Richard the Justiciar (858–921), also known as Richard of Autun, was count of Autun from 880 and the first margrave and duke of Burgundy. He attained suzerainty over all the counties of Burgundy save Mâcon, and by 890, he was referred to as dux (duke) and by 900 as marchio (margrave). By 918, he was being called dux Burgundionem or dux Burgundiae, which probably signified less the existence of a unified Burgundian duchy than feudal suzerainty over a multiplicity of counties in a specific region.

Life

Richard was a Bosonid, the son of Bivin of Gorze and Richildis. His elder brother was Boso of Provence and his younger sister was Richildis, second wife of Charles the Bald.

In 875, after the death of the Emperor Louis II, Richard and Boso accompanied Charles to Italy for his imperial coronation. In February 876, in Pavia, while preparing for his return journey, Charles nominated Boso "Duke and Viceroy of Italy and Duke of Provence". In 877, on Charles's death, Boso returned to France and confided the realm of Italy and the Duchy of Provence to Richard and Hugh the Abbot as missi dominici.

thumb|Map of the three parts in the old [[Kingdom of Burgundy, ca 900.

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In 879, Boso declared himself "King of Provence" following the death of Louis the Stammerer, but Richard defected from Boso and took Boso's county of Autun, which Carloman II confirmed to him in 880. The two joined battle on the Saône and Richard captured Mâcon and garrisoned it in the name of Carloman and Louis III under the command of Bernard Plantapilosa, a relative of the hereditary counts of Mâcon. After taking Lyon, he besieged his brother's capital of Vienne, where he was joined by Louis, Carloman, and the emperor Charles the Fat. Richard eventually drove Boso out in 882 and captured his wife Ermengard and children Engelberga and Louis, sending them as prisoners to Autun. Boso went into hiding in Provence.

<!---Boso died on 11 January 887 and Ermengard was named regent of Provence while Richard received all of Boso's honores. From this investment by Charles the Fat can be dated Richard's ascendant power in Burgundy-Provence, which comprised the counties of Autun, Chalon-sur-Saone, Langres, Nevers, Auxerre, and Troyes.--->After the death of Charles the Fat in 888, Richard supported the claim of Duke Rudolph to be King of Upper Burgundy and married his sister Adelaide, daughter of Conrad II of Auxerre. Richard also supported the coronation of his nephew Louis as King of Provence in 890.

<!---In 888, on the plains of Saint-Florentin, he defeated the Vikings that had invaded Burgundy and devastated the village of Bèze. With the support of Géran, Bishop of Auxerre, he defeated Rollo in a decisive confrontation near Chartres in 911, relieving the siege of the city.

In 894–895, Richard conquered the county of Sens and took the title of lay abbot of Sainte-Colombe. He finally entered into possession of Auxerre — which had belonged to his brother — only at the beginning of the next century. He then took over the lay abbacy of Saint-Germain d'Auxerre too. In 898, he was authorised by Odo to fuse his counties and take the title margrave (marchio) and later, between 918 and 921, duke (dux) of Burgundy. He extended his control over the dioceses of Autun, Langres, and Troyes.

When Odo died in 898, Richard was one of the leading magnates to contend for the succession, but, like the rest, he accepted Charles the Simple as king. That same year, the Vikings wintered between Tonnerre and Montbard, but Richard surprised them and defeated them at Argenteuil-sur-Armançon, then again at Saint-Florentin, repulsing the invaders from the Seine Valley.

At the court of Courtenot in 901, Richard acted as true sovereign of Burgundy when he mediated a conflict between the monks of Montiéramey and Renard, Count of Bar. Richard was also the most important royal councillor at the time.--->Richard died and was buried at Sens. He was exhorted by a bishop at his deathbed to beg a pardon for shedding so much blood in his life. He responded:

Family

By his wife Adelaide (married 888), daughter of Conrad II, Count of Auxerre, and Waldrada of Worms, he had several sons and daughters:

  • Rudolph, successor and later King of Francia
  • Hugh the Black, later Duke of Burgundy
  • Boso, married Bertha, daughter of Boso, Margrave of Tuscany
  • Ermengard, married Gilbert, Duke of Burgundy
  • Adelaide, married Reginar II, Count of Hainaut
  • Richilda, married Litaud I, Count of Mâcon

See also

  • Dukes of Burgundy family tree

References

Sources

  • Bouchard, Constance B. "The Bosonids or Rising to Power in the Late Carolingian Age." French Historical Studies, Vol. 15, No. 3. (Spring, 1988), pp 407–431.