Herbert II, Count of Vermandois

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 Adela of France (also known as Liégarde) brought him the County of Meaux. 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 Chateau-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 in 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, Chateau-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 III, Robert, Albert, 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

He was first married to Adela, and then to Hildebrante of France (895-931), daughter of Robert I of France.

With Adela, he had 7 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, (910-946)
*Herbert "the Elder", Count of Meaux and of Troyes (-993)
*Robert of Vermandois, Count of Meaux and Chalons (-968)
*Adalbert I, Count of Vermandois (915-987), married Gerberga of Lorraine, also a descendant of Charlemagne
*Luitgarde of Vermandois (ca 920-978), married 943 Theobald I of Blois
*Hugh of Vermandois (died 962), Archbishop of Reims

External links

* [http://fjaunais.free.fr/h0vermandois.htm Comtes de Vermandois]