Rorgon I or Rorico(n) I (also ''Rorgo'' or ''Rorich''; died 16 June 839 or 840) was the first

count of Maine The capital of Maine was Le Mans. In the thirteenth century it was annexed by France to the royal domain. Dukes of Maine (''duces Cenomannici'') * Charivius (fl. 723) – appears as ''dux'' in a document of 723. Controlled twelve counties and ...

and progenitor of the

Rorgonid dynasty {{Infobox family , name = Rorgonid , native_name = , native_name_lang = , other_names = , type = , coat_of_arms = , coat_of_arms_size = , alt = , coat_of_arms_c ...

, which is named for him. He was

count of Rennes The Count of Rennes was originally the ruler of the Romano- Frankish ''civitas'' of Rennes. From the middle of the ninth century these counts were Bretons with close ties to the Duchy of Brittany, which they often vied to rule. From 990 the Coun ...

from 819 and of Maine from 832 until his death.

Life

He was a son of lord

Gauzlin I of Maine Gauzlin I of Maine was a lord of Maine in the beginning of the 9th century. He was the oldest known ancestor of the Rorgonid family. On onomastic considerations, he could be a descendant of the 8th-century Duke of Maine, Charivius. He is named ...

and Adeltrude, both of whom are named as his parents in a charter of 839 by Rorgon I to the

Abbey of Saint-Maur de Glanfeuil Glanfeuil Abbey, otherwise the Abbey of St Maurus (, ''Abbaye Saint-Maur de Glanfeuil'', ''Abbaye de Saint-Maur-sur-Loire''), was a French Benedictine monastery founded in the 9th century in the village of Saint-Maur-sur-Loire, located in what is ...

. Between 819 and 832 Rorgon became count of Maine and at some point, possibly at the bidding of his wife Bilechilde who may have owned the property, undertook to restore the Abbey of Glanfeuil. An Abbot Ingelbert of

Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Saint-Maur-des-Fossés () is a Communes of France, commune in Val-de-Marne, the southeastern suburbs of Paris, suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. History Abbey Saint-Maur-des-Fossés owes its name to Saint-Maur A ...

allegedly assisted Rorgon and sent monks including Rorgon's brother Gausbert.At this point the remaining details become somewhat uncertain due to being obtained from several forged charters to this institution. For more information see: Herbert Bloch, ''Monte Cassino'', Vol. I (Parts I and II) (1986), p. 970.

Herbert Bloch Herbert Bloch (18 August 1911 – 6 September 2006) was a professor of Classics at Harvard and a renowned authority on Greek historiography, Roman epigraphy and archaeology, medieval monasticism, and the transmission of classical culture and litera ...

, ''Monte Cassino in the Middle Ages'', Vol. I (Parts I and II) (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1986), p. 970 Gausbert (Gauzbert) was the name of an Abbot at St. Maur. Count Rorgon had been a retainer at the court of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

, with whose daughter

Rotrude Rotrude (or sometimes referred to as Hruodrud/Hruodhaid) (c.775 – 6 June 810) was a Frankish princess, the second daughter of Charlemagne from his marriage to Hildegard. Early life Few clear records remain of Rotrude's early life. She was edu ...

he had a sexual relationship. Einhard the Frank, ''The Life of Charlemagne'', Ed. & Trans. Lewis Thorpe (The Folio Society, London, 1970), p. 60 n.* The couple had at least one illegitimate child,

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

, Abbot of Saint-Denis,

Saint-Riquier Saint-Riquier (; ) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated northeast of Abbeville, on the D925 and D32 crossroads. Abbey Saint-Riquier (originally ''Centula'' or ''Centul ...

, and

Saint-Wandrille Fontenelle Abbey or the Abbey of St. Wandrille is a Benedictine monastery in the commune of Rives-en-Seine. It was founded in 649 near Caudebec-en-Caux in Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France. First foundation It was founded by Wandregisel (d. 2 ...

, who was also

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

to his cousin

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, 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 series of civil wars during t ...

from 841.Régine Le Jan, ''Famille et pouvoir dans le monde franc: (VII^e-X^e siècle)'' (Publications de la Sorbonne, Paris, 2003), p. 445 Rorgon became the second count of Maine in 832 when his predecessor

Banzleibs Banzleibs was a mid-ninth-century Frankish magnate of the Hattonid family in the Carolingian Empire. He was the Count of Maine in 832. By 838, when he was still at Le Mans, he had been appointed by the emperor, Louis the Pious, as ''comes et Sax ...

was made margrave of the Saxons. He remained count of Maine until his death in 840, at which time he was succeeded by his brother Gauzbert. His own son, Rorgon II, succeeded Gauzbert in 853 and upon his death in 865 his other son Gauzfrid became count.

Marriage and issue

Rorgon married a lady named Bilechilde, and had three sons and two daughters: *

Rorgon II of Maine Rorgon II ( – ) was the Count of Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Mai ...

* Gauzfrid of Neustria * Gauzlin, Bishop of Paris * Bilechilde, who married

Bernard II, Count of Poitiers Bernard II (died February 844) was the count of Poitou from 840 until his death. His ancestry is uncertain. He was most likely the son of , on the basis of onomastics. He was probably a member of the Guilhemid family. His brothers were Turpio (died ...

* Adaltrude, who married

Ranulf II of Aquitaine Ranulf II (also spelled ''Rannoux'', ''Rannulf'', ''Ramnulf'', and ''Ranulph'') (850 – 5 August 890) was Count of Poitou from 866 and Duke of Aquitaine from 887. On the death of Charles the Fat in 888, he styled himself King of Aquitaine and did ...

Rorgon and Rotrude had one illegitimate son—

, Abbot of Saint-Denis, Saint-Riquier, and Saint-Wandrille, and Chancellor to King

Notes

References

Sources

* * Riché, Pierre. ''Les Carolingiens, une famille qui fit l'Europe''. 1983. * Volkmann, Jean-Charles. ''Bien Connaître les généalogies des rois de France''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rorgon 01 of Maine 9th-century deaths Rorgonid dynasty Counts of Maine Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain