Louis III "the Blind" of Italy (880-28 June 928) was King of Provence from 887 to 928 (succeeding Boso of Provence and preceding Hugh of Arles), King of Italy from 900 to 905 (succeeding Arnulf of Carinthia and preceding Berengar I of Italy), and Holy Roman Emperor from 901 to 905 (succeeding Arnulf of Carinthia and preceding Berengar I of Italy). Louis was the son of Boso of Provence and grandson of Louis II of Italy, and he was blinded by Hugh of Italy when he attempted to invade his kingdom.
Biography[]
King of Provence[]
Louis was born in 880, son of Boso of Provence and Ermengard of Italy. He succeeded his father as King of Provence at the age of seven, but his kingdom had lost Upper Burgundy to Rudolph I of Burgundy and French Burgundy to Richard of Burgundy. Ermengard acted as regent for him, and he was later adopted by Charles the Fat, Holy Roman Emperor. He was crowned junior king of Germany, but he would be vassal to Arnulf of Carinthia, the son of Louis the German and a relative of Charles the Fat. His father, however, supported Louis before his death, as Louis was related to King Louis II. In 894, Louis paid homage to Arnulf and campaigned against the Saracens in 896, fighting against the pirates of Fraxinet in Provence.
Conquest of Italy[]
In 900, various Italian lords (including Adalbert II of Tuscany) invited Louis to Italy, as Berengar of Friuli had failed to protect the Italians from the invading Magyars. He chased Berengar out of Pavia and was crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy on 12 October 900, becoming King of Italy. In 901, he was also crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome, but in 902 Berengar defeated Louis' army and forced him to retreat to Provence, making him swear never to return. However, Adalbert I of Ivrea convinced him to lead a second invasion in 905, and he once more threw Berengar out of Pavia. Adalard of Verona supported his takeover, but Berengar's partisans in Verona helped Berengar to return to the city with Bavarian troops. Louis was captured at the Church of St. Peter, and his eyes were put out for breaking his oath. He relinquished the Italian and imperial crowns, and he ruled Provence until his death.