Adalbert I the Pious, count of Vermandois

Adalbert (Albert) I, Comte de Vermandois (c. 934-9 September 987)

Son of Heribert II Comte de Vermandois and Adela Capet de France (according to Cawley of the FMG Medieval Lands database):

ADALBERT [Albert] [I], son of HERIBERT [II] Comte de Vermandois & his wife Adela [Capet] (-8 Sep 987).

• Flodoard names "Adalbertus filius Heriberti"[1327].
• Under the division of territories organised after his father's death in 943, he became Comte de Vermandois.
• Comte Albert re-established the abbey of Homblières and built Mont-Saint-Quentin[1328].
• When his brother Hugues was deposed as archbishop of Reims in 948, Comte Albert gave up the family's struggle with Louis IV "d'Outremer" King of France and swore allegiance to the king. He opposed the election of Hugues Capet as king of France, but eventually submitted[1329].

[m firstly HERESINDE, daughter of ---.

• According to the Histoire de Guise, Comte Albert constructed the abbey of Saint-Michel at Rochefort in 945 "d'accord avec la comtesse Hérésinde sa femme", while in 947 Hérésinde founded the nearby Benedictine convent of Bucilly[1330].
• The source assumes that this refers to Albert Comte de Vermandois, but his supposed first marriage is not mentioned by Settipani[1331].
• According to the introduction to the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Bucilly, Bucilly was founded by "Gerberge, femme d'Albert I Comte de Vermandois" although it notes that "certains auteurs ont voulu faire remonter [sa foundation] à la libéralité de Hersinde femme d'Herbert Comte de Vermandois morte en 901"[1332].
• The Cartulaire reproduces a French translation of a declaration by Barthélemy Bishop of Laon dated 1120 entitled "Privilegium de domino Elberto, Viromandensi comite" according to which the bishop declares that he has read the original charter under which "Elbert comte de Vermandois…et sa femme Gertrude [error for Gerberge]" founded Bucilly[1333].
• Further research in the original charter documentation is needed to clarify this confusion, not the least of which is that, even if Hérésinde was not the wife of Comte Albert, no other reference has been found to her being the wife of Comte Héribert [I] (see above).]

m [secondly] ([949/54]%29 GERBERGA, daughter of GISELBERT Duke of Lotharingia & his wife Gerberga of Germany ([935]-after 7 Sep 978).

• Settipani names her as the wife of Comte Albert, and gives her parentage, but does not cite the primary source on which this is based.
• A list of members of the Cathedral of Paris lists (in order) "Albertus comes, Girberga comitissa, Harbertus, Otto, Lewultus, Girbertus, Gondrada, Ricardus, Harbertus comes…", the first four individuals named apparently being Comte Albert, his wife and three sons, and the last named maybe his brother or nephew[1334].
• The primary source which confirms her parentage and marriage more precisely has not yet been identified.

Comte Albert & his [second] wife had [four] children:

1. HERIBERT [IV] ([954]-29 Aug [993]).

• A list of members of the Cathedral of Paris lists (in order) "Albertus comes, Girberga comitissa, Harbertus, Otto, Lewultus, Girbertus, Gondrada, Ricardus, Harbertus comes…", the first four individuals named apparently being Comte Albert, his wife and three sons, and the last named maybe his brother or nephew[1335].
• Héribert [IV] succeeded his father in 987 as Comte de Vermandois.
• m (before [982/86]%29 [as her first husband,] ERMENGARDIS, daughter of ---.
• "Comes Heribertus" names "materque mea Pavia…pater meus Otto, eius genitrix, avia mea Ermengardis" donated property to Notre-Dame de Homblières by charter dated [13 Jan/13 Oct] 1045[1336].
• According to Ernest Petit[1337], Ermengardis was the widow of Milo [IV] Comte de Tonnerre. The author highlights a charter of Ermengardis Ctss de Vermandois witnessed by Renaud Comte de Tonnerre. He suggests that Comte Renaud would only have done this if he were the son of Ermengardis, although other explanations must be possible.
• Settipani points out[1338] that Ermengardis is named as the wife of Héribert [IV] in a document of her father-in-law Albert [I] Comte de Vermandois, relating to the abbey of Homblières, dated some time between 982 and the death of Comte Albert (in 987). If the two marriages apply to the same Ermengardis, Comte Héribert must have been her first husband and Comte Milon her second. However, it is not clear that this suggested co-identity is correct, a simpler explanation being that there were two different individuals named Ermengardis.
• Ernest Petit also suggests[1339] that Ermengardis (wife of Comte Milon) was heiress of Bar-sur-Seine, in order to explain how her granddaughter by Comte Milon, Eustachie, transmitted this county to her husband Gauthier de Brienne. He identified the father of Ermengardis as "Renaud Comte de Bar-sur-Seine" based on two charters, which he dated to 992 and 997, which name "Rainardus comes" whom he identifies with Rainard, son of miles Raoul de Bar, who is mentioned in the Chronicle of St Bénigne[1340]. There appears to be no other evidence of the existence of this person, and Bouchard[1341] points out that the dating of the two charters in question is uncertain. She suggests that it is more likely that "Rainardus" is identified with Renaud Comte de Sens or with "Rainaldus" son of Ermengardis. This of course leaves open the question how Bar-sur-Seine was transmitted to the Tonnerre family.

2. OTTO ([950/55]-after 2 Nov [958/59]).

• "Ottonem, Alberti Vermandensium comitis filium" is named in the Gesta Episcoporum Cameracensium[1344].
• A list of members of the Cathedral of Paris lists (in order) "Albertus comes, Girberga comitissa, Harbertus, Otto, Lewultus, Girbertus, Gondrada, Ricardus, Harbertus comes…", the first four individuals named apparently being Comte Albert, his wife and three sons, and the last named maybe his brother or nephew[1345].
• Otto is named with his parents in a charter of Comte Adalbert dated 2 Nov [958/59][1346].
• same person as…? OTTO (-[986/87] or after). There appears to be no direct proof that Otto, ancestor of the Comtes de Chiny, was the same person as Otto, son of Adalbert Comte de Vermandois. The Historia Monasterii Mosomense records that "Ottonem comitem" built "castellum…Warcus" (Warcq, Ardennes) in 971, and suggests his affiliation when, in a later passage, it clarifies that "superius dictus Ottho erat comes, Otthonum…Romanorum imperatorum…germanissima progenies"[1347]. The editor of the MGH SS edition of the Historia identifies Otto with the son of Adalbert Comte de Vermandois and Gerberge, daughter of Emperor Otto I's sister[1348]. A subsequent passage of the Historia dates the foundation of the monastery to 24 Jul 971[1349], implying that the events recorded earlier in the text predated this foundation. If this is correct, 971 seems early for Otto de Vermandois to have constructed Warcq in light of his estimated birth date (which appears reasonably robust). Gerbert, in a letter dated to Oct 986, records that "dux Cono pro suo Ottone insidias molitur"[1350]. In the same letter, he also records that "Laudunensis episcopus" left "Dordingum" (Dourdon?) on the advice of "Ottonis et Heriberti" in support of "ducem" (which appears to refer to Hugues Capet). Settipani suggests that "Otto" in this text refers to the holder of Warcq[1351]. However, all other passages in Gerbert's letters which name "Ottonis et Heriberti" (in that order) appear to refer to Eudes I Comte de Blois and his first cousin Héribert [V] Comte de Troyes. It is unclear from the full text of this letter whether "Ottone" and "Ottonis" relate to the same person. "Dux Cono" has not been identified, although it may refer to Konrad I Duke of Swabia. If this is correct, it is possible that the first "Ottone" is a different person from the second "Ottonis" as there is no other passage which links the Blois count to the Swabian duke.
• Settipani states that Otto died "between 986 and 987", without specifying the basis for this speculation[1352].
• COMTES de CHINY.

3. LIUDOLF ([957]-before 9 Nov 986).

• A list of members of the Cathedral of Paris lists (in order) "Albertus comes, Girberga comitissa, Harbertus, Otto, Lewultus, Girbertus, Gondrada, Ricardus, Harbertus comes…", the first four individuals named apparently being Comte Albert, his wife and three sons, and the last named maybe his brother or nephew[1353].
• Appointed Bishop of Noyon 978, consecrated 979.

4. [ELEONORE . According to the Histoire de Guise, "Gauthier de Saint-Aubert avait épousé vers 986 une sœur du comte de Vermandois…Eleonore", the author speculating on the possibility of a relationship between Gauthier de Saint-Aubert and the later Seigneurs de Guise[1354]. No other reference has been found to this couple.

• m ([986]%29 GAUTHIER de Saint-Aubert, son of ---.]

  ---

OBS: wife Gerberge not the same as Judicaël Berenger de Rennes' wife.

Family

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Vermandois-196

Issue

Adalbert and Gerberge had these children. Heribert was presumably the eldest son. Not much is known about any other offspring. Bishop Liudolf seems to be accepted, on little evidence. Gisele is presumably spurious, like her aunts.

Guy de Soissons is provisionally placed by MedLands in the previous generation, as Adalbert's brother, citing several explicit records, but there seem to be possible difficulties with dates. French Wikipedia shows neither placing.

1. Heribert IV (954 - 29 Aug 993) [8]
2. Otto (950/5 - after 02 Nov 958/9). [8][11] He was thought to be Comte de Chiny (unproven). [12][11]
3. Liudolf, Bishop of Noyon (957 - ante 09 Nov 986) [8]
4. Eleonore [8]

References

1. Stewart Baldwin. Heribert II, The Henry Project. First uploaded 23 May 2007, revised 2008, 2011, 2020. https://fasg.org/projects/henryproject/data/herib002.htm Albert (Adalbert), d. 8 September, 987 or after [Bur (1977), 510], count of Vermandois, 946-987; ["Cum quo postquam locutus est Remos revertitur, ubi Adalbertus, filius Heriberti, ad eum veniens, ipsius efficitur." Flodoard, Annales, s.a. 949, 123 (see also, s.a. 951, quoted above)] m. Gerberge, daughter of Giselbert, duke of Lorriane. [D%C3%BCmmler (1876), 246, n. 1; Glocker (1989), 282-3; see the page of Giselbert for details of this marriage]
2. Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Kimball G Everingham, Editor. Salt Lake City, Utah: By the Author, 2013. Volume V, p. 485
3. Cawley, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, Medieval Lands Database. France. Ref 2235
4. Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band III Teilband 1 (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 49. Cited by Wikipedia
6. Adalbert de Vermandois, Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A Prosopography of Medieval European Noble and Royal Families. Northern France Valois, Vexin and Vermandois, 3A Comtes de Vermandois (Carolingian), accessed June 2018.
7. Cawley, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, Medieval Lands Database. France. Ref 2239
8. Cawley, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, Medieval Lands Database. France. Ref 2244
9. Cawley, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, Medieval Lands Database. France. Ref 2243
10. Cawley, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, Medieval Lands Database. [1]
11. Cawley, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, Medieval Lands Database. France. Ref 2253

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adalbert_I%2C_Count_of_Vermandois
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ier_de_Vermandois