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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Strong Robert IV the Strong , 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 . 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 . 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.