House of Ivrea Maison d'Ivrée Anscarids |
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Royal family | |
Country |
Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of Italy Frankish Empire Papal States County of Burgundy Galicia, Castile and León |
Titles | |
Founded | 9th century |
Founder | Anscar I |
Final ruler | Italy: Arduin Burgundy: Philip I Castile, Galicia and León: Peter |
Dissolution | 1369 |
Ethnicity | Frank-Burgundian |
Cadet branches |
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The Anscarids (Latin: Anscarii) or the House of Ivrea were a medieval Frankish dynasty of Burgundian origin which rose to prominence in Italy in the tenth century, even briefly holding the Italian throne. They also ruled the County of Burgundy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and it was one of their members who first declared himself a count palatine. A cadet branch ruled the Kingdom of Galicia from 1111 and the Kingdoms of Castile and León from 1126 until 1369. The House of Trastamara, which ruled in Castile, Aragon, Naples, and Navarre at various points between the late 14th and early 16th centuries, was an illegitimate cadet branch of the family.
The founder of the family's fortunes was a petty Burgundian count named Anscar, who, with the support of his powerful brother, the archbishop of Rheims Fulk the Venerable, brought Guy III of Spoleto to Langres to be crowned King of France in 887. Their plot failing, Anscar accompanied Guy back to Italy to seek that vacant throne and, in gratefulness to Anscar, Guy created the March of Ivrea to bestow on his Burgundian faithful. Anscar's descendants held the march until 1030. Perhaps the most illustrious scion of the house was his grandson Berengar, the first of three Anscarids to be crowned king of Italy.