20 Most Evil People of the 9th Century CE

Key Facts

Other names	Guido
Born	Pavia
Location
Bloodline	House of Guideschi
Married	Yes
Children
Position	King of Italy 891-894 False Holy Roman Emperor (891-894)
Died	December 894

Source of Facts and Important Announcement

Status	Under Article 64.6 of the Covenant of One-Heaven (Pactum De Singularis Caelum) by Special Qualification shall be known as a Saint, with all sins and evil acts they performed forgiven.
Date of formal Beatification	Day of Redemption UCA[E1:Y1:A1:S1:M9:D1] also known as Fri, 21 Dec 2012.
Source of Facts	Self Confession and Revelation of Sainthood by the Deceased Spirit as condition of their confirmation as a true Saint.

Background

Guy of Spoleto (died 12 December 894), sometimes known by the Italian version of his name, Guido, or by the German version, Wido, was the margrave of Camerino from 880 (as Guy I or Guy II) and then duke of Spoleto and Camerino (as Guy III) from 883. He was crowned King of Italy in 889 and—at least on parchment—Holy Roman Emperor in 891.

Unfortunately, like many of the Italian noble families who rose to power at the end of the 9th Century, his geneology and history have been heavily doctored and distorted.

Under Charlemagne, the former pagan Lombard Dukes were stripped of their titles and their castles and fiefs disbanded by 810. However, upon the invasion of Italy by the Muslims, some of the survivors from lower branches of these families sought to gain power, petitioning the representatives of the Emir. The Guideschi is one example of these pagan and satanic families that rose to prominence thanks to their Islamic overlords from 847-872.

Controversially, given that the Guideschi were granted status as vassals of the Islamic Caliphate, the pagans must have converted to Islam as no vassals of the Aghlabid dynasty Emir would have been permitted to be a pagan.

In most history accounts they are falsely claimed as Frankish -- an absurdity on account the Franks dissolving the Lombard noble titles and the Muslim conquest of Italy that happens to "magically" occur at the same time as the family rise to power. Considering they were almost certainly Muslim converts, this deliberate re-writing of history is understandable, consider less than 150 years later they openly rejected their Islamic faith (as Apostates) and claimed to be Catholic.

Thus the complete geneology of the Guideschi must be viewed with complete skepticism as they almost certainly descend from nothing more than the surviving lower warrior classes of Lombards.

In fact, the period of Muslim occupation (847-871) should rightly be seen as the year of birth for many of the most famous Italian families as Muslim vassals to the Caliphate, including: Radelchis I of Benevento and Capua, Lambert of Spoleto, Adalbert of Tuscany, Marinus of Amalfi and Berengar of Friuli.

Under the Muslims, Lambert I, Duke of Spoleto and the family prospered. However, in 871 Frankish Emperor Louis II invaded Italy with his army and deposed the Muslims and their loyal Lombard vassals. In a feeble attempt to remain in power, a number of Lombard vassals "switched sides" and even went to the extent of claiming conversion to Catholicism, but with little effect.

The Franks lay siege to Spoleto and Lambert I and his militia were crushed by 871. However, similar to the other "princes" of the Lombards, Guy was not caught by the siege and in 876 led the revolt in Spoleto against the Franks upon news of the death of Emperor Louis II.

Like the other lesser bloodlines of Lombard that thrived under Islam during the Italian occupation, the Guideschi have woven a number of tall tales concerning their ancestry and history -- none more ridiculous than the claim that Guy claimed the crown of France around 887/888, let alone that he ever travelled into traditional Frankish territory in his life.

Once the Frankish occupation forces and their Pope Adrian II was captured and killed (by 876), the most powerful of the pagan Lombard militia leaders began to fight amongst themselves for the title of "King of the Lombards". The most powerful enemies of Berengar were the pagan warlords of Capua and Benevento, the Tuscan warlords and the warlords of Spoleto.

The Civil War between the tribes lasted for ten years until 887 when Berengar defeated Guy and claimed the crown of the Lombards, making his capital Pavia the capital once more of the Lombard kingdom.

Berengar was not to hold the title for long. In 891 Guy convinced Formosus, the current pagan high priest (Pontifex Maximus) and ancestor of the Colonna to converting (at least in outward appearance) to being nominally Catholic as Popes, thereby being capable of crowning Catholic Kings and Emperors.

Whether Formosus actually converted to being christian or not is still open for debate. What is certain is that by 892 in a grand ceremony in Rome, Guy was crowned King of Italy and Holy Catholic Roman Emperor by "Pope" Formosus.

No other Count of Tusculum appears to have followed Formosus into declaring themselves nominally Christian until Pontifex Maximus Gregory VII in 1057. However, the event is famous as the trigger for the later "Cadaver Synod" where Formosus was deposed after his death, effectively denying the claims of Guy as Emperor.

Neither the reign of Guy, nor Formosus were long as it appears Guy was eventually murdered by 894.


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