1. Overview
Herbert II (died February 23, 943) was a powerful and ambitious Frankish nobleman who served as the Count of Vermandois, Meaux, and Soissons. He is notably recognized as the first ruler to exert significant control over the territory that would later become the historic province of Champagne. His life was marked by relentless political maneuvering, strategic alliances, and aggressive territorial expansion during the turbulent 10th century in West Francia, a period characterized by the fragmentation of Carolingian authority and the rise of powerful regional magnates. Herbert II's actions, including the controversial imprisonment of King Charles III the Simple, profoundly influenced the political landscape of the nascent French kingdom, shaping the balance of power between the weakening monarchy and the increasingly independent feudal lords.
2. Early Life and Ancestry
Herbert II was born around 880 in Vermandois, Normandy. He was the son of Herbert I, Count of Vermandois and Senlis, and his mother was Bertha or Liutgard, daughter of Count Adalelme of Troyes. His lineage traced directly back to Charlemagne, specifically through Charlemagne's second son, Pippin Carloman, and his illegitimate son Bernard, King of Italy, and Bernard's illegitimate son, Pippin II, Count of Senlis. This connection to the Carolingian dynasty was a source of both prestige and a deep-seated family grievance. Following the blinding and death of Bernard of Italy at the hands of Louis I the Pious, Charlemagne's sixth son, Herbert II's family harbored a long-standing resentment against the descendants of Louis the Pious, including King Charles III the Simple. Herbert II's great-aunt, Poppa of Valois, daughter of his grand-uncle Pippin III, married Rollo, the leader of the Normans and first Duke of Normandy.
3. Titles and Territories
Herbert II inherited his father's extensive territories and titles in 907, becoming the Count of Vermandois and Soissons. These inheritances also included significant ecclesiastical positions, such as the lay abbacy of Saint-Quentin and the Abbey of Saint-Médard in Soissons. As a lay abbot, he was entitled to the considerable income generated from these monastic estates, which he actively accumulated.
His marriage to Adela of West Francia, daughter of King Robert I of France (and Herbert's own sister Beatrice's daughter), further expanded his influence by bringing him the County of Meaux as a dowry. This marriage also solidified his ties with the powerful Robertian family. In 918, he also acquired the titles of Count of Mézerais and Count of Vexin, though he later lost control of Vexin to Ralph I. Upon the death of his relative, Count Bernard, Herbert II also gained the County of Beauvais. Alongside his cousin Bernard, who was Count of Beauvais and Senlis, Herbert II became one of the most influential and powerful lords in the northern and eastern regions of West Francia. He further strengthened his domain by constructing fortifications in the region of Castrum Theodorici, which later became known as Château-Thierry.
4. Political Career
Herbert II's political career was characterized by an aggressive pursuit of power, marked by strategic alliances, cunning manipulation, and direct conflict with the reigning monarchs of West Francia.
4.1. Relations with Kings
Herbert II's interactions with the kings of West Francia were complex and often adversarial. He was a staunch supporter of his brother-in-law, Robert I, during the latter's challenge to King Charles III the Simple. After Robert I's death, Herbert II continued to exert significant influence over the succession. He actively leveraged his control over the imprisoned Charles III to extract concessions from King Rudolph, Robert I's successor and Herbert's own brother-in-law, leading to considerable animosity between them. Rudolph, despite his disdain for Herbert's tactics, was often forced to concede to his demands.
When Louis IV returned from England and ascended the throne in 936, Herbert initially sought reconciliation, but this effort, mediated by Hugh the Great, failed. Herbert II later allied with Hugh the Great and William Longsword, Duke of Normandy, against King Louis IV, particularly after Louis IV granted the County of Laon to Roger II, son of Roger I, in 941. This alliance posed a significant threat to the royal authority.
Herbert II also skillfully utilized external powers to bolster his position. The intervention of his ally, Henry the Fowler, King of Germany, proved crucial in 934 and 935, allowing Herbert to recover most of his lost domains (except Rheims and Laon) in exchange for a nominal submission to King Rudolph. Later, in 942, the mediation of the German King Otto I at Visé, near Liège, was instrumental in normalizing the volatile political situation between Herbert and King Louis IV.
4.2. Imprisonment of Charles III
One of Herbert II's most audacious and impactful political maneuvers was the capture and prolonged imprisonment of King Charles III the Simple. In 922, as tensions escalated between King Charles III and the Neustrian nobility, Herbert II actively supported Robert I. On June 15, 923, Herbert II's forces decisively defeated Charles III's army and captured the king. Accounts suggest that Herbert II may have lured Charles III with a promise of safe refuge before betraying him.
Charles III was initially imprisoned at Château-Thierry before being transferred to a dungeon in Péronne, Somme. Herbert II ruthlessly exploited Charles III's captivity as a powerful bargaining chip against the newly crowned King Rudolph. Despite Charles's status as a prisoner, Rudolph reportedly treated him with respect, even bowing before him. However, Rudolph deeply resented Herbert's constant demands and threats to release the former king.
Pope John X was the sole European leader to protest Charles III's imprisonment, condemning Herbert II's actions and threatening him with excommunication if Charles was not immediately released. Herbert II, however, defiantly ignored the papal warnings. Charles III remained a captive, eventually dying in the Péronne prison in 929, reportedly from starvation. His death removed a key source of Herbert's leverage but also eliminated a rallying point for Rudolph's opposition.
4.3. Archbishopric of Rheims
Herbert II consistently sought to control the influential Archbishopric of Rheims, a position that offered immense spiritual and temporal power. In 922, when Seulf became Archbishop of Rheims, Herbert II, in an effort to appease him, secured a solemn promise from Seulf that he could nominate his successor.
Upon Seulf's death in 925, Herbert II, with the assistance of King Rudolph, boldly secured the archbishopric for his second son, Hugh, who was only five years old at the time. To legitimize this controversial appointment, Herbert II dispatched emissaries to Pope John X in Rome, obtaining papal approval in 926. Following his election, the young Hugh was sent to Auxerre for his studies, with Bishop Abbo of Soissons acting as his proxy in Rheims.
However, Herbert II's control over Rheims was not unchallenged. In 931, King Rudolph entered Rheims, defeated Archbishop Hugh, and installed Artaud as the new archbishop. Herbert II later allied with Hugh the Great and, in 941, they recaptured Rheims and seized Artald, restoring Hugh to the archbishopric. This action prompted Pope Stephen VIII to intervene, sending papal legates to Paris to warn the Frankish nobles against opposing Louis IV and threatening excommunication for those who defied the king. Despite this, Herbert II continued to press his claim, even briefly imprisoning the chronicler Flodoard and urging the Vatican to excommunicate Artald and Flodoard in favor of Hugh. Ultimately, Artald and Flodoard were reinstated by Pope Agapetus II at the Council of Ingelheim in 948, after Herbert's death.
4.4. Conflicts and Territorial Disputes
Herbert II's reign was marked by numerous territorial disputes and conflicts, as he relentlessly sought to expand his domains.
In 926, following the death of Count Roger I of Laon, Herbert II demanded this strategic county for his eldest son, Eudes. Despite King Rudolph's resistance, Herbert II seized the town, defying royal authority and constructing a fortress there, leading to a direct confrontation with Rudolph in 927. He managed to hold Laon for four more years by threatening to release the imprisoned Charles III. However, after Charles's death in 929, Rudolph renewed his assault on Laon in 931, successfully defeating Herbert II and regaining control.
In 926, Herbert II also seized Amiens, expelling its count, Rudolf, and claiming the title for himself. He fortified Amiens in 928, though he was forced to relinquish it in 931. He built additional fortresses in Saint-Quentin in 927 and Péronne in 929.
In 930, Herbert II captured the castle of Vitry-en-Perthois from Boso, King Rudolph's brother. This act prompted Rudolph, Boso, and Hugh the Great to launch a coordinated attack, leading to the recapture of Vitry-en-Perthois and the defeat of Herbert's son Hugh in Rheims in 931. Over the next three years, Herbert II lost control of Vitry, Laon, Château-Thierry, and Soissons.
His alliance with Rollo, the Duke of Normandy, in 927 saw Herbert II requesting military aid, in exchange for which he sent his son Eudes as a hostage to the Normans. Eudes was later appointed Viscount of Vienne in 928.
In 933 and 934, Rudolph attacked Rheims, burning the fortress where Herbert II had imprisoned Charles the Simple. Around 935, Herbert II lost Soissons, Vitry, Laon, and Château-Thierry to either Rudolph or Louis IV. Although Rudolph briefly captured Château-Thierry, his sudden death in 936 allowed Herbert II to regain it.
Later, in 941, Louis IV allocated the County of Laon to Roger II, the son of Roger I. This decision prompted Herbert II to form a powerful alliance with Hugh the Great and William Longsword, Duke of Normandy, against the king. They successfully retook Rheims and captured Archbishop Artald. The conflict was eventually resolved through the mediation of Otto I in Visé in 942.
5. Death and Legacy
Herbert II's death marked a significant turning point in the political landscape of West Francia, leading to the fragmentation of his vast domains and the eventual decline of his direct male line.
5.1. Death
Herbert II died on February 23, 943, at Saint-Quentin, Aisne, the capital of the County of Vermandois. The prevailing historical consensus indicates that he died of natural causes. The dramatic account of his being hanged by King Louis IV during a hunt, as depicted in some 14th-century illustrations, is widely considered fictitious. This story originated from Folcwin's *Deeds of the Abbots of St. Bertin*, written around 960, years after Herbert's death, and is not corroborated by contemporary annals, such as those of Flodoard of Reims, which provide the most reliable political narrative for Louis IV's reign.
Following his death, Herbert II's body was interred in the crypt of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Quentin in Aisne. Unfortunately, this historic crypt was destroyed in August 1917 when German forces burned the Saint-Quentin Cathedral during their invasion of France.
5.2. Division of Estates
Upon Herbert II's death, his extensive estates and numerous titles, which had been painstakingly accumulated throughout his life, were divided among his sons. This division, however, was not immediate and was subject to three years of conflict among his heirs, eventually resolved through the mediation of Hugh the Great.
The two elder sons, Eudes and Adalbert I, received the core territories of Vermandois and Amiens. His younger sons, Robert and Herbert 'the Old', were granted valuable holdings scattered throughout the Champagne region, including Meaux and Troyes. Eudes also received Vienne. Hugh, as Archbishop, retained control over Rheims and its surrounding areas, while Guy I inherited the County of Soissons.
5.3. Descendants and Family Lineage
The male line of Herbert II through his son Robert and grandson Herbert IV eventually ended when Herbert IV's only son, Stephen (also known as Étienne), died childless between 1019 and 1020. However, the lineage of Herbert II continued through his other son, Adalbert I, whose descendants, such as Otto I of Chiny, continued until the 13th century.
Herbert II's daughters also played a crucial role in the continuation of powerful noble lines. His daughter Luitgarde, the widow of William Longsword, received Mézerais. Hugh the Great, intervening in the division of Herbert's estate, arranged for Luitgarde to marry his vassal, Theobald I of Blois, whose descendants would later inherit the County of Champagne.
The County of Laon, which Herbert II had so fiercely contested during his lifetime, was eventually restored to Roger II in 938 after Herbert's death, but it subsequently became a direct royal domain under the Kings of West Francia. Following Herbert II's death, Ralph II of Vexin, who had briefly lost Amiens to Herbert II, attempted to seize Saint-Quentin but was subsequently killed by Herbert's sons.
5.4. Historical Assessment
Herbert II was a pivotal figure in 10th-century West Francia, embodying the era's shift from a centralized Carolingian monarchy to a fragmented feudal landscape dominated by powerful regional counts. His political acumen, though often ruthless, allowed him to amass an unprecedented amount of land and influence. His audacious act of imprisoning a reigning monarch, Charles III, demonstrated the severe decline of royal authority and the growing power of the aristocracy.
His relentless pursuit of territorial expansion and control over key ecclesiastical positions, particularly the Archbishopric of Rheims, highlights his strategic vision and determination. While his actions contributed to the instability of the kingdom, they also laid the groundwork for the future development of powerful feudal entities, most notably the province of Champagne, which he was the first to effectively control. Herbert II's legacy is that of a formidable and pragmatic magnate who deftly navigated the complex power struggles of his time, leaving a lasting impact on the political geography and feudal structure of what would become France. During his lifetime, his position was often referred to as comtis, and his territories as Heribertum comitem.
6. Family
Herbert II's family connections were central to his political power and influence, linking him to both the Carolingian and Robertian dynasties.
6.1. Spouse
Herbert II was married to Adela of West Francia, who was the daughter of Robert I, King of West Francia. Their marriage, which took place before 907, was politically significant, as Adela brought the valuable County of Meaux as part of her dowry, thereby expanding Herbert's territorial control. Adela was also Herbert's niece, being the daughter of his sister Beatrice and Robert I. She was born around 887 or 891 and died in May 931.
6.2. Children
Herbert II and Adela had several children who continued their family's influence across West Francia:
- Eudes of Vermandois (c. 910 - 946): Count of Amiens and Vienne.
- Adalbert I of Vermandois (c. 915 - 987 or 988): Count of Vermandois. He married Gerberge of Lotharingia (c. 930 - 978), daughter of Giselbert, Duke of Lotharingia, and Gerberga of Saxony. Their descendants, including Otto I of Chiny, continued the family line until the 13th century.
- Adela of Vermandois (c. 910 or 915 - 960): She married Arnulf I, Count of Flanders, a descendant of Charlemagne, in 934.
- Herbert 'the Old' (c. 910 or 913 - 980, 985, or 993): Count of Omois, Meaux, and Troyes. He also held the position of lay abbot of Saint-Médard in Soissons. In 951, he married Eadgifu of Wessex, daughter of King Edward the Elder of England and the widow of King Charles III the Simple. Herbert 'the Old' is sometimes confused with his nephew, Herbert III, Count of Meaux and Troyes, son of Robert.
- Robert I of Vermandois (died 966, 967, or 968): Count of Meaux and Troyes (or Châlons). He married Adélaïde Werra. His son, Herbert IV, later inherited his lands. Herbert IV's only son, Stephen, died childless between 1019 and 1020, marking the end of Herbert II's direct male line through this branch.
- Luitgarde of Vermandois (c. 914 or 915 - 977 or February 9, 978): She first married William I Longsword, Duke of Normandy, in 940. After William's death, she married Theobald I of Blois around 943 or 944. Their son was Odo I, Count of Blois, and their descendants later inherited the County of Champagne.
- Hugh of Vermandois (c. 920 - 962): Archbishop of Rheims.
- Guy I of Soissons (c. 919 - 986 or June 13, 989): Count of Soissons.