Drogo, also known as
Dreux or
Drogon (June 17
801-Births:* September 8 or 9—Ansgar, German monk and archbishop * June 17—Drogo of Metz...
-December 8,
855-Europe:* Louis II succeeds Lothar as Western Emperor. Two other sons, Lothar II and Charles, also get parts of the kingdom.* The Slavic alphabet is created by Saints Cyril and Methodius....
) was an illegitimate son of Frankish
emperorAn emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the female equivalent. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor or a woman who rules in her own right...
CharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe...
by the concubine
ReginaRegina was a concubine of Charlemagne who bore him two illegitimate sons, both of whom became holy men. First, she gave birth to Drogo in 801, then to Hugh in 802. They would be the last-living sons of Charlemagne, though not the longest-living: Louis the Pious lived to the age of 62....
.
As one of the few children to outlive his father, Drogo's prospects for political power were very favourable. Only one older son of Charlemagne remained, and was eager to ensure his few opponents were placated. He became a
clericA cleric , clergyman , or churchman is a member of the clergy of a religion, especially one who is a priest, preacher, or other religious professional...
in 818,
abbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Luxeuil in 820, acceded to become bishop of Metz in 823 and arch chapter in 834 in which position he remained for the duration of his life.
Drogo, also known as
Dreux or
Drogon (June 17
801-Births:* September 8 or 9—Ansgar, German monk and archbishop * June 17—Drogo of Metz...
-December 8,
855-Europe:* Louis II succeeds Lothar as Western Emperor. Two other sons, Lothar II and Charles, also get parts of the kingdom.* The Slavic alphabet is created by Saints Cyril and Methodius....
) was an illegitimate son of Frankish
emperorAn emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the female equivalent. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor or a woman who rules in her own right...
CharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe...
by the concubine
ReginaRegina was a concubine of Charlemagne who bore him two illegitimate sons, both of whom became holy men. First, she gave birth to Drogo in 801, then to Hugh in 802. They would be the last-living sons of Charlemagne, though not the longest-living: Louis the Pious lived to the age of 62....
.
As one of the few children to outlive his father, Drogo's prospects for political power were very favourable. Only one older son of Charlemagne remained, and was eager to ensure his few opponents were placated. He became a
clericA cleric , clergyman , or churchman is a member of the clergy of a religion, especially one who is a priest, preacher, or other religious professional...
in 818,
abbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Luxeuil in 820, acceded to become bishop of Metz in 823 and arch chapter in 834 in which position he remained for the duration of his life. His younger (full) brother,
HughHugh was the illegitimate son of Charlemagne and his concubine Regina, with whom he had one other son: Bishop Drogo of Metz .Hugh was the abbot of several abbacies: Saint-Quentin , Lobbes , and Saint-Bertin...
, was also ordained. He remained extremely loyal to his (half) brother,
Louis the PiousLouis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
and amassed great power under him. Drogo's influence began to wane after Louis' death, and his influence fell even more after the death of his only full brother Hugh in 844. Still, he managed to ensure the production of the
Drogo SacramentaryThe Drogo Sacramentary is a Carolingian illuminated manuscript on vellum of c.850, one of the monuments of Carolingian book illumination...
, which is named for him. He is interred at Abbey Church of St. Arnulf in
MetzMetz is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. It is located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers....
.
Information about Droga, bishop of Metz we can find e.g. in Annales Bertiniani: anno 839: Dominicae nativitatis festum hilariter, a Drogone fratre suo et Metensis urbis episcopo decentissime susceptus, in eadem civitate caelebravit