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Charivius (French ''Hervé'') was the
Frankish
Frankish may refer to:
* Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture
** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages
* Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany
* East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
Duke of Maine
This is a list of counts and dukes 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 docu ...
(''dux Cenomannicus'') in the early eighth century. His father was Chrotgar, Duke of Maine, son or grandson of Chrodbert, count Palatine of Chlothar III, and so brother of
Lambert, Count of Hesbaye Lambert II, (669742) was possibly a Count of Haspengau (Hesbaye), generally referred to without the number modifier. Settipani, Christian (1989). '' Les ancêtres de Charlemagne. Addenda.'' The identity of his father remains uncertain, but the prev ...
. In 723 he seized the revenues of the
Diocese of Le Mans
The Catholic Diocese of Le Mans (Latin: ''Dioecesis Cenomanensis''; French: ''Diocèse du Mans'') is a Catholic diocese of France. The diocese is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo but had previously been suffraga ...
. On the death of the bishop Herlemund he took control of the see and its
monasteries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
and appointed his illiterate son Gauciolenus ( ''fr'') bishop. Though the date of Charivius' death is unknown, his son retained control of the diocese and the region as bishop until 771. Charivius is postulated by Settipani to be an ancestor of the
Rorgonids
The Rorgonids were a powerful Frankish family dating from the eighth century. They are sometimes referred to as the first Mayennaise dynasty, referring to the city of Mayenne, and are the original counts of Maine. The Rorgonids were named after R ...