Herbert II of Vermandois ^{1 2}

  General Notes:

Herbert II of Vermandois, Count of Vermandois and Count of Troyes, was the son of Herbert I of Vermandois.

He inherited the domain of his father and in 907 added to it the Saint de Soissons abbey. His marriage with Hildebrante of France (also known as Liégarde or Adèle) brought him the County of Meaux. In 918 he was also named Count of Mézerais and of Vexin. With his cousin Bernard, Count of Beauvais and Senlis, he consituted a powerful group in the west of France, to the north and east of Paris. In 923 he imprisoned King Charles III in Chateau-Thierry, then in Péronne.

In 922 the Archbishop of Reims, Seulf, called on Herbert II to reduce some of his vassals who were in rebellion against him. On the death of Seulf, in 925, with the help of the King Raul, he acquired for his second son Hugues (then five years old) the Archbishopric of Reims, which has a large inheritance in France and Germany. In 926, on the death of Count Roger of Laon, Herbert demanded this County for Eudes, his eldest son. He settled there, initially against the will of King Raul and constructed a fortress there. Raul yielded to pressure to free king Charles III, whom Herbert still held in prison. In 930 Herbert took the castle of Vitry in Perthois at the expense of Boson, the brother of king Raul. King Raul united his army with the army of Hugh, marquis of Neustria, and in 931 they entered Reims and defeated Hugh, the son of Herbert. Artaud became the new Archbishop of Reims. Herbert II then lost, in three years, Vitry, Laon, Chateau-Thierry and Soissons. The intervention of his ally, Henry the Fowler, allowed him to restore his domains (except Reims and Laon) in exchange for his submission to King Raul.

Later Herbert allied with Hugh the Great and William Longsword, Duke of Normandy against the King Louis IV who allocated the County of Laon to Roger II, the son of Roger I, in 941. Herbert and Hugh the Great took back Reims and captured Artaud. Hugh, the son of Herbert, was restored as Archbishop. Again the mediation of the German King Otto I in Visé near Liège in 942 allowed for the normalization of the situation.

Herbert II died on 23rd February 943 without having succeeded in building the principality of which he dreamed. His succession was reconciled by Hugh the Great, maternal uncle of his children. It took place in 946 and led to an equitable distribution between the sons of Herbert II: Herbert III, Robert, Albert, and Hugh (his other son Eudes died before 946). As for is girls, Adèle was married to Arnoul, count of Flanders, Luitgarde (widow of William Longsword) was married to count Thibaud de Blois, the first lieutenant of Hugh. She brought to Thibaud Provins and domains in Mézerais.

  Noted events in his life were:

• He was employed. Count of Vermandois

Herbert married Luitgard of Paris, daughter of Robert I of France and Beatrice de Vermandois, in 907. (Luitgard of Paris was born in 895 and died in 931.)

  Marriage Notes:

In 907 Herbert II of Vermandois married Hildebrante of France (895 - 931), daughter of Robert I of France and Aelis. Their children were:
- Eudes of Vermandois, Count of Amiens and of Vienne, (910-946);
- Hugh of Vermandois (died 962), Archbishop of Reims;
- Adele of Vermandois, married 934 Count Arnulf I of Flanders;
- Herbert "the Elder", Count of Meaux and of Troyes;
- Luitgarde of Vermandois (ca 914 - 9 February 978), married 943 Theobald I of Blois;
- Adalbert I of Vermandois;
- Robert of Vermandois, Count of Meaux and Troyes.