Berengar of Gascony

Berengar (French: Bérenger or Bélenger, Latin: Berengarius or Belengarius, Spanish: Berenguer) was the eldest son of Alausia, daughter of Sancho VI of Gascony, and Hilduin, Count of Angoulême. He succeeded to the Duchy of Gascony on Sancho's death in 1032.

He was either opposed immediately by his cousin Odo or acted as regent on his behalf. Either way, he appears to have been in power until his death in 1036, when Odo succeeded him.[1]

In a charter dated to the episcopate of Geoffrey of Bordeaux, Berengar appears as Belengarius comes Vuasconiçe ac burdegalensis provinçie.[2] Some have attempted to identify him with Berengar Raymond I of Barcelona, who was married to Sancho's sister Sancha (or Garcie), but this is impossible.

Though he is titled only as count in this and in the cartulary of Sain-Seurin,[3] his charter contains a lozenge-shaped place for the attaching of a seal at the lower right, implying that he ruled in his own right as duke. He donated all the land of the Cadaujac with it dependencies to the church of Bordeaux, which appears to have been united still to Gascony at that time.

Notes

  1. ↑ Cawley, Charles, FMG, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, retrieved August 2012,
  2. ↑ Higounet, p 104. "Berengar, count of Gascony and the province of Bordeaux." Higounet calls him "pseudo-Bérenger."
  3. ↑ Higounet, p 107 n93. He appears, out of order, alongside other Gascon dukes — Sancho, Odo, and William — as Vasconie comites.

Sources