1. Zwentibold was born during the long reign of his great-grandfather, King Louis the German in East Francia.
10 Facts About Zwentibold
1. 2.
Zwentibold was the first-born, yet illegitimate, son of Arnulf of Carinthia and his concubine Vinburga.
3.
Zwentibold's father was an illegitimate son of Carloman of Bavaria, the eldest son of Louis the German.
4.
Zwentibold was named after his godfather Svatopluk, ruler of Great Moravia.
5.
When Zwentibold came of age, he intervened in the scramble for the throne in West Francia between Count Odo of Paris and Charles the Simple, but they began to cooperate against Zwentibold, when it became apparent that he intended to become king of West Francia.
6.
Zwentibold's retreat was nonetheless seen as a failure, but after learning details of the campaign, Arnulf summoned a stronger army and personally led it to Italy and took Pavia a few months later.
7.
Zwentibold was fighting unruly nobles when his father Arnulf died in 899 and the legitimate son Louis the Child became king of East Francia at the age of six.
8.
Zwentibold attempted to take advantage of the succession of his minor half-brother to establish complete independence for his Lotharingian kingdom.
9.
However, under his reign the East Frankish realm disintegrated and from 903 Zwentibold's kingdom was administered by the Lahngau Count Gebhard, a scion of the Conradine dynasty, who received the title of Duke of Lorraine.
10.
Zwentibold had three daughters, who are mentioned in the Gesta episcoporum Leodensium:.