Bernard of Septimania

Bernat of Septimania was a Count of Barcelona who governed from 826 to 832 and, by second time, from 835 to 844. He was the successor of the Frank Rampó and was the visible head of the party of the war against the Musulmans, and for Frankish (or rather opposed to the interest of the local goth nobility)

After the designation, a magnat called Aissó, perhaps a goth liutenant of the ex count Berà, or perhaps an Arab (Aysun) son of Sulayman al-Arabi, that was residing confined in Aachen from an indeterminate date, escaped of his captivity arriving to the Hispanic March, to the region of Vic, where the garrisons of the castles of the zone, that they had to be favorable to Berà, were joined to him in a revolt against the new count. Alone the castle of Roda de Ter, in the county of Ausona was resisted and it was destroyed by the revolted. Many goth noble are joined to Aissó and, between them, Guillemó or Guillemundus, son of Berà, that was yet count of Rasez and Conflent. Even they were recruited some moslem supporters of the peace with the Francs. From the central zone that was occupying, Aissó submitted to punishment to the county of Cerdanya and to the region of the Vallés. The young count Bernat, that it did not is yet thirty years old, requested and received some help from the Emperor, as well as of some noble local goths or "hispani" (826). Because of this Aissó it was seen obligated to request help of the aline power that were able to do as compared to the Francs, the emir of Córdoba, and he sent an embassy presided by his brother, requesting help to Abd al-Rahman II. This sent to the general Ubayd Allah known also as Abu Marwan, that it arrived to Zaragoza in May 827. From there it happened to territory of the county of Barcelona, reaching Barcelona in summer, that it was besieged without success, ransacking its surroundings. Happened then to Girona that either they could occupy (October 10, 827). Louis I the Pious, while, knowing the Musulman raid, ordered to his son Pippin I of Aquitania, and to the counts Hugo of Tours and Matfred of Orleans, the recruitment of an army, but the recruitment was slow and when it was formed already Abu Merwan was returning to its dominances. The rebels abandoned the country with them (827). Probably Aissó was sheltered in Córdoba, where afterwards, suspicious of conspiracy, it was murdered by order of the emir. Also Guillemó it had to finish his days in Córdoba.

The victory increased the prestige of Bernat. Though the county of Ausona, dependent of Barcelona, remained depopulated by middle century, its ruin was attributed to Hugo of Tours and Matfred of Orleans by their lateness in attending. Both counts were dispossessed of their counties in the Assambly of Aachen 828, and Orleans was granted to Eudes, parent of Bernat (count of Orleans, Nevers and Autun from 828 to 834 in which died combatting to the forces of Lothar). Gaucelm received the feoffments from Conflent and Rasez . As the count Leibulf of Narbonne had expired in the spring of the 828, his vast dominances were attributed to Bernat: Narbonne, Beziers, Agde, Melguelh, Nimes and probably Uzes. Because of this it was known as Bernat duke of Septimania (or simply Bernat of Septimania). In the Assembly of Ingelheim June 828 was considered to effect a reprisal raid to cordobese territory, but though an army was gathered in Thionville did not arrive to enter the dominances of Bernat upon disappearing the Musulman threat, whose leaders were seeming have resigned to a new assault.

In August 829 the Emperor sent to his son Lothar to Italy, with the title of king. To substitute to him in the court, he called to Bernat of Septimania, with the title of camerarius, having the custody of the child Charles (then Charles the Bald). Bernat relied the government of his counties to his brother Gaucelm, that, because of this, also it was called "marquis". To the few months of be in the court Bernat had been created many enemies that made to run the rumor of a illicit relationship with the Empress, Judit of Baviera, what provoked a riot in the army gathered in Rennes to combat to the britons in April 830. Threatened seriously, since the three greater children of Louis the Pious were supporting the current against Bernat, this abandoned the court and returned to his dominances of Septimania and Gothia. A brother of Bernat that was remained in the court, Eribert, it was banished. For a time Lothar triumphed on father Louis I, but this recovered the power in the Assembly of Nimega in October 830, and in the Assembly of Aachen in February 831 was proceeded to an allotment of the Empire in the one which the Gothia was assigned to Carlos the Bald, though the allotment would not be effective until the dead of Louis the Pious. Bernat attempted be linked of new to Judit and Carlos the Bald, but these, after what is happened, they avoided be related to the marquis. In the Assembly of Thionville, October 831, Bernat could speak personally with the Emperor, but not served to him to reciver his previous position in the court. Because of this Bernat opted for changing of party.

In November 831, Pippin of Aquitaine was revolted against his father. His counselor Berenguer, count of Toulouse from 814 and counselor of Pipino from 816, advises to him be not revolted but Bernat of Septimania instigates to him to the revolt. In the beginning of 832 Louis the Piuos begins the campaign against his rebellious son. Berenguer, loyal to the Emperor penetrated in the dominances of Bernat being empowered of some of they, with safety of Rosselló (with Vallespir), probably also of Rasez and Conflent. February 2, 832 Berenguer already is in Elna. Finally in autumn of the same year, successive victories of the imperial forces, compel to Pippin and Bernat to appear before the Emperor (October). Pipin was dispossessed of his kingdom and sent prisoner to Trier, being conceded his territories to Charles (the Bald). Bernat was accused of infidelity and dismissed of all his possessions in Septimania and Gothia that they were delivered to Berenguer of Toulouse or Berenguer of Toulouse. Probably Gaucelm was also dispossessed of his counties, but by a time preserved the county of Empúries no respecting his dismissal. Finally in the year 833, by the mediation of the abbot Angenís of Fontanelle, resigned and departed toward properties of the family in Burgundy, togheter his staunch liutenant Sanila. Gaucelm and Sanila were executed by have defended Chalon-sur-Saône against the assault of Lothar in 834 (even it was murdered a nun, sister of Gaucelm and of Bernat of Septimania, called Gerberga). In this last war, where Lothar was defeated, Bernat and Gaucelm fought to the side of Pippin of Aquitania, one of those which finally left victorious. Bernat of Septimania, alleging the high price of blood paid in the struggle, claimed the return of his old dominances. Berenguer was possesing them legally and his party also left winning of the struggle, though weakened. The Emperor doubting as acting. In June 835 summoned to Bernat and Berenguer to an Assembly in Cremieux, near Lyon, where would be taken a decision, but in the trip Berenguer died in unexpected form. Already without obstacle, the Emperor attributed the counties of Septimania, Gothia and Toulouse to Bernat. Only Empúries and Rosselló, that they had been already they attributed to the counts Sunyer and Alaric, and Urgell and Cerdanya that they had been separated of Toulouse by usurpation of Aznar I Galíndez and that to be expelled had been attributed to Sunifred brother of the count Oliba of Carcasonne, were lacking to Bernat to complete the great territorial batch that there was managing Berenguer.

Bernat returned to act without taking into account especially the desires of the population of goth origin that before had supported to Berà and then to Berenguer. Ten of complaint were presented against him in the Assembly of Quierzy-sur-Oise in September 838. From 841 was often absent participating in the struggles of the Empire, and the counties were administered by their respective vicecounts. In the battle of Fontenoy-en-Puysay (June 25, 841) Charles the Bald and Louis the Germanic defeated to their brother Lothar that however it could be refolded to the South with his army. Bernat stayed in the surroundings of the battlefield, waiting its resulted, and upon finishing, sending to his son Guillem to offer homage to Charles the Bald, and to promise him that his father would obtain the submission of Pipin II of Aquitania (something that it did not had intention of accomplishing). During the campaign of Charless the Bald in Aquitania of the year 842, decided to punish Bernat, dispossessed to him of the county of Toulouse that delivered to the count Acfred (July 842), but Bernat refused to accept the decision and was revolted openly allied to Pipin II, expelling to Acfred from Toulouse (843). The count (ducem) Guerín of Provence, that on 842 directed the campaign in Aquitania, happened to combat in Septimania. Various external facts (the Norman invasion, the briton revolt) compelled to cease the civil struggles, and in August 843 was signed the Treaty of Verdun that was distributing the Empire, remaining Septimania and Gothia in the batch of Charles the Bald, unless the county of Uzes, where Bernat was possessing patrimonial goods, that was assigned to Lothar. Furthermore the county of Autun, claimed by Guillem, son of Bernat, it was trusted to Guerín, rival of Bernat. In 844 Charles the Bald returns to Aquitania with the objective of submitting to Pipin II and to conquer Toulouse. Seem that in a luck blow, Bernat of Septimania was captured by the imperial forces perhaps during the assault on Toulouse. A French historian, Pierre Andoque, maintains that Bernat was captured advanced the year 843 by the duke Guerín in Uzes, and that 844 was carried before Carlos when this travel to Aquitania. It will be as were in May 844 Bernat was presented to Charles after his recent or no longer so recent apprehension, who ordered its execution. Nevertheless Pipin II and Guillem, son of Bernat, violated a severe rout to Carlos in Angumois June 14, 844, and thus the followers of Bernat were not totally eliminated.