The Robertians of the Royal House of Capet

(Jody Gray): today, January 20, 2017, I’m making changes to this Blog Post. Originally, I began with Charibert, Nobleman of Neustria died about 636. The sources (below) show that he and his descendants are "unverifiable".

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Neustria-20 wikitree.com -Charibert von Neustria abt 590 - abt 636; unknown parentage. Spouse, Wulfgurd; son, Chrodobertus. Charibert aka Charibertus, a nobleman in Neustria is listed in some sources as the oldest ancestor of the Capetian dynasty of France. However there appears to be no primary sources that confirm his existence… The wife of Charibert is unknown (there are also no primary sources for Wulfgurd; her existence is doubtful); he is possibly the father of the following children… Chrodbert or Chrodbertus or Robert (I)...

  Back when I created this Blog Post, I used the genealogy website, geni.com for the descendans of Charibert; I am deleting them because when I reviewed them I didn’t find any verified “sources”. I’m going to begin my Robertian Family lineage with Lambert II, Count of Hesbaye; he is the first to have a wikipedia page. I’m also using the following wikipedia website (below) as it contains a chart that connects all the relevant Frankish Families…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robertians Robertians. The Robertians aka Robertines was the Frankish predecessor family of origin to the ruling houses of France; it emerged to prominence in the ancient Frankish kingdom of Austrasia as early as the 8th century - roughly the same region as present-day Belgium - and later emigrated to West Francia (ca 852, Robert IV), between the Seine and the Loire rivers. The members were ‘forefathers’ of the Capetian dynasty. With fealty (sometimes mixed with rancor) to the Carolingians they held the power of West Francia through the whole period of the Carolingian Empire; and from 888 to 987 theirs was the last extant kingdom of that house until they were succeeded by their own (Robertian) lineage, the House of Capet -founded by Hugh Capet in 987, who ruled from his seat in Paris as the 1st Capetian king of France.

- Chart - Frankish dynastic relationships - Robertian lineage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambert,_Count_of_Hesbaye  Lambert II aka Lanbertus, Count of Hesbaye b. 682 d. 715 married Chrotlind d’Austrasie; daughter of Theuderic III, King of Austrasia (Merovingian Dynasty) Lambert was succeeded by his son Robert as Count of Hesbaye. Lambert’s sister, Rotrude of Treves married Charles Martel (founder of the Carolingian Dynasty). *Note: Wikipedia lists him as b. 682 d. 781, which would make him 99 years old; highly unlikely. Ancestry’s source, Netherlands, Genealogies lists him as b. 670 d. 715, making him 45 years old; which is more logical. Rotrude of Treves. [https://en.wikipedia.] historian Christian Settipani (study on the ancestors of Charlemagne, pub 1915) concludes Rotrude was the daughter of Lambert II aka Lanbertus, Count of Hesbaye

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I,_Count_of_Hesbaye  Robert I aka Rutpert, Count of Hesbaye b. 697 d. 764 married Williswinda aka Williswint

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuringbert,_Count_of_Hesbaye  Thuringbert aka Turincbertus, Count of Hesbaye b. 735 d. 770 married (name unknown); one child and heir, Robert II

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_II,_Count_of_Hesbaye  Robert II, Count of Hesbaye d. 807. The earliest certain ancestor of the dynasty known as the Robertians; and the French royal Capetian family; which ruled in Portugal, Spain, Brazil and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_III_of_Worms  Robert III aka Rutpert, Count of Worms b. 800 d. 834 married Waldrada d’Orleans; they had only one verified son, Robert the Strong.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Strong  Robert IV, the Strong, Margrave in Neustria b. 830 d. 866.

Map of early Frankland, showing Austrasia, 
where Robert the Strong originated, and Neustria, 
between the Seine and Loire, where he held the most power.

In 852, Robert was assigned the lay abbacy of Marmoutiers by Charles the Bald for defecting from his enemy (half-brother, Louis the German) emigrating from East Francia to West Francia. In 853, Robert founded the Robertians after being commissioned Margrave by Charles the Bald; his primary duty was to defend Neustria from Viking and Breton raids. In 858, Robert joined a rebellion against Charles the Bald with the Bretons under Salomon, he led the Frankish nobles of Neustria and invited Louis the German to invade West Francia (in rebellion against Erispoes’ assassination in 857). In 861, Charles made peace with Robert and appointed him Count of Anjou and thereafter he successfully defended the northern coast against a Viking Invasion. On 7/2/866, Robert was killed at the Battle of Brissarthe while defending Francia against a joint Breton-Viking raiding party led by Salomon, King of Brittany and the Viking chieftain Hastein.

Fortresses of the Breton March

Marches of Neustria: Marches of Neustria were two marches created in 861 by the Carolingian king of West Francia Charles the Bald that were ruled by officials appointed by the crown, known as margraves. Originally, one March was created against the Bretons (Breton March) and one against the Norsemen (Norman March). In 911, Robert of France became margrave of both Marches and took the title demarchus. His family, later the Capetians, ruled the whole of Neustria until 987, when Hugh Capet was elected King of the Franks. The subsidiary counts of Neustria had exceeded the margrave in power by that time and the peak of Viking and Breton raiding had passed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marches_of_Neustria#List_of_margraves

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I_of_France  Robert I, King of the Franks b. 866 d. 923 m: Beatrice de Vermandois b. 880 d. 931

Robert I. of France

Robert I. of France b.8/15/866 b. 6/15/923, Souissons, France (age 56). He was King of the Franks (France) (6/29/922-6/15/923). Before his succession to the kingdom he was Count of Poitiers, Count of Paris and Marquis of Neustria and Orleans. He succeeded the Carolingian king Charles the Simple, who in 898 had succeeded Robert’s brother Odo. West Francia evolved over time into France, under Odo, the capital was fixed on Paris. Robert was appointed by Odo as the ruler of several counties; he 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; instead recognizing the supremacy of the Carolingian king, Charles the Simple who confirmed his offices and possessions… Robert defeated a large band of Norse in the Loire Valley in 921; the defeated invaders converted to Christianity… peace between the king and his powerful vassal was not seriously disturbed until about 921; Robert took up arms and drove Charles into Lorraine and was himself crowned king of the Franks at Rheims on 6/29/922. Robert’s rule was contested by the Viking leader Rollo, who had settled in Normandy in 911 with the permission of Charles the Simple (Rollo remained loyal to Charles)... Charles marched against the usurper and, on 6/15/923, in a battle near Soissons, Robert was killed, but his army won the battle, and Charles was captured (he remained a captive until his death in 929). Robert was succeeded as king by his son-in-law Rudolph aka Raoul.

    Family: m1: Aelis; by her Adele of France (887-931) m: Herbert II of Vermandois. m2 (c. 890): Beatrice of Vermandois, daughter of Herbert I of Vermandois; their son, Hugh the Great.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_the_Great  Hugh the Great, Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris.

Hugh "the Great" b. 898, Paris, France d. 6/16/956. His father, Robert I., killed in the battle at Soissons in 923, Hugh refused the crown and it went to his brother-in-law, Rudolph of France… at the death of Rudolph, King of Western Francia, in 936, Hugh was in possession of nearly all of the region between Loire and the Seine… In 938 he married Hedwige of Saxony, daughter of Henry the Fowler of Germany and Matilda, and soon after quarreled with King Louis IV; who in 938 began attacking fortresses and lands formerly held by members of his family, some held by Herbert II of Vermandois. In 939 he attacked Hugh the Great and William I, Duke of Normandy… That same year Hugh, along with Herbert II of Vermandois, Arnulf I, Count of Flanders… when Louis fell into the hands of the Normans in 945, he was handed over to Hugh in exchange for their young duke Richard. Hugh released Lois IV in 946 on condition that he should surrender the fortress of Laon. In 948 at a church council at Ingelheim the bishops condemned and excommunicated Hugh in absentia, and returned Archbishop Artault to his See at Reims. Hugh’s response was to attack Soissons and Reims while the excommunication was repeated by a council at Trier; he finally relented and made peace with Louis IV, the church and his brother-in-law Otto the Great.

    On the death of Louis IV, Hugh was one of the first to recognize Lothair as his successor and was instrumental in having him crowned. In recognition Hugh was invested by the new king with the duchies of Burgundy and Aquitaine… On 6/16/956 Hugh the Great died in Dourdan.

    Family: m1 (922): Judith, daughter of Roger Comte (County) du Maine and Rothilde; she died 925, childless. M2 (926): Eahild, daughter of Edward the Elder, king of the Anglo-Saxons, and sister of King Ethelstan; she died 938, childless. 3m: Hedwige of Saxony, daughter of Henry the Fowler and Matilda; their son, Hugh the Great’s successor, Hugh Capet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Capet Hugh Capet "the White" King of the Franks, (b. 941 d. 10/24/996) was the first Capetian King of France (King of the Franks) -he succeeded the last Carolingian king, Louis V. Hugh was born into a well-connected and powerful family with many ties to the royal houses of France and Germany.

    Rise of the Robertians: after the end of the 9th century, the descendants of Robert the Strong became indispensable in carrying out royal policies. As Carolingian power failed, the great nobles of West Francia began to assert that the monarchy was elective, not hereditary, and twice chose Robertians Odo I and Robert I as kings, instead of the Carolingians. Robert I, Hugh the Great’s father, was succeeded as King of the Franks by his son-in-law, Rudolph of Burgundy. When Rudolph died in 936, Hugh the Great had to decide whether he ought to claim the throne for himself. To claim the throne would require him to risk and election, which he would have to contest with the powerful Herbert II, Count of Vermandois… To block his rivals, Hugh the Great brought Louis d’Outremer (disposed son of Charles the Simple) from his exile to become King as Louis IV; allowing Hugh to become the most powerful person in France… Once in power, Louis IV granted him title of dux Francorum (Duke of the Franks) and declared him “the second after us in all our kingdoms”. Hugh also gained power when Herbert II of Vermandois died in 943, because his principality was then divided among his four sons.

    French monarchy in the 10th century: Hugh’s predecessors did not call themselves kings of France, and that title was not used by his successors until the time of his descent, Philip II. Kings ruled as “King of the Franks”... The lands they ruled comprised only a small part of the former Carolingian Empire…

    France under Ottonian influence: In 956, when his father Hugh the Great died, Hugh, the eldest son, was then about 15 years old… his younger brother Otto I, King of Germany, intended to bring western Francia under his control… In 954, Otto I appointed his brother Bruno, Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lorraine, as guardian of Lothair and regent of the kingdom of France; in 956, he gave him the same role over Hugh and the Robertian principality; Otto aimed to maintain the balance between the Robertians, Carolingians, and Ottonians. In 960, Lothair agreed to grant Hugh the legacy of his father, the margraviate of Neustria and the title of Duke of France (in return, Hugh had to accept the new independence gained by the counts of Neustria).

     Duke of the Franks: In 956, Hugh inherited his father’s estates, in theory making him one of the most powerful nobles in the much-reduced kingdom of West Francia (he was not yet an adult, his mother acted as his guardian)... Theobald I of Blois, took the counties of Chartres and Chateaudun… Fulk II of Anjou, took Bretons… Hugh’s position as second man in the kingdom seemed to slip… In 978, Otto II invaded France… a French relief army under Hugh Capet forced Otto II and Charles (King of France) to life the siege and return to Germany. On the journey back, Otto’s rear-guard, unable to cross the Aisne in flood at Soissons, was completely wiped out; this victory allowed Hugh Capet to regain his position as the first noble of the Frankish kingdom.

    The Archbishop of Reims: Until the end of the 10th century, Reims was the most important of the archiepiscopal seats in France. Situated in Carolingian lands, the archbishop claimed the primacy of Gaul and the privilege to crown kings and direct their chancery [an office attached to an embassy or consulate]... The Archbishop was assisted by the schoolmaster and future Pope, Gerbert of Aurillac who worked for the restoration of a single dominant empire in Europe… For the Ottonian to make France a vassal state of the Empire, it was imperative that the Frankish king was not of the Carolingian race; Hugh Capet was an ideal candidate, especially since he actively supported monastic reform in the abbeys…

    Failure of Lothair: Hugh became the new leader of the kingdom; Gerbert of Aurillac wrote “Lothair is king of France in name alone; Hugh is, however, not in name but in effect and deed.”

    In 979, Lothair sought to ensure his succession by associating his eldest son with the throne; the ceremony took place under Hugh’s blessing. The congregation acclaimed Louis V, following the Carolingian custom, and the archbishop anointed the new king of Franks. The following year, Lothair decided to reconcile with the Emperor Otto II, but Hugh did not want this reconciliation; he took the fortress of Montreuil, and then went to Rome… Tension mounted between Lothair and Hugh. The king married his son 15-year-old Louis to Adelaide of Anjou (who was then more than 40 years old), she brought with her Auvergne and the county of Toulouse, enough to pincer the Robertian territories from the south; the marriage failed and the couple separated two years later… Lothair died in March 986.

    Election: The new king, Louis V was killed in a riding accident while hunting in the forest of Senlis on 21 or 22 May 987… Hugh Capet’s opponent Charles of Lorraine was accused of all evils: he wanted to usurp the crown (978), had allied himself with the emperor against his brother, and had defamed Queen Emma of Italy, his brother’s wife. The archbishop of Reims convened the greatest lords of France at Senlis and denounced Charles for not maintaining his dignity, having made himself a vassal of he emperor Otto II and marrying a woman from a lower class of nobility. He promoted the candidacy of Hugh Capet: “Crown the Duke. He is most illustrious by his exploits, his nobility, his forces. The throne is not acquired by hereditary right; no one should be raised to it unless distinguished not only for nobility of birth, but for the goodness of his soul.” Hugh was elected and crowned rex Francorum [official Latin title of the “King of the Franks” - “King of France”] at Noyon in Picardy, 7/3/987, the first of the Capetian house. Immediately after his coronation he began to push for the coronation of his son Robert. The archbishop, wary of establishing hereditary kingship in the Capetian line, answered that two kings cannot be created in the same year; Hugh claimed he was planning an expedition against the Moorish armies, thus, the stability of the country necessitated two kings should he die… Robert was crowned 12/25/987.

    Charles of Lorraine: the Carolingian heir, contested the succession; he drew support from the Count of Vermandois, a cadet of the Carolingian dynasty; and from the Count of Flanders… Charles took Laon, the seat of the Carolingian royalty...  Adalberon, bishop of Laon, whom Charles expelled, had sought the protection of Hugh Capet; the bishop made overtures to Arnulf and Charles, to mediate a peace between them and Hugh Capet… (later) the bishop seized Charles an Arnulf and delivered them to Hugh; Charles was imprisoned in Orleans until his death…

    Dispute with the papacy: After the loss of Reims by the betrayal of Arnulf, Hugh demanded his deposition by Pope John XV; but the pope was then embroiled in a conflict with the Roman aristocracy, and, after the capture of Charles and Arnulf, Hugh resorted to a domestic tribunal, and convoked a synod at Reims in June 991. There Gerbert testified against Arnulf, which led to the archbishop’s deposition and Gerbert being chosen as replacement… Pope John XI rejected this procedure… Gerbert was supported by other bishops, advocates for the independence of the churches vis-a-vis Rome (which is controlled by the German emperors). Throught the exertions of eh legate, the deposition of Arnulf was finally pronounced illegal. To avoid excommunication of the bishops who sat in council of St. Basle, Gerbert decided to let go; abandoning the archdiocese… After Hugh’s death, Arnulf was released from his imprisonment restored to all his dignities… Under the auspices of the emperor, Gerbert eventually succeeded to the papacy as Pope Sylvester II, the first French pope.

    Extent of power: (during Hugh Capet’s reign) The “country” operated with 150 different forms of currency and at least a dozen languages. Uniting all this into one cohesive unit was a formidable task and a constant struggle between those who wore the crown of France and its feudal lords; Hugh Capet’s reign was marked by numerous power struggles with the vassals on the borders of the Seine and the Loire.

    Legacy: Hugh Capet died 10/24/996 in Paris and was interred in the Saint Denis Basilica; he was succeeded by his son Robert.

    Hugh is regarded as the founder of the Capetian dynasty. The direct Capetians, or the House of Capet, ruled France from 987 to 1328; thereafter, the Kingdom was ruled by cadet branches of the dynasty. All French kings through Louis Philippe, and all royals since then, have belonged to the dynasty. Furthermore, cadet branches of the House continue to reign in Spain and Luxembourg. All monarchs of the Kingdom of France from Hugh Capet to Philip II of France were titled King of the Franks. Philip II of France was the first to use the title of King of France. Many people make this minor error in writing or doing genealogy.

    Marriage: Hugh Capet married Adelaide of Aquitaine, daughter of William Towhead, Count of Poitou; their son, Robert II, succeeded Hugh as king.

Neustria. [https://en.wikipedia.] The territory of Neustria aka Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities (which is roughly the current size of England and Wales). Thus Neustria formed the western part of the kingdom of the Franks under the rule of the Merovingian dynasty during the sixth to eighth centuries. The distinct area originated at the time of the death of Clovis I (as well as the conquered territories over Syagrius), when his sons divided his lands between them. It later became a term for the region between the Seine and the Loire rivers known as the regnum Neustriae, a constituent subkingdom of the Carolingian Empire and then West Francia. The Carolingian kings also created a March of Neustria which was a frontier duchy against the Bretons and Vikings that lasted until the Capetian monarchy in the late tenth century. Neustria was also employed as a term for northwestern Italy during the period of Lombard domination. It was contrasted with the northeast, which was likewise called Austrasia, the same term as given to eastern Francia.

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Other References: https://books.google.com/books?id=dUkHBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA163&lpg=PA163&dq=Rupert+Doda+de+Poitiers&source=bl&ots=MR1zaUEI4Q&sig=kEZ5AwhszfPDXajpqy_gx2pez5M&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigtpryvJvMAhVDu4MKHVC7BPwQ6AEIMTAF#v=onepage&q=Rupert%20Doda%20de%20Poitiers&f=false

Two Thousand Years One Hundred Generations Again by Robert Page

Robert aka Chrodobert m: Doda Poiters

Rupert I of Wormsgau m: Williswint Von Wormsgau

Theuringbert of Wormsgau b. abt 740 d. in Germany m: Unknown

Rupert II, Count Wormsgau m: Theoderata aka Tiedrada

Rupert III Von Wormsgau (b. Wormgau m: France d. France) m: ?

Related Blog Posts:
Blog Post: Lineage: Noble Family - House of Capet, also called the House of France. https://gray-piperfamily.blogspot.com/2016/04/lineage-nobel-family-house-of-capet.html *38th GGF Lambert II  *b. 670. *Originally published 4/5/2016, edits made 1/25/2017: (Jody Gray): What I have learned since I first published this Blog Post has made it obsolete; however, I'm not deleting it because there are people who have used it (have it in their Family Trees) -I begin with the Robertians - instead of beginning with Charibert, I'm starting with Lambert II because he's the first "verifiable" ancestor

Blog Post: Descendants of Hugh Capet b. 941. -House of Capet -Francia (France)

http://historicalandmisc.blogspot.com/2016/12/descendants-of-hugh-capet-b-941.html -Founder Hugh Capet, in 987.

Blog Post: Timeline, earliest Dynasties in Europe (687-ca. 987) end of Carolingian Dynasty.
https://gray-piperfamily.blogspot.com/2017/02/timeline-earliest-dynasties-in-europe.html

*Quick Links to all Related Blog Posts
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