The Bernardians: from Milan to the World TL

[Mario]

BACKGROUND
​

Bernard of Italy was born in 797, in Picardy. He was the only son (though illegitimate) of Pepin, one of the sons of Charlemagne, then King of the Franks and later Holy Roman Emperor.

As Pepin was supposed to inherit Italy, among other territories, when he died after an illness contracted at the siege of Venice, Charlemagne recognized his grandson Bernard the right to be crowned as King of the Lombards.

His early years of King were peaceful, under the overlordship of his grandfather and the strong influence of the Archbishops of Milan. In 814, Charlemagne died and Bernard’s uncle, Louis the Pious, was crowned new Emperor. Bernard renewed his vassalage and remained cooperative with the policies of his uncle.

He later married Cunigunda of Laon and they were waiting for their first child, Pepin, in 817 when an unexpected tragedy shocked the whole Empire: an accident caused by the collapse of the wooden gallery which connected the Cathedral and the Palace of Aachen had killed the Emperor, his wife and many other people from the Imperial court.

Emperor Louis the Pious, who died in accident in April 817.

Bernard quickly travelled to Aachen and attended the funeral ceremonies for his deceased uncle. There he met his three cousins: Lothair, Pepin and the young Louis, the sons of Louis the Pious and legitimate heirs of his Empire.

It was obvious for everybody that the new situation put Bernard under the risk of being stripped of his royal rights in Italy, favoring one of his cousins. However, he quickly learnt how to exploit the rivalry between Lothair and his younger brothers, supporting the first against the later.

As Louis the Pious had no chance of writing a testament which could set the repartition of the Empire among his heirs, Lothair, the eldest son, tried to impose his will to his younger brothers: he would inherit the main bulk of the Empire, as well as the title of Emperor; Pepin, who was already King of Aquitaine, will receive that territory and Louis, who was only 13 y.o., would remain as King of Bavaria under the immediate supervision of Lothair. Bernard would continue as King of the Lombards, under Lothair’s overlordship.

Neither Pepin nor Louis, who was heavily influenced by the half-brothers of his father, Hugo and Drogo, accepted this division; thus, the tensions escalated very soon. Bernard returned to Italy after promising his support to Lothair and decided to establish his court permanently in the city Milan, as he considered it would be a safer place in case of invasion of one of the rivals of Lothair.

As expected, the negotiations failed and the first clashes between the forces of the sons of Louis the Pious started in the summer of 818…

 

[Yanez de Gomera]

I am not much knowledgeable on this time period, but I'll follow this with interest: Italy-focused TLs easily catch my attention.

The only tging is that I think that at this moment Pavia had a somewhat more important symbolic role as capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Naturally Milan was already a much more important city, vut it was also always jealous of its municipal and ecclesiastical prerogatives, which might lead to interesting tensions further down the line.

 

[LordKalvan]

Interesting POD: I always thought that Louis had a lot of responsibility in the ultimate failure of the Carolingian empire, and having the heirs ducking it out a generation earlier, and when the empire is still strong, may be beneficial in the long term.
I suppose this will later tie in with your goal of an Italy plus Middle Francia, which is an idea I'm looking forward to be implemented.
However I do agree with @Yanez de Gomera : the capital of the kingdom of Italy would be in Pavia

 

[Mario]

However I do agree with @Yanez de Gomera : the capital of the kingdom of Italy would be in Pavia

Thanks to both of you for the positive comments

Regarding the issue with Pavia: I did some research about this because a user in a different forum about history, who has more knowledge than me about this era, told me about the unsuitable choice of Pavia as the capital of an entity expanding outside Italy.

After the Frankish conquest, Pavia lost most of its Lombardic fortifications (as many other northern Italian cities) because the Franks wanted to ensure that Northern Italy would be always accessible to their forces and no one would try to revolt and use the old fortifications for resisting the Frankish troops.
IOTL Bernard, when heard that his uncle Louis was marching towards Pavia, tried to stop his advance in Burgundy (Chalons) because he was sure he and his men could not resist a later siege in Pavia.

Another problem with Pavia is that it was a city too symbolically tied to the Kingdom of the Lombards. But Bernard wanted (IOTL and ITTL) to expand his power to other parts of Francia, as he was indeed a grandson of Charlemagne. Picking another capital city, symbolically breaks with the notion of only being the lord of the Lombards.

Moreover, Milan offered the advantage of having a strong Archbishopric (IOTL the Archbishop of Milan supported Bernard's rebellion), often rivaling with Rome.

 

[LordKalvan]

All good points: I am convinced (and I did some checking too).
Pavia position was significantly reduced under Charlemagne, and Milan benefited from this. The Carolingian mint was established in Milan itself, and the bishopric of Coira (in Switzerland) was put under the authority of the archbishop of Milan (this would have a lot of impact to promote Milanese trading in future centuries).
Incidentally, the Ambrosian rite (which was adopted in all the territories under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Milan) was slightly different from the Roman one, and the Milanese bishops were looking forward to become the highest ecclesiastical authority in western North Italy.

 

[Mario]

CHAPTER 1: THE FIRST CIVIL WAR AND THE FOUR KINGDOMS.​

During the summer of 818 the First Civil War broke out in the Frankish Empire. Lothair, the eldest son of the deceased Emperor Louis the Pious, controlled the main bulk of the Empire, but his younger brothers had managed to build their own strongholds in strategic regions of the Empire: Pepin had the loyalty of Aquitaine and neighbouring Septimania, while Louis and his uncles ruled in the great Bavaria and most of Alamannia.

The war lasted until 821 and it did not change much the areas controlled by each heir. Bernard, who supported Lothair from the beginning, played a minor role in the conflict: his Italian forces occupied most of Burgundy and southwestern Alamannia (with the approval of Lothair) in order to block any eventual advance from Pepin to the East, as Lothair considered crucial to keep the realms of Pepin and Louis isolated from each other.

After three years and diverse campaigns with mixed results, Lothair realized that he won't be able to crush the regional power of his brothers. In the other side, both Pepin and Louis also realized that they would probably win nothing if they keeped on fighting Lothair. Some new negotiations started in 821 and finally the brothers agreed on setting a council in the city of Basel (already controlled by Bernard) for April 822.

The council produced the Treaty of Basel, a formal agreement for the partition of the former Frankish Empire in four kingdoms: the main one, the Kingdom of the Franks and Saxons or 'North Francia' ruled by Lothair, with Bernard's 'South Francia' (now Kingdom of Lombardy and Burgundy) as a vassal kingdom of the Lothair's. The other two, the 'West Francia' (Aquitaine) of Pepin and the 'East Francia' (Bavaria) of Louis the Young, were set as fully independent kingdoms.

The title of Holy Roman Emperor (vacant since the death of Louis the Pious) remained unclaimed, as both Pepin and Louis rejected any form of overlordship from Lothair. Anyway, the Popes of the era, as well as other foreign rulers, considered Lothair as the virtual Emperor even if he would be never formally crowned as such.

Bernard of Italy was clearly the most benefited ruler in Basel, as he managed to both expand his territory and legitimate his rule, even if he was still considered a vassal of Lothair.

 

[The Professor]

Alternate Francian divisions are always cool!
Each kingdom seems well placed to survive based on possible alliances assuming 2 don't merge. Though Bavaria is at risk when the Magyars arrive.
A remnant Bavaria could fall to Lombardy-Burgundy who might be best placed to resurrect the Imperial title.

 

[Arrix85]

Sounds intriguing. I'll keep an eye on this.

 

[Yanez de Gomera]

I really like the division and I also have to agree about your point on Pavia being too tied to the Lombard Kingdom to make sense as the capital of a Frankish-Italian Kingdom.

As I said in my original post the power of the Ambrosian Bishop and the Dioceses' prestige can be a double-edged sword, potentially becoming an alternative/antagonistic power to the Bernardian throne. Which will of course only make things much more interesting in the future!

 

[LordKalvan]

Alternate Francian divisions are always cool!
Each kingdom seems well placed to survive based on possible alliances assuming 2 don't merge. Though Bavaria is at risk when the Magyars arrive.
A remnant Bavaria could fall to Lombardy-Burgundy who might be best placed to resurrect the Imperial title.

Rather than a merger of two kingdoms I might see a reasonable probability of a kingdom splintering, unless the Franks change their inheritance laws. The place where this might most easily happen is the kingdom of Italy, since the Lombard law is still quite alive (together with Frankish law, of course, and some Roman laws).

Before the Magyars arrive (which will impact both East Francia and Italy) North Francia has to deal with the Vikings: Louis the Pious did not manage them very well, maybe Lothair (who has less widespread concerns) will be more effective. I would not really bet on that possibility, though.

 

[The Professor]

Rather than a merger of two kingdoms I might see a reasonable probability of a kingdom splintering, unless the Franks change their inheritance laws. The place where this might most easily happen is the kingdom of Italy, since the Lombard law is still quite alive (together with Frankish law, of course, and some Roman laws).

Before the Magyars arrive (which will impact both East Francia and Italy) North Francia has to deal with the Vikings: Louis the Pious did not manage them very well, maybe Lothair (who has less widespread concerns) will be more effective. I would not really bet on that possibility, though.

Good points!

 

[Mario]

Each kingdom seems well placed to survive based on possible alliances assuming 2 don't merge. Though Bavaria is at risk when the Magyars arrive.
A remnant Bavaria could fall to Lombardy-Burgundy who might be best placed to resurrect the Imperial title.

At this early stage of this TL, there are two alliances North + South vs East + West. They are mostly balanced, but we know this is something that could change quickly depending on the circumstances (i.e. external invasions).

As I said in my original post the power of the Ambrosian Bishop and the Dioceses' prestige can be a double-edged sword, potentially becoming an alternative/antagonistic power to the Bernardian throne. Which will of course only make things much more interesting in the future!

Religion here will play an important role. Sticking to an important archbishopric like Milan can offer good protection, advicing and diplomacy. But it requires to serve the interests of the Archbishop and his bishops, in front of Rome and other powerful sees like Cologne.

Rather than a merger of two kingdoms I might see a reasonable probability of a kingdom splintering, unless the Franks change their inheritance laws. The place where this might most easily happen is the kingdom of Italy, since the Lombard law is still quite alive (together with Frankish law, of course, and some Roman laws).

Obviously the Franks might tend to follow their inheritance laws, but Bernard has the chance to adopt some Lombard laws instead. This fact will be key in the future of the different kingdoms.

Before the Magyars arrive (which will impact both East Francia and Italy) North Francia has to deal with the Vikings: Louis the Pious did not manage them very well, maybe Lothair (who has less widespread concerns) will be more effective. I would not really bet on that possibility, though.

Well, before Magyars, all of them have internal and/or external rivals: Vikings in the North, Saracens in the West and the South and Slavs in the East. Next chapter will explain how the different kingdoms try to consolidate against external and internal enemies...

 

[LordKalvan]

Well, before Magyars, all of them have internal and/or external rivals: Vikings in the North, Saracens in the West and the South and Slavs in the East. Next chapter will explain how the different kingdoms try to consolidate against external and internal enemies...

True, but the degree of danger is not the same in all cases. The Viking raids were certainly the worst IOTL, together with the incursions of Saracen pirates in the south and center of Italy. However the Saracen incursions were greatly facilitated by the duke of Naples, who aimed to use the Saracens as mercenaries and allies in his wars against the encroachment of the Lombard dukes of Benevento. IOTL the emperor failed to take a direct action, and mostly acquiesced to the attempts of the Beneventans to dominate the coastal cities. ITTL Bernard may be more pro-active in curbing the pretensions of the dukes of Benevento and Spoleto, and enforce his rule in Langobardia Minor. Maybe this will not butterfly away all the Saracen incursions, but it would significantly reduce their importance (if things work for the kingdom of Italy, the sacks of Rome and Genoa are not going to happen, nor would Saracen emirates be established in Bari and Taranto). It might have also a significant impact on the development of the coastal cities: both Naples and Amalfi would have to supply the bulk of the ships which would needed to stop the Saracen incursions (and sooner or later bring retaliation raids to Ifryqia), and most likely the same thing would happen for Pisa and Gaeta (it's still too early for Genoa). These supports will have a price tag attached, and it will be the granting of a charter for the "royal cities": communal liberties coming earlier, but also increased revenues from trade for the royal coffer. It might also mean potential support for the Sardinian Judicates, and an expansion of royal power to Sardinia first and then Corsica.
The Arab conquest of Sicily might not be butterflied away: IMHO it might even be accelerated, since less opportunities of raiding the mainland would draw more fighters to Sicily.

 

[Mario]

True, but the degree of danger is not the same in all cases. The Viking raids were certainly the worst IOTL, together with the incursions of Saracen pirates in the south and center of Italy.

Obviously, the Vikings are the most dangerous and Lothair is now alone to deal with them. The existence of a 'North Francia' implies that there is a main entity which can and should focus on them, as the matters that distracted Louis IOTL are now carried by other kingdoms. Apart of a better deal with the Viking problem, this situation would help Bernard to develop an own agenda in the South while his overlord is too busy with major problems in the North.

It might also mean potential support for the Sardinian Judicates, and an expansion of royal power to Sardinia first and then Corsica.

I will talk about the status of Corsica in the next chapter, because Charlemagne had rewarded the island to the Papacy but, a it has never been enforced such rule, the Corsicans remained attached to 'the Imperial power' (whatever it could be). Bernard has the chance to affirm his sovereignty there (the TL treaty of Basel allowed it) and put under the close rule of a Duke in Tuscany. Of course it will bring the first conflicts with the Papacy.

And once his royal power is cimented in Corsica, Sardinia will come next at certain time.

The Arab conquest of Sicily might not be butterflied away: IMHO it might even be accelerated, since less opportunities of raiding the mainland would draw more fighters to Sicily.

The Arab conquest of most of Sicily is unavoidable (826), but if the Bernardians manage to reach Southern Italy in the following decade, perhaps...

 

[LordKalvan]

The Arab conquest of most of Sicily is unavoidable (826), but if the Bernardians manage to reach Southern Italy in the following decade, perhaps...

Forcing the duchies of Langobardia Minor to submit to the royal will is not going to be easy. IOTL the southern portion of Italy remained an intractable mess of Lombards, Greeks, Saracens and Latins until they were not cowed by the Hautevilles (and even then the barons of Puglia and Calabria were always ready to raise in rebellion any time they felt that the royal grasp was not firm enough). The king (or the emperor, IOTL) would go to the south, and usually managed to force the unruly southern lords to submit. However the submission usually only lasted until the overlord remained on their lands (which was not possible for an emperor, and will not be possible for Bernard): as soon he had reached Rome, the lords were again fighting each other, carrying out their vendettas, plot with the Greeks.
If the south has to be pacified, Bernard has to find an able and trusty lieutenant who can be left in the south with an army to carry out a thorough pacification. Is there such a man among his entourage? Is Bernard in the position to leave an army there? Grimoald III of Benevento managed to keep his independence even against Charlemagne. Grimoald IV (no relation to the former) was assassinated in 817, and Sico of Acerenza gained the throne: he was a cruel man, and his wars against Naples resulted in Saracen mercenaries being brought to Italy by the Neapolitans. He was however a diplomat too, and his good relations with the dukes of Spoleto and the counts of Conza kept his throne secure enough. In all truth, IOTL Lothair was not really interested in the south of Italy, and when he went to Rome for the crowning and was asked to mediate between Sico of Benevento and the Neapolitans he found in favour of Benevento. Bernard might be more proactive, and less inclined to pamper Sico, but it would not be a pushover.

 

[Mario]

Forcing the duchies of Langobardia Minor to submit to the royal will is not going to be easy. IOTL the southern portion of Italy remained an intractable mess of Lombards, Greeks, Saracens and Latins until they were not cowed by the Hautevilles (and even then the barons of Puglia and Calabria were always ready to raise in rebellion any time they felt that the royal grasp was not firm enough). The king (or the emperor, IOTL) would go to the south, and usually managed to force the unruly southern lords to submit. However the submission usually only lasted until the overlord remained on their lands (which was not possible for an emperor, and will not be possible for Bernard): as soon he had reached Rome, the lords were again fighting each other, carrying out their vendettas, plot with the Greeks.
If the south has to be pacified, Bernard has to find an able and trusty lieutenant who can be left in the south with an army to carry out a thorough pacification. Is there such a man among his entourage? Is Bernard in the position to leave an army there? Grimoald III of Benevento managed to keep his independence even against Charlemagne. Grimoald IV (no relation to the former) was assassinated in 817, and Sico of Acerenza gained the throne: he was a cruel man, and his wars against Naples resulted in Saracen mercenaries being brought to Italy by the Neapolitans. He was however a diplomat too, and his good relations with the dukes of Spoleto and the counts of Conza kept his throne secure enough. In all truth, IOTL Lothair was not really interested in the south of Italy, and when he went to Rome for the crowning and was asked to mediate between Sico of Benevento and the Neapolitans he found in favour of Benevento. Bernard might be more proactive, and less inclined to pamper Sico, but it would not be a pushover.

Well, step by step. First Bernard would have to deal with the final status of the territories granted to the Popes (who, in fact, could not really rule, excepting the city of Rome and its outskirts) to have a good access to first Spoleto and then the rest. It has to be something gradual and would involve more than one generation I'm afraid.

 

[LordKalvan]

Well, step by step. First Bernard would have to deal with the final status of the territories granted to the Popes (who, in fact, could not really rule, excepting the city of Rome and its outskirts) to have a good access to first Spoleto and then the rest. It has to be something gradual and would involve more than one generation I'm afraid.

Which means that there are not a lot of chances to avoid the settlement of conspicuous numbers of Saracen mercenaries in Sicily, and ultimately the conquest of the island.

As far as the Guidonids of Spoleto, geography made them closer to royal power than Benevento, but they were a treacherous and very ambitious lot on their own. Maybe the best solution for Spoleto would be to give the Guidonids a duchy somewhere in Northern Italy and put a trusted man as Duke of Spoleto and Warden of the Southern Marches: if there is such a paragon, he might keep an eye on both Rome and Benevento on behalf of the king

 

[Mario]

Next week I will publish the four parts of chapter 2, explaining in each one of them the historical events happening in each Kingdom after Basel (822) until the next milestone (840).

As spoiler, the titles:

> CHAPTER 2.1. NORTH FRANCIA (822-840): SHADOWS OF THE NORSE.

> CHAPTER 2.2. WEST FRANCIA (822-840): FAREWELL TO THE BASQUES, WELCOME THE GOTHS!

> CHAPTER 2.3. EAST FRANCIA (822-840): BROTHER VERSUS BROTHER.

> CHAPTER 2.4. SOUTH FRANCIA (822-840): PEPIN OF TUSCANY AND THE ISLANDS.

 

[Mario]

CHAPTER 2.1. NORTH FRANCIA (822-840): SHADOWS OF THE NORSE.

​

After the division of the Empire in Basel (822), Lothair, despite being regarded as the unofficial Holy Roman Emperor, increasingly adopted a policy of isolation of his realm, allowing his vassal cousin Bernard of Italy to enhance his own agenda in the South; only in one occasion Lothair did intervene in another Frankish kingdom, when his uncles Hugo and Drogo pushed the East to another civil war in 829.

Lothair was quickly concerned about the rising threat of the Norse in the coasts and lower valleys of all North Francia. He eventually abandoned all the lands east of the Elbe river and concentred all his military sources in the long seafront from Brittany to the mouth of the Elbe. As soon as 824, the Kingdom suffered its first big Viking raid in Frisia and the city of Utrecht was sacked in the summer of 825. This raids became as common in the area that caused an important migration of Germanic population (a mixture of Salian Franks and western Saxons) from the lower Rhine areas to the upper Neustria (Campania).

The Northern Franks felt pretty helpless in front of these savage raids. Both Hamburg and Bremen were sacked before 830; in 831, Lothair decided to counter-attack and captured the Danish outpost of Hedeby (832) by surprise. With enormous effort and lose of lives, Northern Francia expelled the Danes from the southern part of Jutland; however, they could not stop the Danes to settle in Frisia and the lower Rhine from 834 onwards, even losing the city of Utrecht (837). Anyway, these 'lower-Rhine Danes' embraced Christianism and abandoned their raiding lifestyle within a short time, only to be overlapped by new Viking invasors.

Lothair, King of North Francia (822-840).

In 838, Lothair appointed his eldest son Louis as co-ruler, and while the young heir stayed in Aachen, Lothair disposed a 'second court' in Hamburg, as he was determined to fight off the Norse from the area. But by that time, all the coastal area from Eastern Frisia to Flanders has been virtually lost to the Norse, either Christian or Pagan.
During the spring of 839, Lothair launched different campaigns against the Danes in their own homeland. He was sort of succesful, as that summer the raids were redirected mostly to Britain and other countries.

But in 840 the Vikings launched a terrible attack by surprise against the city of Hamburg; Lothair led an epic resistence against the invasors, but the city was savagely destroyed. Even if Lothair survived the attack and the Vikings did not stay for long, he fell seriously ill and returned to Aachen just for dying on September 840.
His eldest son Louis, with only 15 years old, succeeded his father as King Louis II; his younger brother Lothair, who was only 3 years old, was supposed to inherit a part of the Kingdom (probably Neustria), but Louis II sent him to the court of Bernard of Italy (now his vassal) until he would be old enough for becoming an effective King.

However, the young Lothair II would never come back to North Francia, as his older brother would become a despotic ruler and would never allow anybody from his family to challenge his power.

 

[Mario]

CHAPTER 2.2. WEST FRANCIA (822-840): FAREWELL TO THE BASQUES, WELCOME THE GOTHS!​

Pepin of Aquitaine did not expect to have to fight hard for the lands he received in 822. He had been already crowned as King in 817, right before the death of his father Louis, and enjoyed a wide support from the local nobility, which was mostly Roman, as he defended its sovereignty in front of their Germanic neighbors.

Pepin dreamed of campaigns against Brittany or the Emirate of Cordova which could enlarge his territories, but the hard reality is that he was obliged to fight, during most of his reign, against the Basques of Gascony.

The Carolingian control over Navarre was already loose at the death of Charlemagne. In 824, the Basques of Pamplona started a new revolt against the authority of Tolosa and soon other Basque areas joint the rebellion. Pepin spent six years trying to suffocate it without success: the freed Kingdom of Navarre seized most of the region in 830 and other Basque lordships followed shortly after. Pepin finally decided to remove all his military forces from the area in 834, even if he never recognized the independence of any Basque entity.

Coin of Pepin of Aquitaine

In order to avoid his same mistakes in the old Vasconia, he completely reorganized the counties of the other side of the Spanish March in 835. He created the Duchy of Gothia, with permanent see in Narbonne, which administered under a single authority all the counties in Septimania, Catalonia and Aragon.

Pepin’s eldest son, Pepin II, was appointed by his father Duke of Gothia in 838. The Catalan counts rebelled against the new centralizing authority (they considered to be directly tied by a loose vassalage to Tolosa) as soon as 839, but Pepin was successful this time and all rebellion was crushed.

In order to appease the discontent in the Gothia, he organized a powerful military campaign against the Emirate which captured the cities of Tarragona (840) and Lerida (842), establishing a new border with the Emirate along the Ebro River, excepting the area of Saragossa which remained under Umayyad rule. This campaign brought a good amount of booty as well as new lands of labor for the Catalan and Septimanian lords.

However, Pepin did not live enough for enjoying this success in Spain, as he died in the winter of 841. His eldest son Pepin II inherited the whole Kingdom of Aquitaine, while his other son Charles succeeded his older brother as Duke of Gothia.