{{Infobox Monarch
| name =Arnulf of Carinthia
| title =Holy Roman Emperor, King of East Francia
| image =[[Image:Die deutschen Kaiser Arnulph.jpg|200px]]
| caption =Later romantic portrait of Arnulf.
| reign =[[November]] [[887]] – [[8 December]] [[899]]
| coronation =Crowned Holy Roman Emperor: [[22 February]] [[896]], [[Rome]]
| othertitles =King of Italy
| full name =
| predecessor =[[Charles the Fat]]
| successor =[[Louis the Child]]
| suc-type =
| heir =
| queen =[[Ota, wife of Arnulf of Carinthia|Ota]]
| consort =
| spouse 1 =
| spouse 2 =
| spouse 3 =
| spouse 4 =
| spouse 5 =
| spouse 6 =
| issue =[[Louis the Child]]
| royal house =[[Carolingian Dynasty]]
| dynasty =
| royal anthem =
| father =[[Carloman of Bavaria]]
| mother =Liutswind
| date of birth =850
| place of birth =
| date of death =[[8 December]] [[899]]
| place of death =
| date of burial =
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|}}
'''Arnulf of Carinthia''' ([[Slovenian language|Slovenian]] ''Arnulf Koroški'', [[German language|German]] ''Arnulf von Kärnten'') ([[850]] – [[December 8]] [[899]]) was the [[Carolingian]] [[King of Germany|King of East Francia]]<ref>East Francia had been split from the rest of [[Frankish Realm]] by the [[Treaty of Verdun]] in [[843]]. It evolved into [[Germany]] after the Carolingian eclipse.</ref> from [[887]] and [[Holy Roman Emperor]] from 896 until his death. He was the illegitimate son of [[Carloman, King of Bavaria]], and his concubine, Liutswind,<ref>Also ''Litwinde'' or ''Litwindie''</ref> of Carantanian (Slovenian) origin, daughter of one Count Ernst. He was given the [[Duchy of Carinthia]] (a Frankish vassal state and successor of the ancient [[Principality of Karantania]]) by his father when he divided his realm, giving [[Bavaria]] to [[Louis the Younger]] and the [[Kingdom of Italy (Medieval)|Kingdom of Italy]] to [[Charles the Fat]], in [[880]] on his death.
He spent his childhood in Karantania, homeland of his mother. Carloman had a court there, in [[Moosburg, Austria|Moosburg]] (then ''Blatograd''), where the young Arnulf grew up. From later events it is evident that the Karantanians ([[Slovenians]]), from an early time, treated him as their own Duke.
When, in [[882]], [[Engelschalk II]] rebelled against the [[margrave of Austria]], [[Aribo of Austria|Aribo]], and ignited the so-called [[Wilhelminer War]], Arnulf supported him and even accepted his and his brother's homage. This ruined Arnulf's relationship with his uncle the emperor and put him at war with [[Svatopluk of Moravia]]. [[Pannonia]] was invaded, but Arnulf refused to give up the young Wilhelminers. Arnulf did not make peace with Svatopluk until late [[885]], by which time the Moravian was a man of the emperor. Some scholars see this war as destroying Arnulf's hopes at succeeded Charles.
He took the leading role in the deposition of his uncle, the [[Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor]] [[Charles the Fat]]. With the support of the nobles, Arnulf held a diet and deposed Charles in November 887, under threat of military action. Charles peacefully went into his involuntary retirement, but not without first chastising his nephew for his treachery and asking only for a few royal villas in [[Swabia]], which Arnulf mercifully granted him, on which to live out his final months. Arnulf was elected by the nobles of the realm (only the eastern realm, though Charles had ruled the whole of the Frankish lands) and assumed his title of King.
Arnulf was not a negotiator, but a fighter. At the decisive [[Battle of Leuven]] in September [[891]], he defeated an invading force of the Northmen, or [[Vikings]], essentially ending their invasions on that front. The ''[[Annales Fuldenses]]'' report that the bodies of dead Northmen blocked the run of the river. After his victory, Arnulf built a new [[castle]] on an island in the [[Dijle]] river (Dutch: Dijle, English and French: Dyle).<ref>[[Latin]] ''Luvanium'', local ''Lovon''.</ref>
In [[893]] or [[894]], [[Great Moravia]] probably lost a part of its territory — present-day Western [[Hungary]] — to him. Arnulf, however, failed to conquer the whole of Great Moravia when he attempted it in [[892]], [[893]], and [[899]]. In 895, [[Bohemia]] broke away from Great Moravia and became his vassal. An accord was made between him and the [[Duke of Bohemia|Bohemian Duke]] [[Borivoj I of Bohemia|Borivoj I]] (reigned [[870]]-[[895]]); Bohemia was thus freed from the dangers of invasion.
In [[893]], [[Pope Formosus]], not trusting the newly crowned co-emperors [[Guy III of Spoleto|Guy]] and [[Lambert II of Spoleto|Lambert]], sent an embassy to [[Regensburg]] to request Arnulf come and liberate [[Italy]], where he would be crowned in [[Rome]]. Arnulf sent his son [[Zwentibold]] with a Bavarian army to join [[Berengar of Friuli]]. They defeated Guy, but were bought off and left in autumn. Arnulf then personally led an army across the [[Alps]] early in [[894]]. He conquered all of the territory north of the [[Po River|Po]], but went no further before Guy died suddenly in late autumn. Lambert and his mother [[Ageltrude]] travelled to Rome to receive papal confirmation of his imperial succession, but Formosus, still desiring to crown Arnulf, was imprisoned in [[Castel Sant'Angelo]].
In September [[895]], a new embassy arrived in Regensburg beseeching Arnulf's aid. In October, Arnulf undertook his second campaign into Italy. He crossed the Alps quickly and took [[Pavia]], but then he continued slowly, garnering support among the nobility of [[Tuscany]]. First [[Maginulf, Count of Milan]], and then [[Walfred, Count of Pavia]], joined him. Eventually even the [[Adalbert II of Tuscany|Margrave Adalbert II]] abandoned Lambert. Finding Rome locked against him and held by Ageltrude, he had to take the city by force on [[21 February]] [[896]], freeing the pope. Arnulf was there crowned King and Emperor by Formosus on [[22 February]]. He only retained power in Italy as long as he was personally there. Arnulf marched on [[Spoleto]], where Ageltrude had fled to join Lambert, but he suffered a stroke and had to call off the campaign. That same year, Formosus died, leaving Lambert once again in power. Rumours of the time made Arnulf's condition to be a result of poisoning at the hand of Ageltrude. He returned to Germany and had no more control in Italy for the rest of his life.
On Arnulf's death in [[899]], he was succeeded as a king of the East Franks by his son by his wife [[Ota, wife of Arnulf of Carinthia|Ota]] († 903), [[Louis the Child]]. Arnulf's illegitimate son [[Zwentibold]], whom he had made [[King of Lotharingia]] in 895, continued to rule there until the next year ([[900]]).
==Notes==
<references/>
{{start}}
{{s-hou|[[Carolingian dynasty]]|850||8 December|899|name=Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Charles the Fat|Charles III]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Frankish Kings|King of East Francia]]|years=887 – 899}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Louis the Child]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Lambert II of Spoleto|Lambert]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Holy Roman Emperor|(Holy) Roman Emperor]] <br/> <small> Disputed by: [[Lambert II of Spoleto|Lambert of Spoleto]] 896-898 </small>|years=896 – 899}}
{{s-aft|rows=|after=[[Louis the Blind]]}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Italy]]|years=[[896]] – [[899]] <br/>With [[Ratold of Italy|Ratold]] (896) <br><small>disputed by:</small><br><small>[[Lambert II of Spoleto|Lambert of Spoleto]] (896 – 898)</small> <br><small>[[Berengar I of Italy|Berengar I]] (896 – 899)</small>}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Lambert II of Spoleto|Lambert]]}}
{{end}}
{{Holy Roman Emperors}}
{{German monarchs}}
[[Category:Franks]]
[[Category:Frankish people]]
[[Category:Frankish kings]]
[[Category:Carolingian dynasty]]
[[Category:Holy Roman emperors]]
[[Category:850 births]]
[[Category:899 deaths]]
[[ang:Earnulf Carendran]]
[[ca:Arnulf de Caríntia]]
[[de:Arnulf von Kärnten]]
[[et:Arnulf (Frangi keiser)]]
[[es:Arnulfo de Carintia]]
[[fr:Arnulf de Carinthie]]
[[hr:Arnulf Karantanski]]
[[it:Arnolfo di Carinzia]]
[[la:Arnulphus Carintiae]]
[[hu:Karintiai Arnulf]]
[[nl:Arnulf van Karinthië]]
[[ja:アルヌルフ (東フランク王)]]
[[no:Arnulf av Det tysk-romerske rike]]
[[pl:Arnulf z Karyntii]]
[[ru:Арнульф Каринтийский]]
[[sk:Arnulf Korutánsky]]
[[sl:Arnulf Koroški]]
[[sr:Арнулф Карантанијски]]
[[sv:Arnulf av Kärnten]]
[[uk:Арнульф Каринтійський]]