Boso the Elder

Boso the Elder (c. 800 – c. 855), also known as Boson the Elder, was a Frankish nobleman and the earliest known ancestor of the Bosonid dynasty, a prominent aristocratic family in the Carolingian Empire. He held the title of Count of Turin, and was also associated with the region of Valois. Through his children and grandchildren, Boso became the progenitor of a noble lineage that played a key role in the politics of 9th-century West Francia, Burgundy, and Provence.^[1]

Boso was likely born around the year 800, though the exact date and place of his birth are unknown. He may have originated from the Kingdom of Burgundy or northern Italy, both of which were regions under Carolingian control at the time.^[2] Though his ancestry is uncertain, Boso likely belonged to the upper ranks of Frankish nobility.

He held the title of Count of Turin, a key administrative and military center in northwestern Italy.^[3] He is also associated with the County of Valois in northern France, suggesting he may have had influence across both the Italian and Frankish sides of the empire.^[1]

Boso married a woman named Engeltrude, of unknown parentage. They had several notable children:

• Teutberga (d. 875), who married Lothair II, King of Lotharingia, becoming queen consort.^[2]
• Hucbert (d. 864), who became Count of Valois and lay abbot of the Abbey of Saint Maurice in Agaunum.^[1]
• Richildis (also called Richilde), who married Bivin of Gorze, a nobleman from the Ardennes region.^[1]
• Boso, possibly identifiable with Boso, Count of Valois (d. 874), though some scholars dispute this identification.^[3]

Through Richildis and Bivin of Gorze, Boso was the grandfather of Boso of Provence (c. 850–887), the first non-Carolingian king of Lower Burgundy and Provence.^[2]

Boso died around the year 855. His descendants, the Bosonids, became powerful figures in the later 9th century as Carolingian power waned. His lineage produced dukes, abbots, and kings—including Boso of Provence, who ruled from 879 to 887.^[1]

• Bosonid dynasty
• Teutberga
• Boso of Provence
• Lotharingia
• Abbey of Saint Maurice, Agaunum

• Riché, Pierre (1993). The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-1342-4. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
• McKitterick, Rosamond (1983). The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians, 751–987. Longman.
• Settipani, Christian (2014). Les Ancêtres de Charlemagne (in French) (2nd ed.). Éditions Christian.