Holy See. He therefore made a fresh appeal to Arnulf. The King of Germany did not come in person, but he sent his illegitimate son, Zwentibold, to whom he entrusted the task of "restoring order" beyond the Alps with the assistance of Berengar of Friuli. Zwentibold allowed himself to be daunted or bribed by Guy, and returned to Germany without having accomplished anything (893). At the beginning of the next year (894) Arnulf resolved to make a descent into Italy himself. He carried Bergamo by assault, and massacred the garrison. Intimidated by this example, Milan and Pavia opened their gates, and the majority of the magnates joined in taking the oath of fidelity to Arnulf. The latter, however, went no further than Piacenza, whence he turned homewards. But on his way back he found the road barred close to Ivrea by the troops of the Marquess Anscar, swelled by a contingent sent by Rodolph, King of Burgundy. Arnulf, however, succeeded in forcing a passage and turned his arms against Rodolph, but without gaining any advantage, as the enemy took refuge in the mountains. Zwentibold was placed at the head of a fresh expedition against the regnum Jurense, but was no more successful.
In a word, the brief irruption of Arnulf into Italy had done nothing to alter the situation. Guy remained Emperor. But just as he was about to resume his struggle with Berengar, an attack of haemorrhage carried him off. His successor was his son Lambert who had already been his colleague in the government. But Lambert was young and devoid of energy or authority. Disorder broke out more fiercely than ever, and in the autumn of 895 Formosus again sent a pressing appeal to Arnulf. Again the king of Germany set out, and on this occasion pushed on to Rome. But the population was hostile to him. The resistance was organised by Ageltrude, Guy's widow, an energetic Lombard of Benevento. Arnulf was obliged to carry the city by assault. In February 896 Formosus crowned him Emperor in the basilica of St Peter, and a few days later the Romans were compelled to take the oath of fidelity to him. But his success was to be short-lived. Ageltrude, who had taken refuge in her duchy of Spoleto, held out there in the name of Lambert. Just as he was about to lead an expedition against her, Arnulf fell sick. Thereupon he gave up the struggle and took the road back to his dominions, where, moreover, other disturbances called for his presence. Once he had gone, Lambert lost no time in re-appearing in Pavia, where he again exercised royal power. He also got possession of Milan in spite of the resistance of Manfred, the count whom Arnulf had placed there, and again began hostilities with Berengar. But the two rivals soon agreed upon a treaty, guaranteeing to Berengar the district north of the Po and east of the Adda.
All the rest of Italy was left to Lambert, who again entered Rome with Ageltrude in the beginning of 897. Formosus had died on 4 April 896. After the brief pontificate of Boniface VI which lasted only a
