I the pious (born 880, son of Bernard & Ermengarde), Count of Auvergne, of Bordeaux, of Berry, of Macon, of Limousin and of Lyon (886), March Count of Gothie (886), DUKE WILLIAM I OF AQUITAINE (898-917), married 1. [PRO5323] Engelberga (daughter of King Boson of Provence, see PROVENCE KINGDOM); then 2. Ermengarde. He died 6th July 918.

SECOND LINE

[SEPX251] March Count Guerin I of Auvergne m. [ALSX243] Ava de Tours
. [SEPX261] March Count Bernard II vitellus of Septimania m. [TOUL283] Udalgarde de Toulouse
. . [SEPX272] Countess Regilinde or Emme of Agen m. [ANGO281] Count Wulgrin I of Angouleme
. . [SEPX273] Ermengarde m. [SEPT271] March Count Bernard II of the Spanish March

43.  [SEPX251] Guerin I (origin unknown, though there is a slight chance he was a son of [SEPT251] William de Gellone). Guerin, Count of Macon and Chalons, and March Count of Auvergne, married [ALSX243] Ava (daughter of Hugo de Tours, see ALSACE (HOUSE OF REZES) DUKEDOM. He acquired the villa of Cluny (825), and it is noted that this property passed eventually down to Bernard II plantevelue's daughter Ava, thus "confirming" this family descent. Guerin died 853.

42.  [SEPX261] Bernard II le veau and vitellus [the calf], March Count of Septimania, Count of Toulouse and Rouergue, "Master" of Aquitaine, married [TOUL283] Udalgarde (daughter of Count Fredol of Toulouse & Rouergue, see TOULOUSE COUNTY). He was murdered by [SEPT271] Bernard II plantevelue (872).

[It is also suggested Ermengarde could instead have been the daughter of Bernard's father, [SEPX251] Guerin I.

 It is further suggested Ermengarde was of Chalons de Vergy]