CHARLEMAGNE

Carolingian Line of French Kings

Information on this page from Windows Into Our Past, A Genealogy of the Parsons, Smith and Associated Families, Vol. 1 ©1996, Judy Parsons Smith

Sigrada & Bodilon ?

Sigrada & Bodilon  had children:

Count Warinus , Warinus
St. Léger , Bishop of Atun , d. 677

Count Warinus

Count Warinus, son of Sigrada & Bodilon ?, b. ca. 630; d. ca. 677; m. Gunzar or Kunza, sister of  Bazin, Bishop of Treves .  Count Warinus & Kunza had a son:

Saint Leutwinus

Saint Leutwinus , son of Count Warinus , Warinus  & Kunza, b. ca. 660; d. 713; m. a daughter of Rodobertus & Doda , b. ca. 660.  Leutwinus had a daughter:

Chrotrud or Rotrou

Lantbertus I

Lantbertus I, b. 590 ; d. after 650.

Lantbertus I had a son:

Rodobertus

Rodobertus, son of  Lantbertus, b. ca. 620; d. after Oct 678; m. Doda.  Rodobertus & Doda  had a daughter:

daughter, b. ca. 660; m. Saint Leutwinus

Chrotrud or Rotrou

Chrotrud or Routro, daughter of Leutwinus & a daughter of Rodobertus; b. ca. 690; d. 724; m. Charles Martel  b. ca. 676, Heristal, Liege (Belguim); d. 22 Oct 741, Quirzy, Aisne, France .  SEE RIPARIAN.

Charles Martel  was the Mayor of the Palace in Austrasia .  The Mayor of the Palace refers to the chief administrative office in the itinerant court of Austrasia.  In 732 Charles Martel and his barbarian Frankish army fought near Tours , France a battle that would affect the history of Europe . Their foes were inspired Muslim, or Saracen, troops who were bent on world conquest for the religion of Islam.  Charles met the Muslim forces between Poitiors and Tours . In a fierce and bloody battle the Muslims were defeated and their leader killed. In later campaigns Charles drove them back into Spain . His vigorous blows earned him the nickname Martel , from a French word meaning "hammer."

Charles Martel & Routro  one (1) child:

1.       Pepin   III (The Short)

 Charles Martel  m2nd to Sunnichild.  Charles  Martel & Sunnichild had two (2) children:

2.       Grifo
3.       Chiltrud

Pepin  the Short

1.  Pepin  III (also called Pippin, or Pepin  the Short ), son of Charles Martel & Routro , b. ca. 715, Austrasia; d. 24 Sept 768; m. ca. 740 to Bertrade “Bertha  Greatfoot or Broadfoot ” of Laon , daughter of Count of Laon Charibert , Charibert & Bertrada, b. ca. 720; d. 12 Jul 783.

Pepin  III was the Mayor of the Palace under Childeric .  Pepin sent an embassy to Rome suggesting to the Pope that he thought that he should be king of Frankland.  After all he had all the responsibility, but the king had the crown.  The Pope agreed that Pepin should be king.  Childeric was deposed, his head shaved and he was confined to a monastery.  St. Bonifice (Pope)  crowned Pepin the Short  king.   Thus he became the first of the Carolingian kings.  

Pepin  III & Bertrade had three (3) children:

1.  Charlemagne  b. ca. 742; d. 814
2.  Carloman, d. 771 .
3.  Gisella

Charlemagne

1.  Charlemagne , son of Pepin  III & Bertrade, b. ca. 2 Apr 742, Aix-la-Chapelle or Aachen, Germany; d. ca. 28 Jan 814, Aix-la-Chapelle or Aachen Germany and buried there. Charlemagne married four or five times and had several mistresses.  He divorced two of his wives without cause. He m1st ca. 768 to Himiltrud ; m2nd ca. 770 to Desiderata ; m3rd ca. 771 to Hildegarde, daughter of Count Geroud  of Swabia  & Emma, b. 758; d. 30 Apr 783; m4th ca. 784 to Fastrada ; m5th (or a mistress) ca. 796 to Liutgard .

One of Charlemagne ’s ancestors is thought to be Saint Gertrude of Nivelles .  This lineage has not be researched at this time (11/95).  Charlemagne was described as being a tall man 6’5” (at this period of time the average height for a man was 5’6”), he was athletic, a natural leader, strong, an expert horseman, a fighter, a lover, he had a zest for living, he was highly intelligent, a big partier, he had indefatigable energy (he did not require much sleep).

IMPORTANT EVENTS

Coronation of Charlemagne

768 - Charlemagne  and Carloman inherit the kingdom of the Franks.
771 -  Carloman died.
771 - Charlemagne  became sole ruler of the kingdom.
800 -  Charlemagne  the undisputed ruler of Western Europe
800 - Christmas Day- Charlemagne  crowned Emperor  of the Holy Roman Empire.  He was also given the title of Augustus.  Known as Charles I .
807 - He was acknowledged as protector of all the Christians in the Arabian Empire by Harun-al-Rashid, ruler of the Moslem state at Bagdad.
812 - He was acknowledged as the equal of the Eastern emperor by the Byzantine Empire.

Being crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire he was acknowledged as head of Western civilization and the protector of the Church.  Charlemagne  boldly conquered barbarians and kings alike. By restoring the roots of learning and order, he preserved many political rights and revived culture. The realm of Charlemagne covered areas of France, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. It also included half of present-day Italy and Germany, part of Austria, and the Spanish border.  Charlemagne was a tireless reformer who tried to improve his people's lot in many ways. He set up money standards to encourage commerce, tried to build a Rhine-Danube canal, and urged better farming methods. He especially worked to spread education and Christianity in every class of people.  He revived the Palace School at Aachen, and set up other schools, opening them to peasant boys as well as nobles.  Frankland was an unquestioned superpower until Charlemagne’s death in 814.  History views Charlemagne as the single most

 outstanding individual of the early medieval (500-1000) western civilization.  At the time of his death only one of his sons was living[i]:  Charlemage and his first wife, Himiltrud  had one (1) child:

1.1.       Pepin  (The Hunchback)

1.2.       Charles (The Younger)
1.3.      Pepin , crowned King of Italy
1.4.      Adelaide
1.5.       Rotrud
1.6.       Louis (The Pious)  (the Debonair) crowned king of Aquintaine
1.7.      Lothar
1.8.      Bertha

Charlemagne  and his fourth wife, Fastrada  had one (1) child:

 

1.9.         Theodrada

Charlemagne  & Madelgard  had one (1) child:

1.10.        Ruthild

 Charlemagne  & Regina  had two (2) children:

1.11.      Drogo
1.12.       Hugh

 Charlemagne  & Adalind  had two (2) children:

1.13.     Theodoric
1.14.      Richbod