Her parents are listed as Walter de Beauchamp and Emmeline d'Abitot, and her son is listed as having unknown parents in the Mormon church records.
Numerous web pages list the information as I have.
AKA Bernard "le Danois", fFounding father of the House of Harcourt
What follows in the Harcourt line comes mainly from the book called " A History of the Family Harcourt " written by William Harcourt-Bath in1930. Paul McBride has a copy.
"Chief counsellor to Rollo in the conquest of Normandy, France. Rollo's wife and Bernard's wife are sisters. His descendents followed " William the Conqueror " into England. Thefamily is a direct descendent of " Charlemagne " and the Trojan SenatorAntenor"
The name seems to come from "Herr" ( A Teuteonic courtesy title), meaning lord or gentleman and court meaning hall or mansion. I.E."HerrCourt" . The name has evolved over the years, Herecourt , Harecourt , Harcourt.
Beaumont, Roger of Probably from Beaument-le-Roger, Eure. Father of Henry and Robert. Entered monastry of St. Pierre, Preaux, 1094-95. Holdings in Dorset, Glos. http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/landowners.html
His most favoured benefactor was the Count of Meulan(Roger de Beaumont). Roger (sometimes the records in England show him as Robert but this may be a confusion between the son Robert with his father who actually held the lands) de Beaumont was the most powerful seignior in Normandy. His Chief domain in Normandy was Beaumont le Roger. He adopted the title Count of Meulan from Adelina, his wife's family. He received 90 manors in Warwick, Leicester, Wiltshire and Northampton. There is dispute whether he, Roger, was at Hastings, he was old at the time, but he contributed 60 ships to the invasion force. He was represented by the young Robert, his son, at the Battle of Hastings. By the taking of the Domesday survey, Robert (Roger) de Beaumont, was known as the Count of Meulan, having inherited the title in 1082 on his father's death. He also became a peer of France. He was also known as Roger de Beaumont, or simply Earl Roger, and became the 1st Earl of Warwick, and the Earl of Leicester. In the holdings listed below, Earl Roger, Count Meulan, Robert de Beaumont are one and the same. Initially, although a very powerful magnate, he was only the custodian of the grants made to his father by Duke William until his father's death. By 1082, he had inherited all his father's estates in England and in Normandy. The latter was also Earl of Leicester. Henry de Beaumont, his younger brother, later succeeded to the Earldom of Warwick. Robert(Roger) held a total of 57 manors in Warwick at the Domesday survey. His Chief domain in England was Sturminster Marshal in Dorset. He shared with the King the great power in Warwickshire. Lands held: Arlescote, Anstey, Avon Dassett, Barnacle, Bedworth, Bericote, Berkswell, Bourton on Dunsmore, Bulkington, Charlecote, Claverdon, Compton Verney, Fenny Compton, Frankton, Fulbrook, Hillmorton, Hodnell, Ilmington, Kington, Ladbroke, Lillington, Luddington, Marston Jabbett, Milverton, Milverton, Moreton Morrell, Myton, Napton on the Hill, Newbold Comyn, Oversley, Preston Bagot, Roundhill, Seckington, Sherborn, Shilton, Shuckborough, Shuttington, Smercore, Snitterfield, Sole End, Tachbrook Mallory, Thurlsaston, Walton, Warmington, Weddington, Weston in Arden, Wibtoft, Willey, Wolford, Woodcote, Wormleighton, Dorsington. Warwickshire and the Domesday Book . http://www.infokey.com/Domesday/Warwickshire.htm
Of Roger, Count de Beaumont, it is unanimously recorded that he was the noblest, the wealthiest, and the most valiant seigneur of Normandy, and the greatest and most trusted friend of the Danish family. Son of Humphrey de Vielles, and grandson of Thorold de Pontaudemer, a descendant of the Kings of Denmark, through Bernard the Dane, a companion of the first Norman Conqueror, Duke Rollo, illustrious as was such as origin in the eyes of his countrymen, he considered his alliance with Adelina, Countess of Meulent, sufficiently honorable and important to induce him to adopt the title of her family in preference to that of his own. We have already heard of his first great exploit, when, as a young man, in the early years of Duke William, he defeated the turbulent Roger de Toeni, who with his two sons were slain in that sanguinary conflict (vide p. 19, ante). Towards the invading fleet he contributed, according to Taylor's List, sixty vessels, and being at that time advanced in years, and selected to superintend the affairs of the duchy, sent his young son Robert to win his spurs at Senlac.http://genealogy.patp.us/conq/beaumont.shtml
Promised William the Conqueror sixty ships along with FitzOsbern, Montgomery, Avranches.
He was nicknamed Barbatus or La Barbe because he wore a moustache and beard while the Normans usually were clean shaven. This peculiarity is recognized in the forty-first panel of the Bayeux Tapestry where he is depicted sitting at a feast with Duke William on his left hand, Odo brother of William and Bishop of Bayeux in the centre.
Planché tells us that "he was the noblest, the wealthiest, and the most valiant seigneur of Normandy, and the greatest and most trusted friend of the Danish family." Wace, the 12th century historian, says that "at the time of the invasion of England, Roger was summoned to the great council at Lillebonne, on account of his wisdom; but that he did not join in the expedition as he was too far advanced in years." Although Roger could not fight, he did not hesitate in contributing his share of the cost, for he provided at his own expense sixty vessels for the conveyance of the troops across the channel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_de_Beaumont
Robert de Beaumont (or Bellomont) Earl of Mellent & Earl of Leicester died on 5 Jun 1118. He was married to Lady Isabel (also called Elizabeth) de Vermandois in 1096. http://www.datasync.com/~woodward/staffora/d2485.htm#P5780
Beaumont, Robert also called Count of Meulan which he became through his mother. Brother of Henry, son of Roger. Earl of Leicester from 1107; died 1118. Robert became close advisor of Henry I. Said to have died or mortification and heartbreak due to the infidelity of his wife, Isabelle de Vermandois.
Also called Count of Meulan which he became through his mother. Brother of Henry, son of Roger. Earl of Leicester from 1107; died 1118. Robert became close advisor of Henry I.
He was one of the royal hunting party in the New Forest on the 2nd of August, 1100, when William Rufus received his mysterious death-wound, and hastened on the instant with Prince Henry to Winchester, in order to secure the royal treasure, as well as the succession to the throne of England.
His twin children, Robert who inherited the title, and Walerun, Count Meulan and later Earl of Worcester were a great influence on King Stephen. Gilbert de Clare was a brother-in-law; their half brother William de Warenne became second Earl of Surrey. Holdings in Leics., Northants., and Warwicks. http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/landowners.html
William made Robert the Earl of Leichester. "1066" by Dennis Butler.
A powerful English and French nobleman, revered as one of the wisest men of his age. Chroniclers speak highly of his eloquence, his learning, and three kings of England valued his counsel.
He was the eldest son of Roger de Beaumont and Adeline of Meulan, daughter of Waleran III, Count de Meulan, and an older brother of Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick. He accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066, where his service earned him more than 91 lordships and manors. When his mother died in 1081, Robert inherited the title of Count of Meulan in Normandy, also the title of Viscount Ivry and Lord of Norton. He did homage to Philip I of France for these estates and sat as French Peer in the Parliament held at Poissy.
At the Battle of Hastings Robert was appointed leader of the infantry on the right wing of the army.
He and his brother Henry were members of the Royal hunting party in the New Forest, when William Rufus received his mysterious death wound, 2 August 1100. He then pledged alligience to William Rufus' brother, Henry I of England, who created him Earl of Leicester in 1107: Orderic Vital gives the following account of the mode by which he obtained the earldom: -- "The town of Leicester had four masters -- the King, the Bishop of Lincoln, Earl Simon" (Simon de St. Liz, Earl of Huntingdon), "and Ivo, the son of Hugh" (de Grentmesnil). The latter had been heavily fined for turbulent conduct, and was in disgrace at Court. He was also galled by being nicknamed "the Rope-dancer," having been one of those who had been let down by ropes from the walls of Antioch. He therefore had resolved to rejoin the Crusade, and made an agreement with the Count of Meulent to the following effect: -- The Count was to procure his reconciliation with the King, and to advance him five hundred silver marks for the expenses of his expedition, having the whole of Ivo's domains pledged to him as a security for fifteen years. In consideration of this, the Count was to give the daughter of his brother Henry, Earl of Warwick, in marriage to Ivo's son, who was yet in his infancy, and to restore him his father's inheritance. This contract was confirmed by oath, and ratified by the King, but Ivo died on his road to the Holy Land, and Robert de Meulent, by royal favour and his own address, contrived to get the whole of Leicester into his own hands, and being in consequence created an English earl, his wealth and power surpassed those of any other peer of the realm, and he was exalted above nearly all his family."
This great warrior and able man is said to have died of sorrow and mortification, caused by the infidelity of his second wife Elizabeth, otherwise Isabella, daughter of Hugh the Great, Comte de Vermandois and of Chaumont in the Vexin. He had married -- the date at present unknown -- Godechilde de Conches, daughter of Roger de Toeni, Seigneur de Conches, but had separated from her before 1096, as in that year she, who could not then have been seventeen, became the wife of Baldwin, son of Eustace de Boulogne, who was King of Jerusalem after the decease of his brother Godfrey. Robert de Meulent, then being between fifty and sixty, and without issue, sought the hand of Elizabeth de Vermandois, who was in the bloom of youth, and was accepted by the lady; but Ivo, Bishop of Châtres, forbade the magiage on the ground of consanguinity; the Count of Vemandois and the Count of Meulent being both great-grandsons of Gautier II, surnamed "Le Blanc," Count of the Vexin. A dispensation was obtained, however, from the Pope, on condition that Count Hugh should take the Cross, and the marriage was celebrated on the eve of his departure for the Holy Land, the same year in which Robert's first wife married Baldwin de Boulogne.http://genealogy.patp.us/conq/beaumont.shtml
On the death of William Rufus, William, Count of Evreux and Ralph de Conches made an incursion into Robert's Norman estates, on the pretence that they had suffered injury through some advice that Robert had given to the King; their raid was aery successful for they collected a vast booty.
According to Henry of Huntingdon, Robert died of shame after "a certain earl carried off the lady he had espoused, either by some intrigue or by force and stratagem." His wife Isabella remarried in 1118 to William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_de_Beaumont%2C_1st_Earl_of_Leicester
Towards the invading fleet he contributed, according to Taylor's List, sixty vessels, and being at that time advanced in years, and selected to superintend the affairs of the duchy, sent his young son Robert (this one) to win his spurs at Senlac.
In that memorable battle he is said to have given proof of courage and intelligence beyond his years, and promise of the high reputation he would eventually obtain, and which won for him the surname of Prudhomme. "A certain Norman young soldier," writes William of Poitou, "son of Roger de Bellomont, and nephew and heir of Hugh, Count of Meulent, by Adelina, his sister, making his first onset in that fight, did what deserves lasting fame, boldly charging and breaking in upon the enemy with the troops he commanded in the right wing of the army."
His services were rewarded by ninety manors in Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Wiltshire, and Northamptonshire. In 1080 he, with his brother Henry, afterwards Earl of Warwick, were amongst the barons who exerted themselves to reconcile King William to his son Robert Court-heuse, and in 1081 he subscribed a charter of confirmation in favour of the Abbey of Fécamp. This was the last document he signed in the name of Beaumont, for his mother dying in year, he thenceforth wrote himself Comte de Meulent, and did homage to Philip I, King of France, for the lands to which he succeeded in that kingdom, and in 1082 sat as a Peer of France in a parliament held by the said King at Poissy.
On the death of the Conqueror, the Comte de Meulent and his brother sided with William Rufus; their father, Roger de Beaumont, leaving also the ducal court and retiring to his estates. The late King had given the Castle of Ivri jointly to Roger de Beaumont and Robert his son; but during the absence of the latter in England, Robert Court-heuse, having become Duke of Normandy, exchanged, in 1090, that castle for the Castle of Brionne with Roger de Beaumont, without obtaining the consent of Robert de Meulent. The latter, having a quarrel with the monks of Bec, whose monastery was in the territory of Brionne, was greatly angered by this transaction, and repairing to the Duke at Rouen, boldly demanded of him the restoration of Ivri. The Duke answered that he had given his father the Castle of Brionne for it, which was a fair exchange. The Count replied, "I was no party to that bargain, and repudiate it; but what your father gave to my father that will I have, or by Saint Nicaise I will make you repent your conduct to me." The Duke, highly incensed, had him immediately arrested and imprisoned, and seizing the Castle of Brionne, gave it into the keeping of Robert, son of Baldwin de Meules. Roger de Beaumont, on receipt of these tidings, sought the Duke, and with the skill of an old courtier contrived to pacify his resentment, and obtain the release of his son and the restoration of Brionne; but Robert de Meules, who was in charge of it, refused to surrender it, and the Count de Meulent was obliged to resort to force. Siege was laid to the castle in regular form, and the garrison stoutly holding out, Gilbert du Pin, commanding the beleaguering forces, caused arrows, with their steel heads made red-hot in a furnace, to be shot over the battlements, and which, falling on the roofs of the buildings within the walls, set them on fire. The conflagration spreading, the place became no longer tenable, and Brionne remained from that period in the hands of the Counts of Meulent.http://genealogy.patp.us/conq/beaumont.shtml
Robert the Butler and Robert Pincerna are probably the same person. Hugh, the father, was Hugh the Butler to the Counts of Meulent (Roger de Beaumont). Robert was also known as Hugh Pincerna and was present at the Battle of Hastings. Richard, his brother, held estates in Shropshire and Cheshire as an under-tenant, and Robert also held in Shropshire and was butler or chamberlain to Earl Roger, a position of considerable importance. Robert was also a Baron in Bedfordshire.Wem was his chief domain. Held Aston(Oswestry)
Robert Pincerna's Shropshire Land Holdings in Domesday 1086: Crudgington Eyton, Petton Stanwardine-in-the-Fields, Walford.http://www.infokey.com/Domesday/Shropshire.htm
Iago = Welsh for James or Jacob
Little known about his reign circa 599-613 or 615
Angles in Mercia grew under Pybba's rule and his son Penda. Iago may have
formed alliance with Pybba, agreement that Pybba would not attack in return
for Iago's support in Mercia if needed.
In 604 Athelfrith of Northumbria drove Edwin, son of Aelle King of Deira,
out of Northumbria. Edwin sought refuge in Iago's and Selyf's (of Powys)
courts. Athelfrith turned his wrath on Wales, Mercians provided little
assistance. Athelfrith slaughtered monks at Bangor, defeated and killed Selyf
of Powys at the Battle of Chester. Facts suggest Iago had already abdicated
to his son Cadfan and died in a monastery.
Succeeeded by his son Cadfan Iago Gwynedd
Sources:
Mike Ashley's "British Kings & Queens"
Iago ap Beli (c. 560-613; reigned from c. 599) (Latin: Iacobus; English: James) was King of Gwynedd.
The most notable feature of his reign (of which little information exists) is the growing strength of the nearby kingdoms of Mercia, under the rule of Pybba and his son Penda, and of Bernicia, under Æthelfrith. Some evidence exists to suggest that Iago may have entered into some sort of alliance with Pybba, trading the latter's promise not to attack Gwynedd in exchange for Gwynedd's support against Northumbria, should that support be needed. In 604, after being driven from his throne by Æthelfrith, Edwin, king of Deira, may have sought refuge at the Iago's court. Perhaps as a result, Æthelfrith turned his wrath against Gwynedd, slaughtering the monks at a monastery at Bangor, and finally facing the forces of Gwynedd and Powys at the Battle of Chester in 613.
It is not known whether or not Iago took part in this battle: he may have
done so, perishing amidst the slaughter, or he may have already abdicated
his throne in favor of his son, Cadfan, and died later than year in a monastery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iago_ap_Beli
Killed in battle by Rollo Rognvaldsson
Mistress of Henry I, King of England, daughter Isabel /Elizabeth b abt 1129. When Isabel married Gilbert, she took Elizabeth with her.
Ancestor of Beauchamp family; Large holdings in Beds., Herts., and Bucks. Domesday Book.
The name of this great historical, prolific, and widespreading family, of which no less than ten branches are recorded in the Baronage of England, appears in every list of the companions of the Conqueror, but is not mentioned by any of the contemporary writers. Nor do the old lists in which it occurs give the baptismal names of the persons recorded, and we have therefore to search in other quarters for evidence that will enable us to identify the particular member or members of the family who may be fairly presumed to have been present in the battle of Hastings.
In this instance, Domesday supplies us with sufficient information to justify us in admitting the probability of the statement of MM. de Magny and Delisle, that it was a Hugh de Bexuchamp who for his services at the time of the Conquest, received four lordships in Buckinghamshire, and forty-three, or the greatest portion of them, in Bedfordshire, and was the immediate ancestor of the Beauchamps of Bedford.
Of his own parentage I have found no note, but he was most probably descended from the Norman lords of Beauchamp of Avranches, seated between that city and Granville, and a kinsman of the Robert de Beauchamp, Viscount of Arques, in the reign of Henry I, who is first mentioned by Orderic under the year 1171, when by the King's order he seized the castle of Elias de Saint-saens, who had the guardianship of the young heir of Normandy, William Clito, with the object of arresting that prince and consigning him to captivity.
By his wife, unknown, Hugh de Beauchamp is said to have had three sons: Simon, who died without issue; Pagan or Payne, to whom William Rufus gave the whole barony of Bedford with the castle, which was the caput or head of the barony, and Milo, the ancestor of the Beauchamps of Eaton. Thus Dugdale and others; but there is undoubtedly some confusion here which, though noticed by the English translator of Orderic, has not been cleared up by him. The De Beauchamps who so strongly defended Bedford Castle were, according to Orderic, the sons of Robert de Beauchamp, and not of Hugh, as above stated; and if this Robert be identical with the Viscount of Arques we have just heard of, the whole line of Beauchamp of Bedford is thrown into disorder.
More at http://genealogy.patp.us/conq/beauch.shtml
Born in 1053 or 1054 he succeeded his father Ramon Berenguer I the Old to co-rule with his twin brother Ramon Berenguer, in 1075. The twins failed to agree and divided their possessions between them, against the will of their late father. Ramon Berenguer II was killed while hunting in the woods on December 5, 1082. His brother, who went on to become the sole ruler of Catalonia, was credited by popular opinion with having orchestrated this murder.
In the 1080s Berenguer Ramon's involvement in the internal strife in the Moorish taifa kingdoms brought him in conflict with Cid. In the ensuing war the Count of Barcelona was twice taken prisoner.
His life in the 1090s is obscure. Some Catalan nobles are said to have accused him of his brother's assassination before King Alfonso VI of Castile. It is also said that his guilt was determined by trial by combat, which he lost. After that he went to Jerusalem, either on pilgrimage or as part of the First Crusade, and perished there between 1097 and 1099. Berenguer Ramon II was succeeded by his nephew Ramon Berenguer III, son of Ramon Berenguer II.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramon_Berenguer_II%2C_Count_of_Barcelona
Elder son of Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick and Marguerite, daughter of Geoffrey II of Perche and Beatrix of Montdidier. He was also known as Roger de Newburg.
He was generally considered to have been a devout and pious man; a chronicle of the period, the Gesta Regis Stephani, speaks of him as a "man of gentle disposition". The borough of Warwick remembers him as the founder of the Hospital of S. Michael for lepers which he endowed with the tithes of Wedgnock, and other property; he also endowed the House of the Templars beyond the bridge. In the reign of Stephen he founded a priory dedicated to S. Kenned at Llangennilth, Co. Glamorgan and he attached it as a cell to the Abbey of S. Taurinus at Evreux in Normandy.
He visited the Holy Land several times and took part in the Second Crusade, and he apparently joined the expedition under Conrad III of Germany after the Siege of Lisbon.
He is also known as Henry de Neubourg or Henry de Newburgh, from ths castle of Newburg near Looviers, in Normandy where he was born.
Henry was the younger son of Roger de Beaumont and Adeline of Meulan, daughter of Waleran III, Count de Meulan. He inherited the modest lordship of La Neubourg, in central Normandy, but acquired a much greater holding in England, when, in reward for help in suppressing the Rebellion of 1088, William II of England made him Earl of Warwick.
His name is included in the roll of the knights who came over with the William the Conqueror, but he does not appear to have been present at the Battle of Hastings. He spent the greater part of his life in Normandy, his name is not found in the Domesday Book. He took it leading part in reconciling the Conqueror with his eldest son Robert Curthose in 1081 and he stood high in the Conqueror's favour. He was the companion and friend of Henry I, and when in 1100 a division took place amongst the barons who had gathered together to choose a successor to William II, it was mainly owing to hisladvice that Henry was selected and when in the following year, most of the barons were openly or secretly disloyal and favoured the attempt of Duke Robert to gain the Crown, he and his brother were amongst the few that remained faithful to the King.
He had many honours conferred upon him, in 1068 he was made Constable of Warwick Castle and shortly afterwards King William gave it to him together with the borough and manor. The Castle was enlarged and strengthened during the long succession of powerful lords, and it eventually became one of the most renowned of English fortresses and it remains even to-day the glory of the midland shires. The Bear and Ragged Staff was the badge of Guy the great opponent of the Danes, and Henry on his elevation to the Earldom in 1076 by William I, assumed it, and it has ever since been used by successive Earls. Odericus tells us that "he earned this honour by his valour and loyalty" and Wace speaks of him as "a brave man". He was made a Councillor by the King in 1079 and a Baron of the Exchequer in Normandy 12 April 1080.
In 1099 he fought against the Welsh and built a castle at Abertawy, near Swansea, which was unsuccessfully attacked by the Welsh in 1113; he also captured the Gower peninsula in the south of Glamorganshire. He built other castles at Penrhys, Llandhidian and Swansea in ll20, together with the others at Oystermouth and Aberllychor, the only remains of the latter are a mound and a keep.
Some time between 1106 and 1116 he was granted the lordship of Gower in Wales.
Henry was by disposition quiet and retiring, and was overshadowed by his elder brother Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, reputedly one of the most brilliant men in England.
He died 20 June 1123 and was buried in the Abbey at Preaux.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_de_Beaumont%2C_1st_Earl_of_Warwick
First wife of King Philip of France. Nine years after her marriage, Bertha produced the desired son and heir, Louis. Reportedly, her fertility was only restored thanks to the prayers of a hermit, Arnoul, who also named the child. Together, Philippe and Bertha had five children:
In 1092, Philippe repudiated Bertha, alleging that she was too fat. He confined her to the fortress of Montreuil-sur-Mer, and took up with Bertrade de Montfort, the countess of Anjou.
~~~~~
Bertha of Holland (c.1055-1094) was the first wife and queen of Philippe I, King of France.
She was the daughter of Floris I, Count of Holland, by his wife Gertrude of Saxony, the daughter of Bernard II, Duke of Saxony. After her father died in 1061, her mother remarried to Robert I, Count of Flanders, called Le Frisian. In 1072 her stepfather concluded a peace treaty with King Philippe, and part of the terms of the treaty Bertha was married to Philippe.
Nine years passed before Bertha produced the desired son and heir, Louis. Reportedly, her fertility was only restored thanks to the prayers of a hermit, Arnoul, who also named the child. Together, Philippe and Bertha had five children:
Constance (1078-1125), wife of Bohemund I of Antioch
Louis VI of France (1081-1137)
Henri (1083 - died young)
Charles (1085 - died young)
Eudes (1087 - 1096)
In 1092, Philippe repudiated Bertha, alleging that she was too fat. He confined her to the fortress of Montreuil-sur-Mer, and took up with Bertrade de Montfort, the countess of Anjou.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_of_Holland
Bernard was the illegitimate son of King Pepin, the third son of the Emperor Charlemagne.
In 817, he rebelled against his uncle, the Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious, but was defeated the following year. Louis crowned his eldest son, Lothair (later Holy Roman Emperor) as King of Italy, and had Bernard blinded and imprisoned. His death in 818 grieved Louis, and his display of penance to the court in 822 reduced his prestige and respect amongst the Frankish nobility. Bernard had a son with Kunigunda, Pepin of Vermandois.
Bernard was the illegitimate son of King Pepin, the third son of the Emperor Charlemagne. In 817, Louis the Pious partitioned the empire among his three sons. He gave his eldest Lothair Italy. Bernard rebelled against his uncle with the support of Bishop Theodulf of Orléans, but decided not to fight. He met with the emperor on a safe conduct guarantee, but was convicted before even realising he was on trial. Louis had Bernard blinded and imprisoned. The blinding procedure was so traumatic, he died. His death grieved Louis, and his display of penance to the court in 822 at Attigny reduced his prestige and respect amongst the Frankish nobility. Wiki.
Aka Berengar II of Italy, was marquess of Ivrea, and later King of Italy. He was later deposed by the Emperor Otto I, and Italy came under direct control of the Holy Roman Empire.
At the death of King Lothar II of Italy in 950, Berengar seized the opportunity and declared himself King. He tried to legitimize his rule by forcing (kidnapping) Adelaide of Burgundy, the respective daughter, daughter-in-law, and widow of the last three kings of Italy, into marriage with his son Adalbert. Adelaide's requests for intervention resulted in Otto I's invasion in 951, where Berengar was forced to pay homage to the Emperor. Otto, a widower, subsequently married Adelaide.
Berengar continued in his position as a vassal of the Empire. He intrigued with Pope John XII against Otto, and was eventually captured and imprisoned in 963.
The Lombard Berengar of Ivrea (?-966), sometimes also referred to as Berengar II of Italy, was marquess of Ivrea.
Through his mother he was a fifth generation descendant of Charlemagne.
Following the uprising he led became the effective King of Italy upon the withdrawal to Provence of Hugh of Arles, who left his young son Lothar as titular king. At the death of Lothar a few years later, in 950, Berengar seized the opportunity and declared himself king, with his son as co-king. He tried to legitimize his rule by forcing Adelaide, the respective daughter, daughter-in-law, and widow of the last three kings of Italy, into marriage with his son Adalbert. Adelaide's requests for intervention resulted in Otto I's invasion in 951, where Berengar was forced to pay homage to the Emperor (952). Otto, a widower, subsequently married Adelaide himself. Berengar was deposed by Otto, and Northern Italy came under direct control of the Holy Roman Empire.
Berengar continued in his position as a vassal of the Empire. Later (from 960) Berengar and his son Adalbert attacked Pope John XII, on whose appeal Otto marched into Rome and was crowned emperor (962). John's subsequent negotiations with Berengar caused Otto to depose the pope and capture and imprison Berengar in Germany (963).
His consort was Willa, the daughter of Boso, count of Arles and Avignon and margrave of Tuscany; she mistreated Adelaide when Berengar held her captive for several months in 951. The chronicler Liutprand of Cremona, raised at his court at Pavia, gives several particularly vivid accounts of Willa's character.[1] She was held captive in a German nunnery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berengar_II_of_Italy
Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona the Saint (c. 1113 – August 6, 1162) is most known for effecting the union between Aragon and Catalonia.
He inherited the county of Barcelona from his father Ramon Berenguer III on August 19, 1131. On August 11, 1137 in Huesca he was betrothed to the infant Petronila of Aragon, aged 3 at the time. Her father, Ramiro II of Aragon the Monk, who sought Barcelona's aid against Alfonso VII of Castile, abdicated on November 13 that same year, leaving his kingdom to Petronila and her husband. The latter essentially became ruler of Aragon, although he was never king himself, but instead Count of Barcelona, Prince of the Kingdom of Aragon. He was the last Catalan monarch to use the title of Count as his first; starting with his son Alfonso II of Aragon the counts of Barcelona styled themselves, in the first place, as kings of Aragon.
The treaty between Ramon Berenguer and his father-in-law stipulated that their descendants would rule jointly over both realms. Even should Petronila die before the marriage could be consummated, Berenguer would still inherit the title of King of Aragon. Both realms would preserve their laws, institutions and autonomy, remaining legally distinct but federated in a dynastic union under one ruling House.
Historians consider this arrangement the political masterstroke of the Hispanic Middle Ages. Both realms gained greater strength and security and Aragon got its much needed outlet to the sea. On the other hand, formation of a new political entity in the southeast at a time when Portugal seceded from Castile in the west gave more balance to the Christian kingdoms of the peninsula.
Ramon Berenguer successfully pulled Aragon out of its pledged submission to Castile, aided no doubt by the beauty and charm of his sister Berenguela, wife of Alfonso the Emperor, for which she was well-known in her time. After that, in the middle years of his rule, his attention turned to campaigns against the Moors. In 1147 he helped Castile to conquer Almería. In 1148 he turned against the lands of the Almoravid taifa kingdom of Valencia and Murcia, capturing Tortosa and, the next year, Fraga, Lleida and Mequinenza in the confluence of the Segre, Cinca and Ebro. The reconquista of the actual Catalonia was complete.
Ramon Berenger also campaigned in Provence, helping his brother Berenguer Ramon and his infant nephew Ramon Berenguer II against Counts of Toulouse. During the minority of Ramon Berenger II the Count of Barcelona also acted as the regent of Provence (between 1144 and 1157).
In 1151 Ramon Berenguer the Saint founded and endowed the royal monastery of Poblet. He died in 1162 in Borgo Sam Dalmazzo, Piedmont, Italy, leaving the title of Count of Barcelona to his eldest son Ramon Berenguer, who that same year inherited the title of King of Aragon from her mother's abdication Petronila of Aragon (Ramiro II was already dead), and, in compliment to the Aragonese, changed his name to Alfonso and became Alfonso II of Aragon, I of Catalonia. Ramon Berenguer's younger son Pedro inherited the county of Cerdanya and lands north of the Pyrenees.
Ramon Berenguer V, Count of Provence (1195 – 19 August 1245), Count of Provence and Forcalquier, was the son of Alfonso II, Count of Provence and Gersenda II of Sabran. After his father's death, Ramon was imprisoned in a castle in Aragon until he was able to escape in 1219 and claim his inheritance. He was a powerful and energetic ruler who added Forcalquier to his domain.
Ramon married (5 June 1219) Beatrice of Savoy (d. 1266), daughter of Thomas I of Savoy. She was a shrewd and politically astute woman, whose beauty was likened by Matthew Paris to that of a second Niobe. After two stillborn sons, Ramon and Beatrice of Savoy had four daughters, who all married kings.
Ramon Berenguer III the Great was the count of Barcelona, Girona, and Osona from 1082 (jointly with Berenguer Ramon II and solely from 1097), Besalú from 1111, Cerdanya from 1117, and Provence, in the Holy Roman Empire, from 1112, all until his death in Barcelona in 1131
Born in 1082 in Rodez, he was the son of Ramon Berenguer II. He succeeded his father to co-rule with his uncle Berenguer Ramon II. He became the sole ruler in 1097, when Berenguer Ramon II was forced into exile,
During his rule Catalan interests were extended on both sides of the Pyrenees. By marriage or vassalage he incorporated into his realm almost all of the Catalan counties (except those of Urgell and Peralada). He inherited the counties of Besalú (1111) and Cerdanya (1117) and in between married Douce, heiress of Provence (1112). His dominions then stretched as far east as Nice.
In alliance with the Count of Urgell, Ramon Berenguer conquered Barbastro and Balaguer. In 1118 he captured and rebuilt Tarragona, which became the metropolitan seat of the church in Catalonia (before that, Catalans had depended ecclesiastically on the archbishopric of Narbonne). He also established relations with the Italian maritime republics of Pisa and Genoa and in 1114 and 1115 raided with them the Moorish pirate strongholds of Majorca and Ibiza. They became his tributaries and many Christian slaves there were recovered and set free. Ramon Berenguer also raided mainland Muslim dependencies with Pisa's help, such as Valencia, Lleida and Tortosa.
Toward the end of his life Ramon Berenguer became a Templar. He gave his five Catalonian counties to his eldest son Ramon Berenguer IV and Provence to the younger son Berenguer Ramon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramon_Berenguer_III%2C_Count_of_Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer I el Vell ("the Old") was Count of Barcelona in 1035-1076. He promulgated the earliest versions of a written code of Catalan law, the Usages of Barcelona.
Born in 1024, he succeeded his father, Berenguer Ramon the Crooked in 1035. It is during his reign that the dominant position of Barcelona among other Catalan counties became evident.
Ramon Berenguer campaigned against the Moors, extending his dominions as far west as Barbastro and imposing heavy tributes (parias) on other Moorish cities. Historians claim that those tributes helped create the first wave of prosperity in Catalan history. During his reign Catalan maritime power started to be felt in Western Mediterranean. Ramon Berenguer the Old was also the first count of Catalonia to acquire lands (counties of Carcassonne and Razés) and influence north of the Pyrenees.
Another major achievement of his was beginning of codification of Catalan law in the written Usatges or Usatici of Barcelona which was to become the first full compilation of feudal law in Western Europe. Legal codification was part of the count's efforts to forward and somehow control the process of feudalization which started during the reign of his weak father, Berenger Ramon. Another major contributor was the Church acting through the institution of the Peace and Truce of God. This established a general truce among warring factions and lords in a given region for a given time. The earliest extant date for introducing the Truce of God in Western Europe is 1027 in Catalonia, during the reign of Ramon Berenguer the Old.
He was succeeded by his twin sons Ramon Berenguer II and Berenguer Ramon II. His sister, Sibylle of Barcelona, married Henry of Burgundy, and would become the grandmother of Alfonso Henriques, first king of Portugal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramon_Berenguer_I%2C_Count_of_Barcelona
Berengar Raymond I the Crooked, also called the Hunchback (in Spanish, Berenguer Ramón I el Corvado or el Curvo; and in Catalan, Berenguer Ramon I el Corbat) (1005-26 May 1035) was the count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona from 1015 to his death.
He was the son of Raymond Borrel, count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona and his wife Ermesinde of Carcassonne. He accepted the suzerainty of Sancho the Great of Navarre.
In 1021, he married Sancha Sánchez, daughter of Sancho I Garcés, count of Castile, with whom he had two sons: his successor, Raymond Berengar (1023), and a son Sancho. In 1027, he married secondly Gisela of Lluca, with whom he had a son, William in 1028 and a daughter, Sibylla of Barcelona, who married Henry of Burgundy and is thus an ancestor of the kings of Portugal.
Berengar Raymond as a historical figure is enigmatic, shrouded in incomprehensible contradictions and ambiguities. First, he was a man of peace, and throughout his reign peace ruled. He pacified his neighbours as well, bringing to heel the count of Urgel, Ermengol II. He reestablished amicable relations with Hugh I, count of Ampurias and maintained them with William I of Besalú and Wilfred II of Cerdagne. He was a son of the church who maintained relations with the papacy and pilgrimaged to Rome in 1032. On many occasions he travelled to Zaragoza and Navarre to discuss with Sancho III the Great, king of Navarre their mutual stance against the counts of Toulouse. His confidantes and councillors were the Abbot Oliva, the judge Ponç Bofill, Gombau de Besora, and the bishops Pedro of Gerona y Deudado of Barcelona. In 1025, he decreed that the proprietors of entails (men holding land in fee tail) were free from taxation.
On the other hand, the government of Berengar Raymond I marks the beginning of the decline of the comital power in Catalonia. Upon the death of his father (1018), Berengar Raymond was a minor and his mother Ermesinde (Ermesenda) was regent until 1023. But even when he attained his majority, his mother would not relinquish the powers of regency and reigned with him. According to some chroniclers, Berengar's character left some things to be desired. He is described as weak and indecisive. Moreover, his policy of peace with the Moors was a bone of contention with the noblesse, who saw war with Islam as a way of obtaining glory, wealth, and possibly even salvation. This lead some nobles to act outside the count's wishes. Ermesinde, contra her son, was energetic and decisive, intent on imposing the authority of Barcelona on the baronage. But, as a woman, her exercising control of the military was greatly impeded and organising a raid or other expedition to satisfy the itches of the aristocracy was next to nothing.
The obliteration of comital authority became very evident shortly before his death in 1035. Her partitioned his patrimony amongst his sons: Raymond Berengar received Gerona and Barcelona as far as Llobregat; Sancho the frontierland from the Llobregat to the Moorish lands, which constituted the county of Penedés with its capital in Olérdola; and William Ausona.
He died on May 26, 1035 and was burried in Santa María de Ripoll. He was succeeded in Barcelona and Gerona by his son by his first wife, Raymond Berengar; in the new county by Sancho, son of his first wife also; and in Ausona by William, son of his second wife.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berenguer_Ramon_I%2C_Count_of_Barcelona
Wilfred I, called the Hairy (Guifré el Pilós in Catalan; Vifredo el Velloso, also Wilfredo, Wifredo, Guifredo, or Guilfredo in Spanish), was de facto count of Urgell (870-897), Cerdanya (870-897), Barcelona (878-897), Girona (878-897), Besalú (878-897), and Ausona (886-897); he was not, however, count de jure until 878.
Wilfred was of Gothic lineage of the region of Carcassone. Traditionally, he was born near Prades in the county of Conflent, now Rià, in Rousillon, France. Count of Urgel and Cerdanya since 870, he received the counties of Barcelona, Gerona, and Besalú in 878 from the Carolingian king of France, Louis the Stammerer. His reign coincided with the crumbling of Carolingian authority and unity. He was thus the last count of the Hispanic March appointed by the French king and the first to transmit his vast holdings as an inheritance to his sons (nonetheless sanctioned by the monarch). For all of this he is generally regard as the founder of an independent Catalonia.
Some of his most important acts were the repopulation of the long depopulated no-man's land around Vic (the county of Ausona, a frontier between Christian and Moslem), the reestablishment of the bishopric of Vic, and the foundation of the monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll, where he is buried.
According to legend, he was the son of Wilfred of Arriaount (or Wilfred of Arri), a county near Prades. His father was murdered by Salomón and Wilfred became his avenger, killing the assassin. Nevertheless, at the time of Ramón de Abadal's study, he was considered to be the son of Sunifred I of Barcelona, count of many counties under Louis the Pious and Charles the Bald. Sunifred was the son of Belló, count of Carcassonne during the reign of Charlemagne. Thus, as a descendant of Sunifred and his brother, Sunyer I, count of Ampurias and Rousillon (834-848), he was a member of the Bellonid dynasty.
More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_the_Hairy
Bermudo I (also Vermudo or Veremund) was the king of Asturias from 788 or 789 to 791. His nickname, the Deacon, was supposedly given because of his having been a deacon before becoming king. He was a son of Fruela, brother of King Alfonso I, and brother of King Aurelius.
The rest of his reign saw Moorish raids into Álava and Galicia. He was defeated badly at Bierzo and abdicated the throne in 791, returning to his frock. Nevertheless, he was considered a generous and illustrious man in his time.
Oliba Cabreta (c.920 – 990) was the count of Cerdanya from 965 and count of Besalú from 984 until his abdication in 988. He was the fourth son of Miro II and Ava. He inherited Cerdanya from his eldest brother Sunifred II and Besalú from his elder brother Miro III. He was originally under the tutelage of his mother from his father's death in 927.
During his tenure he added Berga and Ripoll to his domains. In 979, Roger I of Carcassonne ceded Capcir to him. In 984, he assumed the direction of all his father's counties when his last brother died withour heirs.
Oliba travelled twice to Rome, first in 968 with the Abbot Garin of Cuixá and second in 988 on his journey to Montecassino, the monastery to which he retired. He divided his lands betwixt his three eldest sons: Bernard received Besalú and Ripoll, Wilfred received Cerdanya, and Oliba received Berga. His fourth son, Berengar, became bishop of Elne. He also had a legitimate daughter named Adelaide, who married John d'Oriol, lord of Sales. By his mistress, Ingeberga de Besora, he had a daughter named Ingeberga who became abbess of Sant Joan de Ripoll. His wife Ermengard of Ampurias, daughter of Count Gausbert, acted as regent for his sons and he lived out his days in Italy until 990.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliba_Cabreta
Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (1104 – 5 April 1168), also known as Robert "Le Bossu" (meaning "Robert the Uneven" in French), was an English nobleman of French ancestry. He was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester and Elizabeth de Vermandois, the twin brother of Waleran de Beaumont.
The two brothers, Robert and Waleran, were adopted into the royal household shortly after their father's death (upon which instance Robert inherited all of his father's hereditary titles, chiefly Earl of Leicester). They accompanied King Henry I among various missions, firstly to Normandy, then to meet with Pope Callixtus II in 1119. In 1135, the two twins were present at King Henry's deathbed; the monarch's death led to The Anarchy (under the weak rule of King Stephen), and Robert eventually captured his rival, Roger de Tosny. In June of 1139, the inseparable brothers led the actions against Roger of Salisbury (the Bishop of Salisbury) and Alexander (the Bishop of Lincoln); the former was killed in December of that year, while the latter survived for eight more years.
King Stephen had taken the two brothers as his personal advisors; the two brothers remained in his confidence for several decades. However, after Stephen's compromise with his cousin, Matilda (wherein Henry, Matilda's son, would succeed Stephen as king), the twins provided Henry, soon to be crowned Henry II of England, with "means for his struggle." Thereafter, the brothers were in the new monarch's confidence, as evidenced by Robert's appointment as chief justiciar and as a hereditary steward; eventually, he bought out Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk (another noble who enjoyed the confidence of the crown) and is considered the first Lord High Steward of England. Robert enjoyed a high status in Henry's court, even acting as head of the kingdom (in a vice-regal capacity) for a time. His name appeared at the top of the Constitutions of Clarendon, and he was present at the Council of Northampton.
He founded, in addition to St. Mary de Pré, the abbey of Garendon, the monastery of Nuneaton, the priory of Lusfield, and the hospital of Brackley, and was a liberal benefactor to many other houses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_de_Beaumont%2C_2nd_Earl_of_Leicester