King of the Lombards of the Carolingian Dynasty (King of Italy) 810 to 818. Bernard was the illegitimate son of King Pepin of Italy, also known as Carloman. Bernard married a Cunigunde and had one son, Pepin, the Count of Vermandois. When his father died in 810, his grandfather, Charlemagne, allowed Bernard to inherit his father's kingdom despite the fact Bernard was illegitimate, as was his father. Bernard then became a trusted agent of both his grandfather and his uncle, Louis the Pious, King of Aquitaine and King of the Franks. Empress Ermengarde, the wife of Louis, wanted Bernard to be displaced in favor of her own sons, causing her husband to draw up the Ordinatio Imperii, a detail the future of the Frankish Empire where Bernard's position in Italy was confirmed but he would be a vassal to Lothair, Louis's eldest son. Bernard gathered many allies including Louis's own brothers in a plot to rebel against Lothair and Louis, who discovered the plot, taking Bernard by surprise in Chalon. He was then taken to Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen, Germany) and condemned to death. Louis commuted the sentence to blinding, such a traumatic event that Bernard died two days later. Louis's half brothers Drago, Hugh and Theoderic were confined to monasteries, the remaining co-conspirators were treated severely, losing all properties, rights or their lives. Bernard's kingdom of Italy was absorbed into the Frankish Kingdom and given to Lothair. In the following years, Louis would confess to Bernard's murder in a public display of penance. It is believed that Bernard was beloved by his people and Louis's sentence upon Bernard created an upheaval in Italy. His penance was "a well-judged gesture to restore harmony and re-establish his authority."
King of the Lombards of the Carolingian Dynasty (King of Italy) 810 to 818. Bernard was the illegitimate son of King Pepin of Italy, also known as Carloman. Bernard married a Cunigunde and had one son, Pepin, the Count of Vermandois. When his father died in 810, his grandfather, Charlemagne, allowed Bernard to inherit his father's kingdom despite the fact Bernard was illegitimate, as was his father. Bernard then became a trusted agent of both his grandfather and his uncle, Louis the Pious, King of Aquitaine and King of the Franks. Empress Ermengarde, the wife of Louis, wanted Bernard to be displaced in favor of her own sons, causing her husband to draw up the Ordinatio Imperii, a detail the future of the Frankish Empire where Bernard's position in Italy was confirmed but he would be a vassal to Lothair, Louis's eldest son. Bernard gathered many allies including Louis's own brothers in a plot to rebel against Lothair and Louis, who discovered the plot, taking Bernard by surprise in Chalon. He was then taken to Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen, Germany) and condemned to death. Louis commuted the sentence to blinding, such a traumatic event that Bernard died two days later. Louis's half brothers Drago, Hugh and Theoderic were confined to monasteries, the remaining co-conspirators were treated severely, losing all properties, rights or their lives. Bernard's kingdom of Italy was absorbed into the Frankish Kingdom and given to Lothair. In the following years, Louis would confess to Bernard's murder in a public display of penance. It is believed that Bernard was beloved by his people and Louis's sentence upon Bernard created an upheaval in Italy. His penance was "a well-judged gesture to restore harmony and re-establish his authority."
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