Hugh IV (died 25 March 1051) was

Count 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 document of 723. Controlled twelve counties and ...

from 1036 to 1051.

Life

Hugh was the son of Count

Herbert I of Maine Herbert I (died 13 April 1035), called Wakedog (from French ''Eveille-chien'', Latinized as ''Evigilans Canis''), was the count of Maine from 1017 until his death. He had a turbulent career with an early victory that may have contributed to his l ...

, one of the Hugonides.The Hugonides were descended from Count Roger († and were so named for counts Hugh I, II, III, and IV, and were also descended from the

Carolingians The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid ...

through Roger's wife Rothilde, daughter of

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, 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 series of civil wars during t ...

. See: K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, 'Two Studies in Northern French Prosopography', ''Journal of Medieval History'' 20 (1994) 3-37. He was a minor on the death of his father (1036) so was born between 1018 and 1022. Herbert Baco, his great-uncle and a supporter of the Angevins, acted as regent.Richard Ewing Barton, ''Lordship in the County of Maine, c. 890-1160'' (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2004), p. 49 The

bishop of Le Mans The Diocese of Le Mans (Latin: ''Dioecesis Cenomanensis''; French: ''Diocèse du Mans'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo, but had previ ...

Gervais de Château-du-Loir Gervais de Château-du-Loir (1007–1067) was a French nobleman, bishop, and a powerful figure of his time in Northern France. He was Bishop of Le Mans from 1036 and Archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims or Rheims (; French languag ...

, was a partisan of the opposing

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the mos ...

family. The bishop and regent clashed, with the outcome being the expulsion of Herbert by means of a popular council.Richard Ewing Barton, ''Lordship in the County of Maine, c. 890-1160'' (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2004), p. 50 Gervais then proclaimed Hugh to have reached his majority, and arranged a marriage for him, with Berthe of Blois.K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, 'Two Studies in Northern French Prosopography', ''Journal of Medieval History'' 20 (1994), p. 22 Herbert, unlike his predecessors, followed the advice of his bishop. Gervais, unlike his uncle who he succeeded, Avesgaud de Bellême (who was an adherent of the counts of Anjou) was allied to the counts of Blois.K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, 'Two Studies in Northern French Prosopography', ''Journal of Medieval History'' 20 (1994), p. 23 Hugh, no doubt in support of his bishop, engaged in a number of wars with Count Geoffrey Martel of Anjou in the Loir valley. Shortly after Hugh's death, 26 March 1051, Gervais sought refuge in Normandy after being driven out of Maine. Gervais' success in strengthening the Bishopric of Le Mans served to downgrade the countship of Maine, which led to the county being absorbed into the domains of Anjou and Normandy.

Family

Hugh married c. 1046

Bertha of Blois Bertha of Blois (French: ''Berthe de Blois''; c. 1005 — c. 1080), was a Duchess consort of Brittany and a countess consort of Maine (province), Maine. Life Bertha was the daughter of Odo II, Count of Blois and Ermengarde of Auvergne. In 1029, ...

, who was the widow of

Alan III, Duke of Brittany Alan III of Rennes (c. 997 – 1 October 1040) ( French: ''Alain III de Bretagne'') was Count of Rennes and duke of Brittany, by right of succession from 1008 to his death. Life Alan was the son of Duke Geoffrey I and Hawise of Normandy.Detlev ...

, and daughter of

Odo II, Count of Blois Odo II () ( 985 – 15 November 1037) was the count of Blois, Chartres, Châteaudun, Champagne, Beauvais and Tours from 1004 and count of Troyes (as Odo IV) and Meaux (as Odo I) from 1022. He twice tried to make himself a king: first in Italy aft ...

and Ermengarde of Auvergne. Their children were: *

Herbert II, Count of Maine Herbert II (died 9 March 1062) was Count of Maine from 1051 to 1062. He was a Hugonide, son of Hugh IV of Maine and Bertha of Blois. On the death of Hugh IV, Geoffrey Martel, Count of Anjou occupied Maine, expelling Berthe de Blois and Gervai ...

(† 1062). * Marguerite (c. 1045 † 1063), betrothed to

Robert Curthose Robert Curthose ( – February 1134, ), the eldest son of William the Conqueror, was Duke of Normandy as Robert II from 1087 to 1106. Robert was also an unsuccessful pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of England. The epithet "Curthose" ...

Notes

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hugh 04 of Maine 1051 deaths Counts of Maine Year of birth unknown