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 Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ill ...

, and are the original counts of Maine. The Rorgonids were named after Rorgon I, Count of Maine, who was the progenitor of the dynasty. His son, Gauzfrid, Count of Maine, was the first to hold power in the Norman

March of Neustria The Marches of Neustria (french: Marches de Neustrie; br, Marz Neustria; Norman: ''Maurches de Neûtrie'') were two marches created in 861 by the Carolingian king of West Francia Charles the Bald. They were ruled by officials appointed by the Mo ...

. The Rorgonids controlled the

County of Maine A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

throughout the ninth century. The Rorgonids and the

Widonids The Widonids, also called Guidonids,; german: Guidonen or ; it, Guideschi or or Lambertiner, after their leading names, were an Italian family of Frankish origin prominent in the ninth century. They were descended from Guy of Nantes, whose or ...

competed for control of the

Breton March The Marches of Neustria (french: Marches de Neustrie; br, Marz Neustria; Norman: ''Maurches de Neûtrie'') were two marches created in 861 by the Carolingian king of West Francia Charles the Bald. They were ruled by officials appointed by the Mo ...

through much of that time. The first known ruler of Maine (called the Duke of Maine) was

Charivius {{no footnotes, date=August 2022 Charivius (French ''Hervé'') was the Frankish Duke of Maine (''dux Cenomannicus'') in the early eighth century. His father was Chrotgar, Duke of Maine, son or grandson of Chrodbert, count Palatine of Chlothar III, ...

, who is conjectured by

Christian Settipani Christian Settipani (born 31 January 1961) is a French genealogist, historian and IT professional, currently working as the Technical Director of a company in Paris. Biography Settipani holds a Master of Advanced Studies from the Paris-Sorbo ...

to be the brother or nephew 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 ...

. Further, Settipani identifies Charivius as a direct ancestor of the Rorgonids. Charivius was displaced as ruler of Maine by the Carolinians in 748, with his dynasty restored in 832. The House of Châteaudun descended from Gauzfred I (or Geoffrey I) whom Count

Theobald I of Blois Theobald I (913–975), called the Trickster (known as ''le Tricheur'' –meaning “cheater”– in French), was first Viscount of Blois and Viscount of Tours, and then from 956, Count of Blois, Chartres and Châteaudun, as well as Count of To ...

made

viscount of Châteaudun A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

in 956. Recent research makes him a direct-line agnatic descendant of the Frankish family Rorgonides.

Sources

*Barton, Richard E., ''Lordship in the County of Maine, c. 890-1160'', Boydell Press, 2004 (available o
Google Books
*

. "Addendum to the Ancestors of Charlemagne"
PDF
. History of Normandy