Ricwin (Ricuin, Richwin) (died 923), was a
Count of Verdun.
After the death of
Lothar II, the
Treaty of Meerssen
The Treaty of Mersen or Meerssen, concluded on 8 August 870, was a treaty to partition the realm of Lothair II, known as Lotharingia, by his uncles Louis the German of East Francia and Charles the Bald of West Francia, the two surviving sons ...
(August 870) divided Lotharingian territories between
Louis the German
Louis the German (c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany and Louis II of East Francia, was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 843 to 876 AD. Grandson of emperor Charlemagne and the third son of Louis the Pi ...
and his half-brother
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a s ...
. This division allocated “''comitatum… Viridunense''" to Charles, and Ricwin is recorded as ''Comte in Verdun'' in a charter dated 895. Evrard has speculated that Ricwin was the brother of
Reginar Reginar may refer to:
* Reginar, Duke of Lorraine (c. 850–915)
* Reginar II, Count of Hainaut (c. 890–932)
* Reginar III, Count of Hainaut (c. 920–973)
* Reginar IV, Count of Mons (c. 950–1013)
* Reginar V, Count of Mons (c. 995–1039)
* Ho ...
, but this remains unproved.
The chronicler
Flodoard of Reims recorded that in 921, Ricwin (''Ricuni infidelis'') opposed
Charles the Simple
Charles III (17 September 879 – 7 October 929), called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the Latin ''Carolus Simplex''), was the king of West Francia from 898 until 922 and the king of Lotharingia from 911 until 919–923. He was a me ...
, presumably as part of the Revolt of the Nobles of 920. Ricwin, weak in bed, was killed in 923 by
Boso of Provence, uncle of
Rudolf, who was elected King of France that same year. The murder was apparently instigated by his stepson Adalberon, later
Bishop of Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand Est r ...
. Ricwin was succeeded as Count of Verdun by his son
Otto
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorde ...
.
Personal life
Ricwin first married an unnamed daughter of
Engelram, Chamberlain to Charles the Bald, and his wife
Friderada. He had his wife beheaded for her unchastity. They had one son:
* Otto (d. 943), Count of Verdun and Duke of Lorraine
Ricwin's second wife was
Cunigunda, granddaughter of
Louis the Stammerer and widow of
Wigeric of Lotharingia. No children are recorded, though there is speculation by Evrard that Cunigunda's son Gilbert (Giselbert) was fathered by Ricwin.
References
Medieval Lands Project, Comtes de Verdun* Flodoard, ''Les Annales de Flodoard'', Paris, 1905
* Evrard, Jean-Pol, ''Les comtes de Verdun aux Xe et XIe siècles'', Publications de la Section historique de l'Institut Grand-Ducal de Luxembourg 95 (1981)
* Reuter, Timothy (editor), ''The New Cambridge Medieval History'', Volume III: c.900-c.1024, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999, pp. 314–315
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricwin, Count of Verdun
Counts of Verdun
923 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Place of birth unknown
9th-century French people
10th-century French people