BERENGAB. I., King of Italy, was the son of Eberhard. duke of Friuli, and of Gisela, the daughterpf the emperor Louis the pious. He and'Guido, duke of Spoleto, were the two most powerful and ambitious nobles in Italy at tbe close of the 9th century. After the deposition of Charles the fat in 887, B., Guido, and Adalhert. coma of Tuscany, became candidates for the Carlovingian throne, B. was crowned, king of Italy at Pavia in 833, while Guido attempted to secure the realm. of Frame. The former soon irritated the nobles against him by condescending to hold" his territory in lief from Arintlf, king of Germany, against whom he found it vain to maintain his independence; and when Guido returned from his unsuccessful expedition to France, he waS persuaded to put himself in opposition to B., and was chosen king, of Italy. With the help of Armilf, however, B, ultimately prevailed. After the death of Guido in 894, his son lambert compelled B. to share with. him the sovereignty, of n. Italy; but, on the assassination of
Lambert in 89$. B. contrived to obtain possession. of, the whole of Lombardy. His Influence quickly sank. He cupid check neither the plundering incursimiS of the Hun garians across the Alps in the n., nor those of the Arabs, laid waste the shores of the south. The nobles now called in Louis, king of lower Burgundy, who was crowned i at Rome in 901; but he proved no better, and •is finally twerpOwered by Borengar. In 915. B. was crowned emperor by pope John X.; but the nobles, who appear to nave kept themselves during his reign in a state of chronic disaffection, again revolted, and, in 919, placed themselves under the banner of liodolf of Burgundy, who completely overthrew B. on the 29th July, 923. The latter, in his extremity, called in the Hun garians to his aid, which unpatriotic act alienated the minds of all Italians from him, and cost him his life, for he was assassinated in. the following year, 9'24. .