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He married Gerberge de Lotharingie, daughter of Gislebert, Duc de Lotharingie.

Adalbert I of Vermandois (French: Albert I le Pieux, the Pious) (ca. 915/917 - 9 September 988), Count of Vermandois, was the son of Herbert II of Vermandois and Hildebrante of France.

Family

In 954 he married Gerberge of Lorraine (ca. 935-978), daughter of Giselbert, Duke of Lorraine, and Gerberga of Saxony.

Their children were:

Herbert III of Vermandois
Eudes of Vermandois (ca. 956-983)
Liudolfe de Noyon (ca. 957-986)
Guy I of Vermandois, count of Soissons

Adalbert married Gerberge of Lorraine 954. Gerberge (daughter of Gilbert, Duke of Lorraine and Gerberga of Saxony) was born 935; died 978. [Group Sheet]

1. Herbert, III Count of Vermandois was born Abt 954; died Between 993 and 1002.

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Herbert II (884 - February 23, 943), Count of Vermandois and Count of Troyes, was the son of Herbert I of Vermandois.

Life

He inherited the domain of his father and in 907, added to it the Saint de Soissons abbey. His marriage with Hildebrand of France (also known as Liégarde) brought him the County of Meaux. Because Adela, the name given to the queen, since his mother was so well known. So it has been presumed that he had one spouse with two different common names. But, Hildebrandt was the dau. of Robert I/V and Aelis; and, Lieutgarde was the dau. of Robert I/V and Beatrice.

In 918, he was also named Count of Mézerais and of the Véxin. With his cousin Bernard, Count of Beauvais and Senlis, he constituted a powerful group in the west of France, to the north and east of Paris. In 923, he imprisoned King Charles III in Château-Thierry, then in Péronne.

In 922, the Archbishop of Rheims, Seulf, called on Herbert II to reduce some of his vassals who were in rebellion against him. On the death of Seulf, in 925, with the help of King Rudolph, he acquired for his second son Hugh (then five years old) the archbishopric of Rheims, which had a large inheritance in France and Germany. In 926, on the death of Count Roger of Laon, Herbert demanded this County for Eudes, his eldest son. He settled there, initially against the will of King Rudolph and constructed a fortress there. Rudolph yielded to pressure to free king Charles III, whom Herbert still held in prison. In 930, Herbert took the castle of Vitry-en-Perthois at the expense of Boso, the brother of King Rudolph. Rudolph united his army with the army of Hugh, marquis of Neustria, and in 931, they entered Rheims and defeated Hugh, the son of Herbert. Artaud became the new archbishop of Reims. Herbert II then lost, in three years, Vitry, Laon, Château-Thierry, and Soissons. The intervention of his ally, Henry the Fowler, allowed him to restore his domains (except Rheims and Laon) in exchange for his submission to King Rudolph.

Later Herbert allied with Hugh the Great and William Longsword, duke of Normandy against King Louis IV, who allocated the County of Laon to Roger II, the son of Roger I, in 941. Herbert and Hugh the Great took back Rheims and captured Artaud. Hugh, the son of Herbert, was restored as archbishop. Again the mediation of the German King Otto I in Visé, near Liège, in 942 allowed for the normalization of the situation.

Death and legacy

Herbert II died on 23 February 943 without having succeeded in building the principality of which he dreamed. His succession was reconciled by Hugh the Great, maternal uncle of his children. It took place in 946 and led to an equitable distribution between the sons of Herbert II: Herbert "the Elder", Robert, Albert (Adalbert), and Hugh (his other son Eudes died before 946). As for his girls, Adela was married to Arnulf I, count of Flanders, Luitgarde (widow of William Longsword) was married to Theobald I, count of Blois, the first lieutenant of Hugh. She brought to Theobald Provins and domains in the Mézerais.

Family

With Hildebrand of France, daughter of Robert I of France, he had the following children:

Adele of Vermandois (910-960), married 934 Count Arnulf I of Flanders, also a descendant of Charlemagne
Eudes of Vermandois, Count of Amiens and of Vienne, (912-946)
Adalbert I, Count of Vermandois (915-987), married Gerberge of Lorraine, also a descendant of Charlemagne
Robert of Vermandois, Count of Meaux and Châlons (ca. 918-968)
Herbert "the Elder", Count of Meaux and of Troyes (ca. 920-993)
Luitgarde of Vermandois (ca. 920-978), married 943 Theobald I of Blois
Hugh of Vermandois (died 962), Archbishop of Reims

But, Hildebrandt was the dau. of Robert I/V and Aelis; and, Lieutgarde was the dau. of Robert I/V and Beatrice. Which children belong to which, is to be determined.

Herbert — Hildebranda of France. Hildebranda (daughter of Robert, I of France and Aelis) was born 895; died 931. [Group Sheet]

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Robert I of France was married twice. Through his first wife, Aelis, he had two daughters. Each married powerful lay vassals of their father: Emma of France (894-935) to Rudolph, Duke of Burgundy, and Hildebranda (895-931) to Herbert II of Vermandois.

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Herbert I of Vermandois (c. 848/850 - 907), Count of Vermandois, lord of Senlis, of Péronne and of Saint Quentin, was the son of Pepin of Vermandois.

Marriage and issue

Many secondary works call his wife Bertha de Morvois. The main basis of the claim is Historia Walciodorensis Monasterii, an account of the founder of Waulsort monastery, Ybert de Ribemont (Eilbertus, Elbertus), which includes a fabricated genealogy. They are commonly assigned the following children although, again, contemporary testimony is wanting:

Herbert II of Vermandois[5] (c. 880-943)
Béatrice of Vermandois (c. 880-931), married King Robert I of France.
Cunigunde of Vermandois (d. 943)
Adele of Vermandois

Herbert — Bertha de Morvois. [Group Sheet]

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Robert I, Roi de France was the son of Robert of Neustria, Duke of Neustria. He died circa 15 June 923, killed in action. He gained the title of Roi Robert I de France circa 29 June 922.

Robert I (15 August 866 - 15 June 923), King of Western Francia (922-923), was the younger son of Robert the Strong, count of Anjou, and the brother of Odo, who became king of the Western Franks in 888. West Francia evolved over time into France; under Odo, the capital was fixed on Paris, a large step in that direction. His family is known as the Robertians.

He was present at the Siege of Paris in 885. Appointed by Odo ruler of several counties, including the county of Paris, and abbot in commendam of many abbeys, Robert also secured the office of Dux Francorum, a military dignity of high importance. He did not claim the crown of West Francia when his brother died in 898; but recognising the supremacy of the Carolingian king, Charles the Simple, he was confirmed in his offices and possessions, after which he continued to defend northern Francia from the attacks of the Norsemen.

The peace between the king and his powerful vassal was not seriously disturbed until about 921. The rule of Charles, and especially his partiality for a certain Hagano, had aroused some irritation; and, supported by many of the clergy and by some of the most powerful of the Frankish nobles, Robert took up arms, drove Charles into Lorraine, and was himself crowned king of the Franks (rex Francorum) at Rheims on 29 June 922. Collecting an army, Charles marched against the usurper and, on 15 June 923, in a stubborn and sanguinary battle near Soissons, Robert was killed, according to one tradition in single combat with his rival. His army nonetheless won the battle, and Charles was captured.

Robert was married twice. Through his first wife, Aelis, he had two daughters. Each married powerful lay vassals of their father: Emma of France (894-935) to Rudolph, Duke of Burgundy, and Hildebranda (895-931) to Herbert II of Vermandois. Through his second wife, Béatrice of Vermandois, daughter of Herbert I of Vermandois, he had his only son, Hugh the Great, who was later dux Francorum and father of King Hugh Capet, and a daughter Richilda. He may have had other daughters.

Robert — Aelis. [Group Sheet]

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Pepin (born c. 815) was the first count of Vermandois, lord of Senlis, Péronne, and Saint Quentin. He was the son of King Bernard of Italy and Cunigunda.

Pepin first appears in 834 as a count to the north of the Seine and then appears as same again in 840. In that year, he supported Lothair I against Louis the Pious.

Pepin's wife is unknown, but has been recorded as Rothaide de Bobbio. His heir inherited much Nibelungid territory and so historian K. F. Werner hypothesised a marriage to a daughter of Theodoric Nibelung.

Their children were:

Bernard (c. 844 - after 893), count of Laon
Gerberge (born c. 854)
Pepin (c. 846-893), count of Senlis and lord of Valois (877-893)
Herbert I of Vermandois[2] (c. 850-907)
Beatrix (born c. 854)
Mathilde (born c. 857)
Adelaide (born c. 858)
Cunigunda

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Robert of Neustria, Duke of Neustria died circa 866, killed. Robert of Neustria, Duke of Neustria also went by the nick-name of Robert 'the Strong'.

Robert IV the Strong (820 - July 2, 866), also known as Rutpert, was Margrave in Neustria. His family is named after him and called Robertians. He was first nominated by Charles the Bald missus dominicus in 853. Robert was the father of the kings Odo and Robert I of France. Robert was the great-grandfather of Hugh Capet and thus the ancestor of all the Capetians. His father was Robert III of Worms.

Origins and rise to power

While very little is known about the beginnings of the Robertian family, historians have been able to adduce that the family of nobles had its origins in Hesbaye or perhaps from the family of Chrodegang of Metz. During the reign of Louis the German, the Robertian family moved from East Francia to West Francia. After his arrival in West Francia, Charles the Bald showed his favour of the family defecting from his enemy Louis by assigning Robert to the lay abbacy of Marmoutier in 852. In 853 the position of missus dominicus in the provinces of Maine, Anjou, and Touraine was given him and he had de facto control of the ancient ducatus Cenomannicus, a vast duchy centred on Le Mans and corresponding to the regnum Neustriae. Robert's rise came at the expense of the established family of the Rorigonids and was designed to curb their regional power and to defend Neustria from Viking and Breton raids.

Revolt

Despite the fact that he was a favoured noble of Charles, Robert joined a rebellion against the king in 858. He led the Frankish nobles of Neustria with the Bretons under Salomon in inviting Louis the German to invade West Francia and receive their homage. The revolt had been sparked by the marriage alliance between Charles and Erispoe, Duke of Brittany, and by the investment of Louis the Stammerer with the regnum Neustriae (856). These actions significantly curtailed the influence both of Salomon and Robert. Charles compensated Robert for the losses suffered in this civil war by giving him the counties of Autun and Nevers in Burgundy, which greatly enlarged his landholdings. In 856 he had to defend Autun from Louis the German following the death of Lothair I. But following Erispoe's assassination in November 857, both he and Salomon rebelled.

Louis the German reached Orléans in September 858 and received delegations from the Breton and Neustrian leaders, as well as from Pepin II. The Neustrian rebels had chased Louis the Stammerer from Le Mans, his capital, earlier that year. In 861, Charles made peace with Robert and appointed him Count of Anjou, even though he had been involved in the revolt.

War with Bretons and Vikings

While count of Anjou, Robert was able to successfully defend the northern coast against the threat of a Viking invasion. In 862 Charles granted Louis the Stammerer, his son, the lay abbacy of Saint Martin of Tours, a small benefice in comparison with the kingdom he had received in 856 (and lost in 858). The young Louis rebelled and was quickly joined by Salomon, who supplied him with troops for a war against Robert.

In 862 two groups of Vikings-one the larger of two fleets recently forced out of the Seine by Charles the Bald, the other a fleet returning from a Mediterranean expedition-converged on Brittany, where one (the Mediterranean) was hired by the Breton duke Salomon to ravage the Loire valley. Robert captured twelve of their ships, killing all on board save a few who fled. He then opened negotiations with the former Seine Vikings, and hired them against Salomon for 6,000 pounds of silver. The purpose of this was doubtless to prevent them from entering the service of Salomon. Probably Robert had to collect a large amount in taxes to finance what was effectively a non-tributary Danegeld designed to keep the Vikings out of Neustria. The treaty between the Franks and the Vikings did not last more than a year: in 863 Salomon made peace and the Vikings, deprived of an enemy, ravaged Neustria.

He was made Lay abbot of the influential abbey St. Martin at Tours.

Robert made war on Pepin II in his later years. In 863 he had to defend Autun again from Louis the German, this time after the death of Charles of Provence. Robert was in Neustria during 865 and 866, with Bretons and Vikings ravaging the environs of Le Mans.

Death and legacy

In 866, Robert was killed at the Battle of Brissarthe while, unsurprisingly, defending Francia against a joint Breton-Viking raiding party, led by Salomon, Duke of Brittany, and the Viking chieftain Hastein. During the battle, Robert had entrapped the Viking commander in a nearby church. Thinking he was not endangered, Robert took off his armour and began to besiege the church. Once Robert was unarmoured, the trapped Vikings launched a surprise attack and killed him before he had time to re-arm. His success against the Vikings led to his heroic characterisation as "a second Maccabaeus" in the Annales Fuldenses.

The name of Robert's wife is not attested in primary sources. According to some modern scholars she was Adelaide of Tours or Adalais, a daughter of Hugh of Tours (and thus an Etichonid) and the widow of Conrad I of Auxerre (died 862), a Welf. Since Robert already had children by 862, Adelaide would have to have been his second wife. French genealogist Christian Settipani has identified the source of this identification as the unreliable twelfth-century Chronicle of Saint-Bénigne de Dijon, which was interpolated into the chronicle of Alberic of Trois-Fontaines. The Europäische Stammtafeln has identified Robert's first wife as a certain Agane. Whatever the facts, two of Robert's sons became kings of France: Odo and Robert.