Hugh or Hugo (802–844) was the illegitimate son of
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...
and his
concubine
Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive.
Concubi ...
Regina, with whom he had one other son: Bishop
Drogo of Metz
Drogo (17 June 801 – 8 December 855), also known as Dreux or Drogon, was an illegitimate son of Frankish emperor Charlemagne by the concubine Regina.
Early life and family
Drogo was born on 17 June 801 at Aachen, Gaul (Aix-La-Chappelle). The ...
(801–855). Along with Drogo and his illegitimate half-brother
Theodoric
Theodoric is a Germanic given name. First attested as a Gothic name in the 5th century, it became widespread in the Germanic-speaking world, not least due to its most famous bearer, Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths.
Overview
The name ...
, Hugh was
tonsure
Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice i ...
d and sent from the
palace of Aachen to a monastery in 818 by his father's successor,
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...
, following the revolt of King
Bernard of Italy
Bernard (797 – 17 April 818) was the King of the Lombards from 810 to 818. He plotted against his uncle, Emperor Louis the Pious, when the latter's ''Ordinatio Imperii'' made Bernard a vassal of his cousin Lothair. When his plot was discovered, ...
. Hugh rose to become abbot of several abbacies:
Saint-Quentin (822/23),
Lobbes
Lobbes (; wa, Lôbe) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
On 1 January 2006 Lobbes had a total population of 5,499. The total area is 32.08 km² which gives a population density of 171 inhabitants per ...
(836), and
Saint-Bertin (836). In 834, he was made imperial
archchancellor
An archchancellor ( la, archicancellarius, german: Erzkanzler) or chief chancellor was a title given to the highest dignitary of the Holy Roman Empire, and also used occasionally during the Middle Ages to denote an official who supervised the wo ...
by his half-brother.
On Louis's death in 840, his sons began to fight over the inheritance. In 841, Hugh sided with his nephew
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, 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 ...
against
Louis Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
and
Lothair. In 842, Charles spent Christmas with Hugh at Saint-Quentin on his eastern frontier. Hugh's interventions probably secured Saint-Quentin for Charles's kingdom in the division that came with the
Treaty of Verdun
The Treaty of Verdun (), agreed in , divided the Frankish Empire into three kingdoms among the surviving sons of the emperor Louis I, the son and successor of Charlemagne. The treaty was concluded following almost three years of civil war and ...
(843).
Hugh was part of the small army which, on its way south to join Charles at
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
, was ambushed by
Pippin II
Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Frankish statesman and military leader who de facto ruled Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke and Prince of the F ...
in the
Angoumois
Angoumois (), historically the County of Angoulême, was a county and province of France, originally inferior to the parent duchy of Aquitaine, similar to the Périgord to its east but lower and generally less forested, equally with occasional vin ...
on 14 June 844. Hugh was killed by a lance, and according to the anonymous verse lament composed about his death—called the ''Rhythmus de obitu Hugonis abbatis'' or ''Planctus Ugoni abbatis''
[ MGH, ''Poetae'' II]
p. 139
—Pippin wept over his body.
Notes
Sources
*
*
{{Authority control
Carolingian dynasty
802 births
844 deaths
9th-century Christian clergy
Children of Charlemagne
Sons of emperors
Sons of kings