Quick Facts
- Byname:
- Guy of Spoleto
- Italian:
- Guido di Spoleto
- French:
- Gui de Spolète
- Died:
- 894
- Title / Office:
- emperor (891-894), Holy Roman Empire
- House / Dynasty:
- Carolingian dynasty
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Guy II
Holy Roman emperor
Also known as: Gui de Spolète, Guido di Spoleto, Guy of Spoleto(Show More)
Guy II (died 894) was a duke of Spoleto, who was claimant to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire in the chaotic end of the Carolingian era.
His father, Guy I, duke of Spoleto, had come to Italy in the entourage of Lothar I and had successfully expanded his family’s power in central and southern Italy. Eventually succeeding to the duchy, Guy II failed in his bid for the throne of the West Franks in 888, despite the support of Archbishop Fulk of Reims. He was successful, however, in defeating Berengar, king of Italy (889), and in forcing the pope to crown him as the first non-Carolingian Holy Roman emperor in 891. He is usually not counted in the lists of emperors.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.