Emperor Charles, in planning the division of his lands, had decided as early as 806 that on his death Pepin should inherit Italy, Bavaria, and the territory of the Alemanni, but Pepin predeceases his father by four years, dying at Milan on July 10, 810.

Bernard is the illegitimate son of King Pepin of Italy, the second legitimate son of the Emperor Charles.

Despite his status, Charles had allowed him to inherit Italy after the death of Pepin in 810.

Bernard married a woman named Cunigunde, but the year of their marriage, and her origins are obscure; spuriously she has been called "of Laon".

They have one son, Pepin, Count of Vermandois.

Bernard is a trusted agent of his grandfather, and of his uncle.

His rights in Italy are respected, and he is used as an intermediary to manage events in his sphere of influence—for example, when in 815 Louis the Pious receives reports that some Roman nobles had conspired to murder Pope Leo III, and that he had responded by butchering the ringleaders, Bernard had been sent to investigate the matter.

Lothair is to spend the succeeding decade in constant strife over the division of the Empire with his father.

He will alternately be master of the Empire, and banished and confined to Italy, at one time taking up arms in alliance with his brothers and at another fighting against them, while the bounds of his appointed kingdom will in turn be extended and reduced.

In 831, Louis is reinstated; he deprives Lothair of his imperial title and gives Italy to the young Charles.

The Frankish emperor Lothair I, who rules the “middle realm” of what had been Charlemagne's empire, divides his realm in September 855, allotting Italy to his eldest son and co-emperor Louis II, who had governed the peninsula since 844.

After Lothair's death a few weeks later, Louis II becomes sole emperor, a dignity that implies rule over only part of the Carolingian dominions, without suzerainty over the whole.

He declares in 855 that no Jews can remain within his kingdom.

A report that the emperor Louis II is dead leads to peace between father and sons and attempts by Louis the German to gain the imperial crown for Carloman.

These efforts are thwarted by Louis II, who is not in fact dead, and Louis's old adversary, Charles the Bald.

Louis, having failed to win control of the south, returns to northern Italy, dies near Ghedi, in what is now the province of Brescia, on August 12, 875, and is buried in the church of Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio at Milan, having named as his successor in Italy his cousin Carloman, son of Louis the German.

Arnulf, conquering all of the territory north of the Po, forces the surrender of Milan, then …

…he leaves Ratold in Milan in an attempt to preserve his hold on Italy.

This same year, Formosus dies, leaving Lambert once again in power, and both he and Berengar kill any officials who had been put in place by Arnulf, as Ratold also flees from Milan to Bavaria.

Rumors of the time made Arnulf's condition to be a result of poisoning at the hand of Ageltrude.

On his return to Germany, he will exercise very little further control in Italy for the rest of his life, although his agents in Rome will not prevent the accession of Pope Stephen VI in May 896.

Although Stephen will eventually become a supporter of the claims of Lambert, he initially gives his support to Arnulf.

Hugh's power in Italy is damaged but not destroyed by the events in Rome and Provence.

To strengthen his hand in the affairs of Milan, he tonsures his younger illegitimate son, Tebald, to groom him for the position of Archbishop of Milan; unfortunately the ancient cleric, Arderic, whom he has installed pro tem will live another twenty-two years.

He continues to organize the fight against the Magyars and the Andalusian pirates based at Fraxinet in Provence.

Active, if sometimes dubious, diplomacy pays off.

He concludes a treaty with Rudolph in 933 by which Rudolf abandons his claims to Italy in return for being handed Provence over the heads of the heirs of Louis the Blind and the marriage of Rudolph's daughter Adelaide to Hugh's son Lothair.

Within the Kingdom of Italy, Hugh has intensified his existing habit of giving any available offices or lands to relations, including his numerous legitimate and illegitimate progeny, and a small circle of old and trusted friends.

The effect this has had on Italian nobles, who see this as threatening themselves, eventually results in rebellion.

In 941, Hugh had expelled Berengar of Ivrea from Italy and abolished the March of Ivrea.

In 945, Berengar returns from exile in Germany and defeats Hugh in battle.

By a diet Berengar holds at Milan, Hugh is deposed, though he manages to come to terms by which he nominally keeps the crown and the title rex (king) but returns to Provence, leaving his son Lothair as nominal king, but with all real power in Berengar's hands.