Rorgon I or Rorico(n) I (also ''Rorgo'' or ''Rorich''; died 16 June 839 or 840) was the first

Count 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 ...

and progenitor of the

Rorgonid dynasty 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 ...

, which is named for him. He was

Count of Rennes The Count of Rennes was originally the ruler of the Romano-Frankish ''civitas'' of Rennes. From the middle of the ninth century these counts were Bretons with close ties to the Duchy of Brittany, which they often vied to rule. From 990 the Counts ...

from 819 and of Maine from 832 until his death.

Life

He was a son of count Gauzlin I of Maine and Adeltrude, both of whom are named as his parents in a charter of 839 by Rorgo I to the Abbey of Saint-Maur de Glanfeuil. Between 819 and 832 Rorgon became count of Maine and at some point, possibly at the bidding of his wife Bilechilde who may have owned the property, undertook to restore the Abbey of Glanfeuil. An Abbot Ingelbert of

Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Saint-Maur-des-Fossés () is a commune in Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southea ...

allegedly assisted Rorgon and sent monks including Rorgon's brother Gausbert.At this point the remaining details become somewhat uncertain due to being obtained from several forged charters to this institution. For more information see: Herbert Bloch, ''Monte Cassino'', Vol. I (Parts I and II) (1986), p. 970.

Herbert Bloch Herbert Bloch (18 August 1911 – 6 September 2006) was a professor of Classics at Harvard and a renowned authority on Greek historiography, Roman epigraphy and archaeology, medieval monasticism, and the transmission of classical culture and litera ...

, ''Monte Cassino in the Middle Ages'', Vol. I (Parts I and II) (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1986), p. 970 Gausbert (Gauzbert) was the name of an Abbot at St. Maur. Count Rorgon had been a retainer at the court 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 Holy ...

, with whose daughter

Rotrude Rotrude (or sometimes referred to as Hruodrud/Hruodhaid) (c.775 – 6 June 810) was a Frankish princess, the second daughter of Charlemagne from his marriage to Hildegard. Early life Few clear records remain of Rotrude's early life. She was educ ...

he had a sexual relationship. Einhard the Frank, ''The Life of Charlemagne'', Ed. & Trans. Lewis Thorpe (The Folio Society, London, 1970), p. 60 n.* The couple had at least one illegitimate child,

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 ( ...

, Abbot of Saint-Denis,

Saint-Riquier Saint-Riquier () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated northeast of Abbeville, on the D925 and D32 crossroads. Abbey Saint-Riquier (originally ''Centula'' or ''Centulum' ...

, and

Saint-Wandrille Fontenelle Abbey or the Abbey of St. Wandrille is a Benedictine monastery in the commune of Rives-en-Seine. It was founded in 649 near Caudebec-en-Caux in Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France. First foundation It was founded by Wandregisel or Sa ...

, who was also

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

to his cousin

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 ser ...

from 841.Régine Le Jan, ''Famille et pouvoir dans le monde franc: (VII^e-X^e siècle)'' (Publications de la Sorbonne, Paris, 2003), p. 445 Rorgon became the second Count of Maine in 832 when his predecessor

Banzleibs Banzleibs was a mid-ninth-century Frankish magnate of the Hattonid family in the Carolingian Empire. He was the Count of Maine in 832. By 838, when he was still at Le Mans, he had been appointed by the emperor, Louis the Pious, as ''comes et Saxon ...

was made Margrave of the Saxons. He remained Count of Maine until his death in 840, at which time he was succeeded by his brother Gauzbert. His own son, Rorgon II, succeeded Gauzbert in 853 and upon his death in 865 his other son Gauzfrid became Count.

Marriage and issue

Rorgon married a lady named Bilechilde, and had three sons and two daughters: *

Rorgon II of Maine Rorgon II ( – ) was the Count of Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New ...

* Gauzfrid of Neustria * Gauzlin, Bishop of Paris * Bilechilde, who married

Bernard II, Count of Poitiers Bernard II (died February 844) was the count of Poitou from 840 until his death. His ancestry is uncertain. He was most likely the son of , on the basis of onomastics. He was probably a member of the Guilhemid family. His brothers were Turpio (die ...

* Adaltrude, who married Ramulf, Count of Poitiers

Notes

References

Additional resources

* Riché, Pierre. ''Les Carolingiens, une famille qui fit l'Europe''. 1983. * Volkmann, Jean-Charles. ''Bien Connaître les généalogies des rois de France''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rorgon 01 Of Maine 9th-century deaths Rorgonid dynasty Counts of Maine Year of birth unknown