Background
He was the son of Rudolph I, king of Upper Burgundy, a member of the Elder House of Welf, and it is presumed that his mother was his father"s known wife, Guilla of Provence.
He was the son of Rudolph I, king of Upper Burgundy, a member of the Elder House of Welf, and it is presumed that his mother was his father"s known wife, Guilla of Provence.
Following his ascent to the throne in 912, Rudolph was asked by several Italian nobles to intervene in Italy on their behalf against Emperor Berengar in 922. Having entered Italy, he was crowned King of the Lombards at Pavia. In 923, he defeated Berengar at Piacenza.
Berengar was murdered the following year, possibly at the instigation of Rudolph.
The king then ruled Upper Burgundy and Italy together, residing alternately in both kingdoms. However, in 926 the Italian nobility turned against him and requested that Hugh of Arles, the effective ruler of Provence (or Lower Burgundy), rule them instead.
Rudolph returned to Upper Burgundy to protect himself, assuring Hugh"s coronation as King of Italy in the process. The two Burgundian kingdoms unified, Rudolph ruled until his death in 937.
He was succeeded by Conrad.