ratold was a king of italy who reigned for a month or so in 896. he was an illegitimate son of king arnulf of east francia. he and his half-brother zwentibold are described by the "annals of fulda" as being born "by concubines" ("ex concubinis"). their mothers are not named, and it is possible that their status was only downgraded to that of concubinage after arnulf's marriage to uota in 888. they may have originally been in "friedelehen", "consent-based marriages", a kind of common-law marriage.