Auriate facts for kids

Auriate was a small area in medieval times. It was located in the mountains of western Italy, between the cities of Cuneo and Saluzzo. This area existed as a county from the late 800s to the mid-900s. Today, its name lives on in a town called Valloriate.

What Was Auriate?

Auriate was a "county," which was a territory ruled by a count. In the Middle Ages, counts were important leaders. They managed their land and people, often under a king or emperor. Auriate was part of a larger region called Lombardy.

Early Leaders of Auriate

The first known leader of Auriate was a count named Rodulf. He died in the year 902. After Rodulf passed away, his second-in-command, a man named Roger, took over the county. Roger was from a group of people called the Franks.

Arduin Glaber and Expansion

Roger's son, Arduin Glaber, became the next count. Between 940 and 945, Arduin Glaber made Auriate much stronger. He successfully pushed out a group called the Saracens from an important area called the Val di Susa. After this victory, he added the Val di Susa to his county of Auriate.

Auriate Becomes Part of Turin

Arduin Glaber was a strong supporter of Berengar of Ivrea. Berengar wanted to become the King of Italy, and he succeeded in 950. The very next year, in 951, King Berengar decided to reorganize the western part of Lombardy. He created three new large areas called "marches." These marches were like border regions, set up to better protect the coast from attacks by the Saracens.

The three new marches were:

• The March of Genoa
• The March of Montferrat
• The March of Turin

Arduin Glaber was chosen to be the first leader, or "margrave," of the March of Turin.

The End of Auriate as a Separate County

After Arduin Glaber became the Margrave of Turin, Auriate stopped being mentioned as a separate county in historical records. However, it remained a very important area for Arduin's family, known as the Arduinici.

Many years later, a woman named Bertha, who was part of the Arduinici family, married Ottone del Vasto. He belonged to another powerful family called the Aleramici. The lands owned by Bertha and Ottone together formed the beginning of what would later become the March of Saluzzo. So, even though Auriate itself disappeared, its legacy lived on through these powerful families and the new territories they created.

See also

In Spanish: Auriate para niños