Reginarids
Encyclopedia
The House of Reginar was a kin-group in Lotharingia
during the Carolingian
and Ottonian
centuries. They were the first dynasty of the County of Hainault and they supplied two Dukes of Lorraine.
Following the death of Charles the Fat
, the Reginarids began a long fight with the Conradines for supremacy in Lotharingia. When they triumphed, in 910, it was in electing Charles the Simple
as king. It was the combined forces of Bruno I of Lorraine
and the Carolingians of West Francia that finally broke the Reginarids' hold on power. In 958, Reginar III had his lands confiscated and redistributed to Gerard, Count of Metz, of the Matfridings, enemies of his family since the reign of Zwentibold
.
The Reginarids supported Lothair of France
against Otto II, but they made a deal with the latter in 978. Nonetheless, the Reginarids were not longer a unified family by the end of the tenth century. Their descendants in Mons and Louvain continued their spirit of opposition to the king, however. The house also produced a queen-consort of England in the form of Adeliza of Leuven, who married Henry I of England
.
Lotharingia
Lotharingia was a region in northwest Europe, comprising the Low Countries, the western Rhineland, the lands today on the border between France and Germany, and what is now western Switzerland. It was born of the tripartite division in 855, of the kingdom of Middle Francia, itself formed of the...
during the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
and Ottonian
Ottonian
The Ottonian dynasty was a dynasty of Germanic Kings , named after its first emperor but also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin. The family itself is also sometimes known as the Liudolfings, after its earliest known member Liudolf and one of its primary leading-names...
centuries. They were the first dynasty of the County of Hainault and they supplied two Dukes of Lorraine.
Following the death of Charles the Fat
Charles the Fat
Charles the Fat was the King of Alemannia from 876, King of Italy from 879, western Emperor from 881, King of East Francia from 882, and King of West Francia from 884. In 887, he was deposed in East Francia, Lotharingia, and possibly Italy, where the records are not clear...
, the Reginarids began a long fight with the Conradines for supremacy in Lotharingia. When they triumphed, in 910, it was in electing Charles the Simple
Charles the Simple
Charles III , called the Simple or the Straightforward , was the undisputed King of France from 898 until 922 and the King of Lotharingia from 911 until 919/23...
as king. It was the combined forces of Bruno I of Lorraine
Bruno I, Archbishop of Cologne
Bruno the Great was Archbishop of Cologne, Germany, from 953 until his death, and Duke of Lotharingia from 954. He was the brother of Otto I, king of Germany and later Holy Roman Emperor....
and the Carolingians of West Francia that finally broke the Reginarids' hold on power. In 958, Reginar III had his lands confiscated and redistributed to Gerard, Count of Metz, of the Matfridings, enemies of his family since the reign of Zwentibold
Zwentibold
Zwentibold was the illegitimate son of the Carolingian Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia. In 895 his father, then king of East Francia, granted him the Kingdom of Lotharingia, which he ruled until his death.After his death he was declared a saint and martyr by the Catholic Church.- Life :Zwentibold...
.
The Reginarids supported Lothair of France
Lothair of France
Lothair , sometimes called Lothair IV, was the Carolingian king of West Francia , son of Louis IV and Gerberga of Saxony.-Regency:...
against Otto II, but they made a deal with the latter in 978. Nonetheless, the Reginarids were not longer a unified family by the end of the tenth century. Their descendants in Mons and Louvain continued their spirit of opposition to the king, however. The house also produced a queen-consort of England in the form of Adeliza of Leuven, who married Henry I of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
.
Sources
- Reuter, TimothyTimothy ReuterTimothy Alan Reuter , grandson of the former mayor of Berlin Ernst Reuter, was a German-British historian who specialized in the study of medieval Germany, particularly the social, military and ecclesiastical institutions of the Ottonian and Salian periods .Reuter received his D.phil from Oxford in...
. Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056. New York: Longman, 1991.