Weis' "Ancestral Roots. . ." (133:19), (147:19), (157:19). He succeeded his father as king of Burgundy in 912. In 920 BERENGER I, KING OF ITALY enlisted Hungarian mercenaries into his army. This caused the magnates of the northwest to rise in defiance. They invited Rudolph to assume the throne of Italy. He defeated Berenger at Fiorenzuola in 923. The next year the Hungarians burned Pavia, Italy's capitol city. Shortly thereafter Berengar was assasinated and Rudolph was recognized as king of Italy until 926, when Hugh of Arles became king.
At this time in history western Europe was in a perilous position. It was being ravaged by the Vikings from the north and by the Saracens from the south. Then, in 919, The Magyars, led by ZOLTAN, ravaged large areas of Rudolph's Burgundian lands. In 924 they reached the Rhone and threatened both Lombardy, which was under Rudolph's control and Provence, which was ruled by Hugh . Rudolph and Hugh were rivals for the throne of Italy. Facing this common threat, Rudolph and Hugh buried their differences and joined forces to drive off the Hungarian invaders.
An agreement was reached whereby Hugh was given the kingship of Italy in return for Rudolph being made ruler of Provence. The result was that Rudolph was now king of both Transjuran Burgundy and Provence, thus reviving the old kingdom of Burgundy almost as it had existed in pre- Carolingian times. Only the lands of RICHARD THE JUSTICIAR, which were to become the French duchy of Burgundy, were excluded.