Hugh, Duke of Alsace
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Hugh or Hugo (before 855 – 895) was an illegitimate son of Lothair II, king of
Lotharingia Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...
, by his concubine
Waldrada Waldrada (also Vuldetrada) (531572), wife (firstly) of Theudebald, King of Austrasia (ruled 548–555), reputed mistress (secondly) of Chlothar I, King of the Franks (ruled until 561), was the daughter of Wacho, King of the Lombards (ruled ''ca''. ...
. His father made him
Duke of Alsace The Duchy of Alsace ( la, Ducatus Alsacensi, ''Ducatum Elisatium''; german: Herzogtum Elsaß) was a large political subdivision of the Frankish Empire during the last century and a half of Merovingian rule. It corresponded to the territory of Alsac ...
in 867. Hugh's name was not a Carolingian royal name, but it was common among the Etichonid family of Alsace, who were rumoured to be his mother's relatives. Unfortunately, there is no concrete evidence of his mother's origins. His name however does suggest that his father did not originally intend him to succeed him as king, but instead to rule in Alsace. After Lothair repudiated his wife,
Teutberga Teutberga (died 11 November 875) was a queen of Lotharingia by marriage to Lothair II. She was a daughter of Bosonid Boso the Elder and sister of Hucbert, the lay-abbot of St. Maurice's Abbey. Life For political reasons, to forge ties of kinshi ...
, shortly after their marriage in 855, he sought to have his relationship with Waldrada and his children with her, including Hugh, legitimized. This would become a continuing theological and political struggle, as the laws and opinions around marriage and infidelity at this time were not solid. In December 861, Hugh was probably recognized as legitimate by uncle, King
Charles of Provence Charles of Provence or Charles II (845 – 25 January 863) was the Carolingian King of Provence from 855 until his early death in 863. Charles was the youngest son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. His father divided Middle Fra ...
, and great uncle, King Louis of East Francia. The three royal families all signed the memorial book of the
abbey of Remiremont An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conc ...
as equals at that time. By 863, however, Lothair's request for a divorce had led to strong opposition from the church and an international crisis. It was in this situation that Lothair gave his son the duchy of Alsace during a stay at the court of Louis of East Francia. At his request, Louis then took both his kingdom and his son Hugh under East Frankish protection.Hummer, ''Politics and Power'', pp. 174–76. When his cousin
Louis the Stammerer Louis II, known as Louis the Stammerer (french: Louis le Bègue; 1 November 846 – 10 April 879), was the king of Aquitaine and later the king of West Francia. He was the eldest son of Emperor Charles the Bald and Ermentrude of Orléans. Louis ...
, king of
West Francia In medieval history, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () refers to the western part of the Frankish Empire established by Charlemagne. It represents the earliest stage of the Kingdom of France, lasting from about ...
, died in 879, he seized authority in Lotharingia west of the Rhine and the ''
Annales Fuldenses The ''Annales Fuldenses'' or ''Annals of Fulda'' are East Frankish chronicles that cover independently the period from the last years of Louis the Pious (died 840) to shortly after the end of effective Carolingian rule in East Francia with the a ...
'' accuse him of "playing the tyrant in Gaul." T. Reuter (ed.), ''The Annals of Fulda'' (Manchester, 1992). It is likely that he refused to recognise the succession of Louis's young sons,
Louis III Louis III may refer to: * Louis the Younger, sometimes III of Germany (835–882) * Louis III of France (865–882) * Louis the Blind, Louis III, Holy Roman Emperor, (c. 880–928) * Louis the Child, sometimes III of Germany (893–911) * Louis I ...
and Carloman, to the
West Frankish In medieval history, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () refers to the western part of the Frankish Empire established by Charlemagne. It represents the earliest stage of the Kingdom of France, lasting from about ...
kingdom, as with Boso in
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
. He had a sizable following in Lotharingia, but
Louis the Younger Louis the Younger (830/835 – 20 January 882), sometimes Louis the Saxon or Louis III, was the second eldest of the three sons of Louis the German and Emma. He succeeded his father as the King of Saxony on 28 August 876 and his elder brother C ...
, son of Louis the German, came to the defence of the young Louis and Carloman. In 880, he sent men against Hugh's castle at
Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
and defeated his army, burning down the fortress. After his Easter court (23 April) in 882, Louis the Younger enfeoffed Hugh with Alsace, but the latter rebelled and Louis chased him in
Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
. In 883, Hugh murdered Bernarius, Count of Charpeigne, the second husband of
Friderada Friderada was a ninth-century noblewoman about whom very little is known. She was probably related to Liudolf, Duke of Saxony. Friderada married at least three times and was the grandmother of Otto, Duke of Lorraine. Her first husband was Engelram, ...
(widow of Engelram, Chamberlain to Charles the Bald), and married her as her third husband. He also murdered his guardian Wipert of Nantes, son of Lampert III of Nantes, as both Bernarius and Wipert opposed his ambitions. Also in 883, Hugh's sister Gisela married Godfrey, the
Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
leader ruling in Frisia. With this alliance, Hugh plotted to seize his father's old kingdom, but in 885,
Charles the Fat Charles III (839 – 13 January 888), also known as Charles the Fat, was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 888. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandso ...
heard of the scheme and called both Hugh and Godfrey to court, where the former was blinded and the latter killed. Hugh was sent first to Sankt Gallen, then to
Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. History ...
, and finally to Prüm in his own country.


Notes


Further

*
E. Dummler E is the fifth letter of the Latin alphabet. E or e may also refer to: Commerce and transportation * €, the symbol for the euro, the European Union's standard currency unit * ℮, the estimated sign, an EU symbol indicating that the weigh ...
, ''Geschichte des ostfränkischen Reiches'' (Leipzig, 1887–88) *E. Muhlbacher, ''Die Regenten des Kaiserreichs unter den Karolingern'' (Innsbruck, 1881) *M. Sdralek, ''Hinkmars von Rheims Kanonistisches Gutachten uber die Ehescheidung des Königs Lothar II'' (Freiburg, 1881) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hugh, de Lotharingia 895 deaths Year of birth uncertain Frankish warriors Dukes of Lorraine Dukes of Alsace 9th-century rulers in Europe Carolingian dynasty Sons of kings