Robert IV the Strong

Robert IV the Strong (also known as Rutpert) (820-September 15, 866), was Margrave in Neustria. His family is named after him and called Robertians. He was first nominated by Charles the Bald "missus dominicus" in 853. Robert was the father of the kings Odo and Robert I of France. Robert was the great-grandfather of Hugh Capet and thus the ancestor of all the Capetians. His father was Robert of Worms.

Origins and rise to power

While very little is known about the beginnings of the Robertian family, historians have been able to adduce that the family of nobles had its origins in Hesbaye. During the reign of Louis the German, the Robertian family moved from East Francia to West Francia. After his arrival in West Francia, Charles the Bald showed his favour of the family defecting from his enemy Louis by assigning Robert to the lay abbacy of Marmoutier in 852. In 853 the position of "missus dominicus" in the provinces of Maine, Anjou, and Touraine was given him and he had "de facto" control of the ancient "ducatus Cenomannicus", a vast duchy centred on Le Mans and corresponding to the "regnum Neustriae". Robert's rise came at the expense of the established family of the Rorigonids and was designed to curb their regional power and to defend Neustria from Viking and Breton raids.

Revolt

Despite the fact that he was a favoured noble of Charles, Robert joined a rebellion against the king in 858. He led the Frankish nobles of Neustria with the Bretons under Salomon in inviting Louis the German to invade West Francia and receive their homage. The revolt had been sparked by the marriage alliance between Charles and Erispoe, Duke of Brittany, and by the investment of Louis the Stammerer with the "regnum Neustriae" (856). These actions significantly curtailed the influence both of Salomon and Robert. Charles compensated Robert for the losses suffered in this civil war by giving him the counties of Autun and Nevers in Burgundy, which greatly enlarged his landholdings. In 856 he had to defend Autun from Louis the German following the death of Lothair I. But following Erispoe's assassination in November 857, both he and Salomon rebelled.

Louis the German reached Orléans in September 858 and received delegations from the Breton and Neustrian leaders, as well as from Pepin II. The Neustrian rebels had chased Louis the Stammerer from Le Mans, his capital, earlier that year. In 861, Charles made peace with Robert and appointed him Count of Anjou, even though he had been involved in the revolt.

War with Bretons and Vikings

While count of Anjou, Robert was able to successfully defend the northern coast against the threat of a Viking invasion. In 862 Charles granted Louis the Stammerer, his son, the lay abbacy of Saint Martin of Tours, a small benefice in comparison with the kingdom he had received in 856 (and lost in 858). The young Louis rebelled and was quickly joined by Salomon, who supplied him with troops for a war against Robert. Salomon himself hired Vikings to prosecute a war on Robert, who consequently did the same in defence.

Robert made war on Pepin II in his later years. In 863 he had to defend Autun again from Louis the German, this time after the death of Charles of Provence. Robert was in Neustria during 865 and 866, with Bretons and Vikings ravaging the environs of Le Mans.

Death and legacy

In 866, Robert was killed at the Battle of Brissarthe while, unsurprisingly, defending Francia against a Viking raiding party. During the battle, Robert had entrapped the Viking commander in a nearby church. Thinking he was not endangered, Robert took off his armour and began to besiege the church. Once Robert was unarmoured, the trapped Vikings launched a surprise attack and killed him before he had time to re-arm. His success against the Vikings led to his heroic characterisation as "a second Maccabaeus" in the "Annales Fuldenses".

Robert left as widow Adelaide or Adalais, a daughter of Hugh of Tours and thus an Etichonid. She was the widow of a Welf when he married her and she gave him two sons who rose to prominence in Neustria and Burgundy respectively and became kings of France: Odo and Robert.

ources

*Smith, Julia M. H. "Province and Empire: Brittany and the Carolingians". Cambridge University Press: 1992. ISBN 0-521-38285-8
*Hummer, Hans J. "Politics and Power in Early Medieval Europe: Alsace and the Frankish Realm 600 – 1000". Cambridge University Press: 2005. ISBN 0-521-85441-2
*Bradbury, Jim. "The Capetians, Kings of France 987-1328". Hambledon Continuum: 2007. ISBN 978-1-85285-528-4