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27-547: Ultimately, for the Breton March alone, some 29 strongholds across several 'provinces' were constructed or fortified and designated to serve as fortresses of the march. In 911, Robert I of France , the incumbent margrave of Breton March, was affirmed/appointed margrave of both marches by king Charles the Simple , and took the title demarchus . His family, the later Capetians , ruled the whole of Neustria until 987, when Hugh Capet

54-496: A daughter of King Henry the Fowler of Germany and Matilda . Soon after this, his third marriage, he was drawn into a prolonged quarrel with Louis IV. In 938 King Louis IV began attacking fortresses and lands formerly held by members of his family, some held by Herbert II of Vermandois. In 939 king Louis attacked Hugh the Great and Duke William Longsword of Normandy, after which a truce

81-654: A famous series of legends as exemplified in the eponymous Chanson de Roland . The Carolingian king of the Franks, Charles the Bald , re-created the Breton March in 861 and appointed Robert the Strong margrave. In 863, Charles negotiated the Treaty of Entrammes with Salomon, King of Brittany whereby western Anjou was recognised as a part of Brittany and the lay abbacy of Saint-Aubin in Angers

108-671: Is known as the Robertians . In 922 the barons of Western Francia , after revolting against the Carolingian King Charles the Simple (who fled his kingdom under their onslaught), elected Robert I, Hugh's father, as king of Western Francia. At the death of Robert I, in battle at Soissons in 923, Hugh refused the crown and it went to his brother-in-law Rudolph . Charles sought help in regaining his crown from Hugh's cousin Count Herbert II of Vermandois , who instead of helping

135-523: The Battle of Soissons Robert was killed. However, his army won the battle and Charles was captured. Charles remained a captive until his death in 929. Robert was succeeded as king by his son-in-law Rudolph, Count of Burgundy , also known as Raoul. Robert's first wife was Aelis . They had: Robert married for the second time c.  890 to Beatrice of Vermandois , daughter of Herbert I, Count of Vermandois . Together they had: Hugh

162-622: The Loire and the Seine , corresponding to the ancient Neustria , with the exceptions of Anjou and of the territory ceded to the Normans in 911. He took a very active part in bringing King Louis IV ( d'Outremer ) from the Kingdom of England in 936. Historians have wondered why the powerful Hugh the Great called the young Louis to throne instead of taking it himself, as his father had done fifteen years earlier. In

189-489: 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; instead recognizing the supremacy of the Carolingian king, Charles the Simple . Charles then confirmed Robert in his offices and possessions, after which he continued to defend northern Francia from

216-558: The Fat succeeded to power in West Francia and after Hugh's death in 886, Charles gave the title to Robert the Strong's son, Odo . After Charles' death in 888, Odo became king of the Franks and appointed Robert I margrave of the Breton March. Odo died in 898 and was succeeded as king by Charles the Simple who confirmed Robert's titles and possessions. Adalard the Seneschal served as warden of

243-628: The Great Hugh the Great ( c.  898  – 16 June 956) was the duke of the Franks and count of Paris . He was the most powerful magnate in France. Son of King Robert I of France , Hugh was Margrave of Neustria. He played an active role in bringing King Louis d'Outremer back from England in 936. Seeking an alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto the Great , he married Otto's younger sister, Hedwig of Saxony in 937. They were

270-539: The Great. On the death of Louis IV, Hugh was one of the first to recognize Lothair as his successor, and, at the intervention of Lothair's mother, Gerberga of Saxony , was instrumental in having him crowned. In recognition of this service Hugh was invested by the new king with the duchies of Burgundy and Aquitaine . In the same year, however, Duke Gilbert of Burgundy acknowledged himself his vassal and betrothed his daughter to Hugh's son Otto-Henry . At Giselbert's death (8 April 956) Hugh became effective master of

297-625: The Norman March from 861 to 865. His march extended over the county of Le Mans and he was immediately opposed by the Rorgonids , who controlled the city. They intrigued against him and his relatives, also powerful nobles in the region, until Charles revoked his grants to them and placed the Rorgonids at the head of the March. Under a peace, Charles transferred the Norman March to Gauzfrid, Count of Maine ,

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324-498: The Viking leader Rollo in the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte , which granted Rollo the county of Rouen . Robert I, the margrave of the Breton March, was also granted the Norman March and the two entities became permanently united. Robert took the title of demarchus , a title which Rollo later also took. Robert I was margrave until his death in 922, and was succeeded by Hugh the Great who

351-456: The attacks of Vikings . Robert defeated a large band of Vikings in the Loire Valley in 921, after which the defeated invaders converted to Christianity and settled near Nantes . The peace between King Charles the Simple and his powerful vassal was not seriously disturbed until about 921 when Charles' favoritism towards Hagano aroused rebellion. Supported by many of the clergy and by some of

378-631: The duchy, but on 16 June Hugh died in Dourdan . Hugh married first, in 922, Judith, daughter of Roger, Count of Maine , and his wife Rothilde , a daughter of Emperor Charles the Bald . She died childless in 925. Hugh's second wife was Eadhild , daughter of Edward the Elder , king of the Anglo-Saxons, and half-sister of King Æthelstan . They married in 926 and she died in 937, childless. Hugh's married his third wife, Hedwig of Saxony , daughter of Henry

405-511: The first place, he had many rivals, especially Hugh, Duke of Burgundy (King Rudolph's brother) and Herbert II, Count of Vermandois who probably would have challenged his election. But above all, it seems that he was shocked by the early death of his father. Richerus explains that Hugh the Great remembered his father who had died for his "pretentions" and this was the cause of his short and turbulent reign. In 937 Hugh's second wife, Eadhild, died. Later that year, he married Hedwige of Saxony ,

432-428: The fortress of Laon . In 948 at a church council at Ingelheim the bishops, all but two being from Germany, condemned and excommunicated Hugh in absentia , and returned Archbishop Artauld to his See at Reims. Hugh's response was to attack Soissons and Reims while the excommunication was repeated by a council at Trier . In 953 Hugh finally relented and made peace with Louis IV, the church and his brother-in-law Otto

459-411: The king imprisoned him. Herbert then used his prisoner as an advantage in pressing his own ambitions, using the threat of releasing the king up until Charles' death in 929. From then on Herbert II of Vermandois struggled with King Rudolph and Duke Hugh. Finally Rudolph and Herbert II came to an agreement in 935. At the death of Rudolph in 936, Hugh was in possession of nearly all of the region between

486-556: The later Breton March; it included the Rennais and Nantais territories (French: pays ), and parts of the Vannetais and Maine. Administration centered in Le Mans and the territory eventually went by the name of ducatus Cenomannicus or Duchy of Maine. One of the most famous margraves (" Britannici limitis praefectus ") was Roland , who died at the Battle of Roncesvalles in 778 and gave rise to

513-608: The most powerful of the Frankish nobles, Robert took up arms, drove Charles into Lotharingia , and was himself crowned king of the Franks ( rex Francorum ) at Rheims on 29 June 922. Robert's rule was contested by the Viking leader Rollo , who had settled in the Duchy of Normandy in 911 with the permission of Charles the Simple. During Robert's reign, Rollo remained loyal to Charles, who continued to contest his deposition. Gathering an army, Charles marched against Robert, and on 15 June 923 at

540-474: The parents of Hugh Capet . Hedwig's sister, Gerberga of Saxony , was the wife of Louis IV of France . Although he often fought with Louis, he supported the accession of Louis and Gerberga's son, Lothair of France . Hugh was the son of King Robert I of France and Béatrice of Vermandois . He was born in Paris , Île-de-France , France . His eldest son was Hugh Capet who became King of France in 987. His family

567-399: The representative of the Rorgonids. He was followed by Ragenold who was margrave between 878 and 885. In 885, Charles the Fat came to power in West Francia and named Henry of Franconia margrave of the Norman March. In 886, Henry died and Charles the Fat replaced him with Berengar II . Berengar died in 896, and it is not known who succeeded him. In 911, Charles the Simple made peace with

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594-502: Was concluded, lasting until June. That same year Hugh, along with Count Herbert II of Vermandois, Count Arnulf I of Flanders and Duke William Longsword paid homage to the Emperor Otto the Great , and supported him in his struggle against Louis. 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 Louis IV in 946 on condition that he should surrender

621-504: 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. After Hugh Capet became King of the Franks, no further margraves were appointed. The original march of Brittany was created and militarized under the Merovingians in the late 7th or early 8th century. Although its exact extent is unknown and its boundaries do not coincide with

648-528: Was granted to Salomon, who commended himself to Charles and paid tribute. Robert was killed fighting the Vikings in 866, revealing how the boundaries of the marches did not affect the raiders with which the marcher margraves had to deal nor prevent the two margraves from cooperating in each other's territories against the common enemies of the Franks. Hugh the Abbot succeeded to Robert's office and title. In 885, Charles

675-523: Was margrave until 956, and was followed in turn by Hugh Capet , who became king of the Franks in 987. Rouen was the basis of the future Duchy of Normandy . The Normans gradually expanded their territory and incorporated much of Neustria into it. When Hugh Capet became king of the Franks in 987, the history of the march came to an end, to be replaced by the history of the various comital fiefs which were to rise in power within it. Robert I of France Robert I ( c.  866 – 15 June 923)

702-587: Was the brother of Odo , who was elected king of West Francia in 888. In time West Francia evolved into the Kingdom of France ; and under Odo, the royal capital was fixed in Paris . Robert and Odo came from the Robertian dynasty out of which the Capetian dynasty grew. In 885 Robert participated in the defence of Paris during the Viking siege of Paris . He was appointed by Odo as the ruler of several counties, including

729-419: Was the elected King of West Francia from 922 to 923. Before his election to the throne he was Count of Poitiers , Count of Paris and Marquis of Neustria and Orléans . He succeeded the overthrown Carolingian king Charles the Simple , who in 898 had succeeded Robert's brother, king Odo . Robert was born in 866 as the posthumous son of Robert the Strong , count of Anjou and Adelaide of Tours . He

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