Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Mayor of Austrasia
• House: House of Pippinids
• FSID: LDSS-4ZY

Notes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepin_of_Herstal also https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/131325529/pepin_ii-of_herstal
https://gw.geneanet.org/zanel?lang=fr&p=pepin+ii&n=de+herstal

Pippin married von Herstal, Chalpaida in 677 in Kingdom of the Franks. Chalpaida was born in 650 in Prüm, Bitburg-Prum, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; died on 16 Dec 714 in Kingdom of the Franks; was buried after 16 Dec 714 in Orp-le-Grand Monastery, Orp-Jauche, Arrondissement de Nivelles, Wlloon Brabant, Belgium. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Pippin married von Köln, Plectrude in 670. Plectrude was born in 655 in Kingdom of Austrasia; died on 10 Aug 725 in Köln, Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany; was buried after 10 Aug 725 in Saint Maria, Köln, Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• House: House of Pippinid
• FSID: 99KR-KTJ
• Religion: Roman Catholic
• Life Event: Between 714 and 741, Kingdom of Austrasia; Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia & Neustria; mayor; Hausmeier; Austrasien; 714; 715, 717
• Life Event: 717; Duke and Prince of the Franks, fränkischer Hausmeier, Herzog der Franken, Kuningas, Duc des Austrasiens, Frankish King, Mayor of the Palace
• Appointments / Titles: Between 718 and 741, Kingdom of Neustria (Historical); mayor of the Palace of Neustria
• Military: 10 Oct 732, Tours, Indre-et-Loire, Centre, France; Led the Franks, Saxons, to victory over 500,000 Moors from Hispania (Spain) on 10-10-732

Notes:

Charles, more commonly known as Charles Martel, was a formidable warrior and statesmen who thoroughly deserved his nickname of “the hammer.”
Charles was the son of Frankish statesman Pepin of Herstal and his 2nd wife noblewoman Alpaida, he was born about 688. He had a brother named Childebrand, who later became the Frankish dux (Duke) of Burgundy.
In older historiography, it was common to describe Charles as "illegitimate". But the dividing line between wives and concubines was not clear-cut in eighth-century Francia, and it is likely that the accusation of "illegitimacy" derives from the desire of Pepin's first wife Plectrude to see her progeny as heirs to Pepin's power.

Charles Martel, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death, 22 October 741 in Quierzy, France.

Charles Martel married twice, his first wife being Rotrude of Treves. They had the following children:
-Hiltrud,
-Carloman,
-Landrade, also rendered Landres
-Auda, also called Aldana or Alane
-Pepin the Short, also called Pippin

Charles married a second time, to Swanhild, and they had one child:
-Grifo

Charles Martel also had a known mistress, Ruodhaid, with whom he had children:
-Bernard
-Hieronymus
-Remigius. Archbishop of Rouen.

Through his son Pepin the Short, Charles Martel was the grandfather of Charles the Great, otherwise known as Charlemagne. Charlemagne was originally named Charles after his grandfather.

Charles married de Trèves, Princess Chrotrude in 721 in Quierzy, Aisne, Picardie, France. Chrotrude was born on 23 Aug 688 in Trier, Trier, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; was christened in 695 in Kingdom of Austrasia; died on 22 Oct 724 in Quierzy, Aisne, Picardie, France; was buried after 22 Oct 724 in Abbey of Saint-Arnould, Metz, Moselle, Lorraine, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Count of Chaumontois
• FSID: G4B1-48V
• Appointments / Titles: Between 690 and 708, Champagne, Dordogne, Aquitaine, France; Duke of Champagne

Notes:

Drogo (c.675 – 708) was a Frankish nobleman, the eldest son of Pippin of Heristal and Plectrude. He was the duke of Champagne from the early 690s.

Drogo was born shortly after his parents' marriage, which probably took place in 675 or just after. In the early 680s, Pippin arranged the marriage of Drogo with Anstrudis (or Adaltrudis), the daughter of Waratto, the mayor of the palace in Neustria, and his wife Ansfledis. The marriage took place toward the end of the decade or in the early 690s. Drogo and Anstrudis had four sons: Arnulf, who succeeded him as duke of Champagne; Hugh, who entered the church and rose to become an archbishop; Gotfrid; and Pippin.

The marriage of Drogo and Anstrudis increased his father Pippin's influence in Neustria. Waratto's family properties were located mainly in the vicinity of Rouen. Drogo, however, was made duke in Champagne, a frontier region between Neustria and Austrasia. His power in Champagne was enhanced through his control of the monastery of Montier-en-Der and possibly the monastery of Hautvillers.

The Liber Historiae Francorum, a history of the Franks written in Neustria in 727, portrays the Austrasian Drogo as sympathetic to the Neustrians because of his marital connections. He did, however, fall foul of the abbey of Saint-Denis, which sued him in the king's court in a property dispute. King Childebert III ruled in Saint-Denis's favour. Drogo also lost a lawsuit over the villa of Noisy-sur-Oise with the monastery of Tussonval in 697.

Drogo predeceased his father, dying in 707, according to the Gesta abbatum Fontanellensium, or in 708, according to most of the annals. He was buried in the church of Saint Arnulf at Metz, to which his four sons made a grant of land in his honour in June 715. The Annales Mettenses record that Grimoald succeeded Drogo in all his offices, but in fact his son Arnulf succeeded him as duke. The death of Drogo was perceived by later generations as a pivotal event in the history of the Carolingian dynasty. Several of the imperial annals written in the late eighth century begin their year-by-year accounts with 708. These include the Annales Alamannici, Annales Nazariani and Annales Laureshamenses.

geni.com
Drogo (Dreux) Каролинг (Шампанский), duc de Champagne et Bourgogne
English (default): Drogo (Dreux), duc de Champagne et Bourgogne, Russian: Дрого Каролинг (Шампанский), duc de Champagne et Bourgogne
Birthdate: 670
Birthplace: Heristal, Leige Province, Belgium
Death: March 24, 708 (37-38)
Aisne, Picardie, France
Place of Burial: Metz, Moselle, Lorraine, France
Immediate Family:
Son of Pépin ll "the Fat" d'Héristal, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia and Plectrude

Husband of Adaltrudis

Father of
Arnoul ll de Champagne, comte de Chaumontois;
Hugh de Champagne-Fontenelle, Fontenelle;
Grimoald and
Pepin de Champagne, de Herstal

Brother of Grimoald II the Younger
Half brother of Charles Martel and Sylvius Heristal, Bishop
Occupation: Duc de Champagne et de Bourgogne, Mayor of the Palace of Burgundy, hertog Bourgondie/Champagne

Drogo married de Neustrie, AdaltrudeLa Champagne, Dordogne, Aquitaine, France. Adaltrude (daughter of Waratto and Berthar, Ansflede) was born in 667 in Aachen, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany; died in UNKNOWN in Aquitaine, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LHKK-QWT

Notes:

Auda of France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Auda, Aida, Alda, Aldana or Adalne (722 – before 755?) was a daughter of Charles Martel and probably Rotrude, and was the mother of Saint William of Gellone.

Marriage and children
She was married to Thierry IV, count of Autun in 742 and in 750, son of Theodoric, count, and descendant of Bertrada of Prüm. From this marriage were born:

Theodoen (d. bef. 826), count of Autun, mentioned in 804
Thierry, mentioned in 782 and in 804.
Adalhelm
William, count of Toulouse and founder of the Abbey of Gellone.
Abba and Berta, mentioned as nuns in 804. One of them was probably married to a Nibelungid, Childebrand II or Nibelung II.

Aude married d'Autun, Thierry I in 742. Thierry was born in UNKNOWN; died on 14 Dec 804. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Nickname: The Short
• FSID: 9MWY-PTR
• Residence: Basilica of St Denis, Paris, Île-de-France, France
• Appointments / Titles: Between 741 and 751, Kingdom of Neustria (Historical); On the death of Charles Martel in 741, Pepin succeeding his father as the Mayor of the Palace of Neustria while his older brother Carloman became Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia.
• Appointments / Titles: Between 751 and 24 Sep 768, Soissons, Aisne, Picardie, France; Elected King of the Franks by an assembly of Frankish nobles in 751, Pepin was anointed King of the Franks by Boniface, Archbishop of Mainzin, in Soissons.
• Religion: 752, Metz, Moselle, Lorraine, France; Appointed Archbishop of Metz
• Appointments / Titles: 754, Basilica of St Denis, Paris, Île-de-France, France; In 754 Pepin was anointed King a second time by Pope Stephen II in Paris at the Basilica of St Denis. In the lavish ceremony the Pope also bestowed upon him the additional title of Patrician of the Romans. This is the first recorded crowning of a civil ruler by a Pope.

Notes:

Pepin the Short
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pepin the Short
King of the Franks
Reign 751 – 24 September 768
Predecessor Childeric III
Successor Charlemagne and Carloman I
Mayor of the Palace of Neustria
Reign 741–751
Predecessor Charles Martel
Successor Merged into crown
Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia
Reign 747–751
Predecessor Carloman
Successor Merged into crown
Born 714
Died 24 September 768 (aged 54)
Saint-Denis
Burial Basilica of St Denis
Spouse Bertrada of Laon
Issue Charlemagne
Carloman I
Gisela
Dynasty Carolingian
Father Charles Martel
Mother Rotrude of Hesbaye
Religion Roman Catholicism
Signature Pepin the Short's signature
Pepin the Short[a] (German: Pippin der Jüngere, French: Pépin le Bref, c. 714 – 24 September 768) was the King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first of the Carolingians to become king.[b][2]

The younger son of the Frankish prince Charles Martel and his wife Rotrude, Pepin's upbringing was distinguished by the ecclesiastical education he had received from the monks of St. Denis. Succeeding his father as the Mayor of the Palace in 741, Pepin reigned over Francia jointly with his elder brother Carloman. Pepin ruled in Neustria, Burgundy and Provence, while his older brother Carloman established himself in Austrasia, Alemannia and Thuringia. The brothers were active in suppressing revolts led by the Bavarians, Aquitanians, Saxons and the Alemanni in the early years of their reign. In 743, they ended the Frankish interregnum by choosing Childeric III, who was to be the last Merovingian monarch, as figurehead king of the Franks.

Being well disposed towards the church and papacy on account of their ecclesiastical upbringing, Pepin and Carloman continued their father's work in supporting Saint Boniface in reforming the Frankish church, and evangelising the Saxons. After Carloman, who was an intensely pious man, retired to religious life in 747, Pepin became the sole ruler of the Franks. He suppressed a revolt led by his half-brother Grifo, and succeeded in becoming the undisputed master of all Francia. Giving up pretense, Pepin then forced Childeric into a monastery and had himself proclaimed king of the Franks with support of Pope Zachary in 751. The decision was not supported by all members of the Carolingian family and Pepin had to put down a revolt led by Carloman's son, Drogo, and again by Grifo.

As king, Pepin embarked on an ambitious program to expand his power. He reformed the legislation of the Franks and continued the ecclesiastical reforms of Boniface. Pepin also intervened in favour of the papacy of Stephen II against the Lombards in Italy. He was able to secure several cities, which he then gave to the Pope as part of the Donation of Pepin. This formed the legal basis for the Papal States in the Middle Ages. The Byzantines, keen to make good relations with the growing power of the Frankish empire, gave Pepin the title of Patricius. In wars of expansion, Pepin conquered Septimania from the Islamic Umayyads, and subjugated the southern realms by repeatedly defeating Waiofar and his Gascon troops, after which the Gascon and Aquitanian lords saw no option but to pledge loyalty to the Franks. Pepin was, however, troubled by the relentless revolts of the Saxons and the Bavarians. He campaigned tirelessly in Germany, but the final subjugation of these tribes was left to his successors.

Pepin died in 768 and was succeeded by his sons Charlemagne and Carloman. Although unquestionably one of the most powerful and successful rulers of his time, Pepin's reign is largely overshadowed by that of his more famous son, Charlemagne.

Contents
1 Assumption of power
2 First Carolingian King
3 Expansion of the Frankish realm
4 Legacy
5 Family
6 Notes
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links
Assumption of power
Pepin's father Charles Martel died in 741. He divided the rule of the Frankish kingdom between Pepin and his elder brother, Carloman, his surviving sons by his first wife: Carloman became Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia, Pepin became Mayor of the Palace of Neustria. Grifo, Charles's son by his second wife, Swanahild (also known as Swanhilde), demanded a share in the inheritance, but he was besieged in Laon, forced to surrender and imprisoned in a monastery by his two half-brothers.

In the Frankish realm the unity of the kingdom was essentially connected with the person of the king. So Carloman, to secure this unity, raised the Merovingian Childeric to the throne (743). Then in 747 Carloman either resolved to or was pressured into entering a monastery. This left Francia in the hands of Pepin as sole mayor of the palace and dux et princeps Francorum.

At the time of Carloman's retirement, Grifo escaped his imprisonment and fled to Duke Odilo of Bavaria, who was married to Hiltrude, Pepin's sister. Pepin put down the renewed revolt led by his half-brother and succeeded in completely restoring the boundaries of the kingdom.

Under the reorganization of Francia by Charles Martel, the dux et princeps Francorum was the commander of the armies of the kingdom, in addition to his administrative duties as mayor of the palace.[3]

Coronation in 751 of Pepin the Short by Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz
First Carolingian King
As mayor of the palace, Pepin was formally subject to the decisions of Childeric III who had only the title of King but no power. Since Pepin had control over the magnates and actually had the power of a king, he now addressed to Pope Zachary a suggestive question:

In regard to the kings of the Franks who no longer possess the royal power: is this state of things proper?
Hard pressed by the Lombards, Pope Zachary welcomed this move by the Franks to end an intolerable condition and lay the constitutional foundations for the exercise of the royal power. The Pope replied that such a state of things is not proper. In these circumstances, the de facto power was considered more important than the de jure authority.

After this decision the throne was declared vacant. Childeric III was deposed and confined to a monastery. He was the last of the Merovingians.

Pepin was then elected King of the Franks by an assembly of Frankish nobles, with a large portion of his army on hand. The earliest account of his election and anointing is the Clausula de Pippino written around 767. Meanwhile, Grifo continued his rebellion, but was eventually killed in the battle of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in 753.

Pepin was assisted by his friend Vergilius of Salzburg, an Irish monk who probably used a copy of the "Collectio canonum Hibernensis" (an Irish collection of canon law) to advise him to receive royal unction to assist his recognition as king.[4] Anointed a first time in 751 in Soissons, Pepin added to his power after Pope Stephen II traveled all the way to Paris to anoint him a second time in a lavish ceremony at the Basilica of St Denis in 754, bestowing upon him the additional title of patricius Romanorum (Patrician of the Romans) and is the first recorded crowning of a civil ruler by a Pope.[5] As life expectancies were short in those days, and Pepin wanted family continuity, the Pope also anointed Pepin's sons, Charles (eventually known as Charlemagne), who was 12, and Carloman, who was 3.

Expansion of the Frankish realm

Muslim troops leaving Narbonne in 759, after 40 years of occupation

Pepin's expedition to Septimania and Aquitaine (760)
Pepin's first major act as king was to go to war against the Lombard king Aistulf, who had expanded into the ducatus Romanus. After a meeting with Pope Stephen II at Ponthion, Pepin forced the Lombard king to return property seized from the Church.[6] He confirmed the papacy in possession of Ravenna and the Pentapolis, the so-called Donation of Pepin, whereby the Papal States were established and the temporal reign of the papacy officially began.[6] At about 752, he turned his attention to Septimania. The new king headed south in a military expedition down the Rhone valley and received the submission of eastern Septimania (i.e. Nîmes, Maguelone, Beziers and Agde) after securing count Ansemund's allegiance. The Frankish king went on to invest Narbonne, the main Umayyad stronghold in Septimania, but could not capture it from the Iberian Muslims until seven years later in 759,[7] when they were driven out to Hispania.

Aquitaine still remained under Waiofar's Gascon-Aquitanian rule, however, and beyond Frankish reach. Duke Waiofar appears to have confiscated Church lands, maybe distributing them among his troops. In 760, after conquering the Roussillon from the Muslims and denouncing Waiofar's actions, Pepin moved his troops over to Toulouse and Albi, ravaged with fire and sword most of Aquitaine, and, in retaliation, counts loyal to Waiofar ravaged Burgundy.[8] Pepin, in turn, besieged the Aquitanian-held towns and strongholds of Bourbon, Clermont, Chantelle, Bourges and Thouars, defended by Waiofar's Gascon troops, who were overcome, captured and deported into northern France with their children and wives.[9]

In 763, Pepin advanced further into the heart of Waiofar's domains and captured major strongholds (Poitiers, Limoges, Angoulême, etc.), after which Waiofar counterattacked and war became bitter. Pepin opted to spread terror, burning villas, destroying vineyards and depopulating monasteries. By 765, the brutal tactics seemed to pay off for the Franks, who destroyed resistance in central Aquitaine and devastated the whole region. The city of Toulouse was conquered by Pepin in 767 as was Waiofar's capital of Bordeaux.[10]

As a result, Aquitanian nobles and Gascons from beyond the Garonne too saw no option but to accept a pro-Frankish peace treaty (Fronsac, c. 768). Waiofar escaped but was assassinated by his own frustrated followers in 768.

Legacy

Allegoric depiction of Pepin
Pepin died during a campaign, in 768 at the age of 54. He was interred in the Basilica of Saint Denis in modern-day Metropolitan Paris. His wife Bertrada was also interred there in 783. Charlemagne rebuilt the Basilica in honor of his parents and placed markers at the entrance.

The Frankish realm was divided according to the Salic law between his two sons: Charlemagne and Carloman I.

Historical opinion often seems to regard him as the lesser son and lesser father of two greater men, though a great man in his own right. He continued to build up the heavy cavalry which his father had begun. He maintained the standing army that his father had found necessary to protect the realm and form the core of its full army in wartime. He not only contained the Iberian Muslims as his father had, but drove them out of what is now France and, as important, he managed to subdue the Aquitanians and the Gascons after three generations of on-off clashes, so opening the gate to central and southern Gaul and Muslim Iberia. He continued his father's expansion of the Frankish church (missionary work in Germany and Scandinavia) and the institutional infrastructure (feudalism) that would prove the backbone of medieval Europe.

His rule, while not as great as either his father's or son's, was historically important and of great benefit to the Franks as a people. Pepin's assumption of the crown, and the title of Patrician of Rome, were harbingers of his son's imperial coronation which is usually seen as the founding of the Kingdom of France. He made the Carolingians de jure what his father had made them de facto—the ruling dynasty of the Franks and the foremost power of Europe. Known as a great conqueror, he was undefeated during his lifetime.

Family
Pepin married Leutberga from the Danube region. They had five children. She was repudiated some time after the birth of Charlemagne and her children were sent to convents.

In 741, Pepin married Bertrada, daughter of Caribert of Laon. They are known to have had eight children, at least three of whom survived to adulthood:

Charles (2 April 742 – 28 January 814), (Charlemagne)
Carloman (751 – 4 December 771)
Gisela (757–810)
Pepin, died in infancy.
Chrothais, died young, buried in Metz.
Adelais, died young, buried in Metz.

Family/Spouse: de Laon, Queen Bertrada II. Bertrada was born on 1 Apr 720 in Laon, Aisne, Picardie, France; was christened on 2 Apr 720 in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France; died on 12 Jul 783 in Choisy, Oise, Picardie, France; was buried on 16 Jul 783 in Basilica of St Denis, Paris, Île-de-France, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LHKK-QWT

Notes:

http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/FRANKSMaiordomi.htm#AldaMTheodericAutun

Family/Spouse: von Autun, Theoderic I. Theoderic was born in 715 in Autun, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France; died in 793. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: GW44-BD4

Notes:

Gotfrid of Champagne was the son of Drogo of Champagne and his wife Anstrude of Neustria and Burgundy. He was born in Champagne about 700. He was the younger brother of Arnulf, Duke of Champagne and Hugh Archbishop of Rouen, and older brother of Pippin. He was also the grandson of Pepin of Herstal.

In 723 it is recorded that at the command of Gotfrid's paternal uncle Charles Martel "two sons of Drogo were bound, Arnold [Arnulf] and another who died", either Gotfrid or Pippin. (Recorded in the Annales Nazariani, the Annales Petaviani, Annales Laureshamenses and Annales Alamannici.) As most records give Gotfrid's year of death as 735, it appears that it was Pippin and not Gotfrid who died at the hands of their uncle.

Family/Spouse: de Bourges, Pomponia. Pomponia (daughter of de Bourges, Optatus Aridius I and de Cahors, N.N.) was born in 700 in Europe; died in DECEASED. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: 9M9K-2FB

Notes:

Adalhelm of Autun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Adalhelm of Autun was a Frankish nobleman of the 8th and 9th centuries from the Wilhelmid family, son of Thierry IV and the Carolingian Alda.

He was called as a witness in the charters of the foundation of the abbey of Gellone by his brother William, 15 December 804. Two other brothers signed these charters: Theodoen and a Thierry who is not mentioned in any charters.

That is the only ascertainable information about Adalhelm himself. On the basis of onomastics, two children have been assigned to him:

Waldrada, wife of Adrian, Count of Orléans, count palatine of the Agilolfing family, brother of Hildegard, wife of Charlemagne.
Bernard I , count of Poitiers in 815 and in 825.

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• House: House of Carolingians
• FSID: LZ62-TSV
• Appointments / Titles: Between 768 and 814; King of the Franks
• Military: 1 Jul 772; The Saxons resisted and the war lasted about 30 years conquered pagan Saxony
• Appointments / Titles: 774; King of the Lombards
• Military: Oct 782, Verdun, Meuse, Lorraine, France; the campaign against the Saxons to his east lead to the Massacre of Verden
• Appointments / Titles: Between 800 and 814; Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

Notes:

Charlemagne, also Charles I, Charles the Great, Carolus Magus, Charles le Grand and Karl de Grosse
Originally he was named Charles, after his Frankish grandfather Charles Martel, it was not until much later that historians began calling him Charles the Great or Charles le Magne which evolved into Charlemagne.
Charlemagne was the oldest son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, born before their canonical marriage, on 2 April 742, most likely at Aachen. Charlemagne was technically an illegitimate child, since he was born out of wedlock; Pepin and Bertrada were bound by a private contract or Friedelehe at the time of his birth, but did not marry until 744.
He became king in 768 following his father's death, initially as co-ruler with his brother Carloman I. Carloman's sudden death in December 771 under unexplained circumstances left Charlemagne the sole ruler of the Frankish Kingdom. He continued his father's policy towards the papacy and became its protector, removing the Lombards from power in northern Italy and leading an incursion into Muslim Spain.

Charles I, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of the Romans from 800. During the Early Middle Ages, he united the majority of western and central Europe. He was the first recognized emperor to rule from western Europe since the fall of the Western Roman Empire three centuries earlier. The expanded Frankish state that Charlemagne founded is called the Carolingian Empire. He was later canonized by Antipope Paschal III.

In his role as a zealous defender of Christianity, Charlemagne gave money and land to the Christian church and protected the popes. As a way to acknowledge Charlemagne’s power and reinforce his relationship with the church, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans on December 25, 800, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

As emperor, Charlemagne proved to be a talented diplomat and able administrator of the vast area he controlled. He promoted education and encouraged the Carolingian Renaissance, a period of renewed emphasis on scholarship and culture. He instituted economic and religious reforms, and was a driving force behind the Carolingian miniscule, a standardized form of writing that later became a basis for modern European printed alphabets. Charlemagne ruled from a number of cities and palaces, but spent significant time in Aachen. His palace there included a school, for which he recruited the best teachers in the land.

In addition to learning, Charlemagne was interested in athletic pursuits. Known to be highly energetic, he enjoyed hunting, horseback riding and swimming. Aachen held particular appeal for him due to its therapeutic warm springs.

Charlemagne had eighteen children with eight of his ten known wives or concubines. Nonetheless, he had only four legitimate grandsons, the four sons of his fourth son, Louis. In addition, he had a grandson (Bernard of Italy, the only son of his third son, Pepin of Italy), who was illegitimate but included in the line of inheritance. Among his descendants are several royal dynasties, including the Habsburg, Capetian and Plantagenet dynasties. By consequence, most if not all established European noble families ever since can genealogically trace some of their background to Charlemagne.

In 813, Charlemagne called Louis the Pious, king of Aquitaine, his only surviving legitimate son, to his court. There Charlemagne crowned his son as co-emperor and sent him back to Aquitaine. He then spent the autumn hunting before returning to Aachen on 1 November. In January, he fell ill with pleurisy and on 28 January 814 Charlemagne died, in the seventy-second year of his age and the forty-seventh of his reign.He was buried that same day, in Aachen Cathedral.
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I have included the 'Royal Ancestry" information below in cooperation with other members here, but would like to point out it is not the ONLY or even the best source of information on Charlemagne. Most of the information found in it originally came from "Vita Karoli Magni" written by Eginhard, who was Charlemagne's own court biographer and actually knew, and lived among, Charlemagne's family.
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“Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial & Medieval Families,” Douglas Richardson (2013):
“CHARLEMAGNE, King of the Franks, 768-814, King of the Langobards, 773-814, Emperor of the Romans, 800-814, son of Pépin (nicknamed "le Bref”), King of the Franks, by Bertrade, daughter of Charibert, Count of Laon. On the death of his father in 768, he became King of the Franks jointly with his brother, Carloman, and was crowned 9 October 768 at Noyon. He married (1st c.769-770, daughter of Desiderius, king of the Lombards. They had no issue. He married (2nd) before 30 April 771 HILDEGARDE, daughter of Gerold I, Count in Vinzgau, by Imma (or Emma), daughter of Count Nebi (or Hnabi). They had four sons, Charles, Pépin [King of Italy], Louis (I) [King of Aquitaine, Emperor], and Lothair, and five daughters, Adelaide (or Adelheid), Rotrude, Berthe, Gisele, and Hildegarde. On the death of his brother, Carloman, in 771, he reunited his father's possessions. He conquered the kingdom of the Lombards in 773. He used the title "rex Francorum et Langobardorum" from 5 June 774, adding "atque patricius Romanorum" from 16 July 774. His wife, Hildegarde, died at Thionville (Moselle) 30 April 783, and was buried in the church of the abbey of Saint Arnoul at Metz. He married (3rd) at Worms in October 783 FASTRADA, daughter of Radulf, Count in Franconia. They had two daughters, Theodrade [Abbess of Argenteuil] and Hiltrude. His wife, Fastrada, died at Frankfurt 10 August 794, and was buried in the basilica of Saint-Alban in Mainz. He married (4th) c.794-796 LIUTGARDE, an Alamannian. They had no issue. By various mistresses, he had four illegitimate sons, Pépin, Dreux [Bishop of Metz], Hugues, and Thierry (or Theodoric), and three illegitimate daughters, Chrothais, Rothlldis (or Rouhaut) [Abbess at Faremoutiers], and Adaltrude. His wife, Liutgarde, died at Tours 4 June 800, and was buried in the church of Saint-Martin in Tours. He was crowned Emperor of the Romans at St. Peter's, Rome 25 December 800. CHARLEMAGNE, Emperor of the Romans, died at Aachen 28 January 814, and was buried at Aix-la-Chapelle.
Guerard Cartulaire de l’Abbeye de Saint-Berlin (Coll. des Cartulaires de France 3) (1840): 55-56 (Chartulatium Sithiense, Pars Prima, Folquini Lib. I.). Henaux Charlemagne d'après les Traditions liégeoises (1878). Eginhard Life of Charlemagne (1880). Monumenta Germaniæ Historica SS XIII (1881): 219. (Annales Necrologici Prumienses [necrology of Prüm]: "Anno Domini incarn. 814. Karolus imperator 5 Kal. Feb. [28 Jan.] feliciter diem ultimum clausit, anno etatis suae circiter 71."). Cutts Charlemagne (1882). Monumenta Germaniæ Historica (Necrologia Germaniæ 1) (1888): 273 (Necrologium Augiæ Divitis: kat Ianuarius [28 January] - Karolus imperator."). Birch Cat. Seals in the British Museum 5 (1898): 111 (seal of Charlemagne dated A.D. 774- Oval: impression from an oval intaglio engraved stone. A bust, draped, turned to the right in profile. Legend: + XPE PROTEGE CAROLVM REGE FRANC.), 111 (seal of Charlemagne dated A.D. 812 - Oval: impression of an antique oval intaglio gem. Bust of Jupiter Serapis, with the modius on his head, in profile to the left. No legend.). Hodgkin Life of Charlemagne (1902). Halphen Recueil d'Annales Angevines et Vendômoises (1903): 52 (Annales de Vendôme sub A.D. 814: "Inclitus imperator Karolus migravit ad Christum feliciter, amen, v kalendas feburarii [28 January]."). Russell Charlemagne, First of the Moderns (1930). Scholz & Rogers Carolingian Chronicles: Royal Frankish Annals & Nithard's Histories (1970): 61 (Royal Frankish Annals sub A.D. 783: "The worthy Lady Queen Hildegard died on April 30, which fell that year on the eve of the Ascension of the Lord."). Banfield Charlemagne (1986). Winter Descs. of Charlemagne (800-1400) (1987): I, II.1-II.18. Settipani & von Kerrebrouck La Préhistoire des Capetians (1993). Collins Charlemagne (1998). Becher Charlemagne (2003). Bhote Charlemagne: The Life & Times of an Early Medieval Emperor (2005). Story Charlemagne: Empire & Society (2005). Wilson Charlemagne: A Biography (2005). Einhard and Notker the Stammerer Two Lives of Charlemagne (2008). McKitterick Charlemagne: The Formation of a European Identity (2008).
Children of Charlemagne, by Hildegarde:
i. PÉPIN (or PIPPIN), King of Italy [see next].
ii. LOUIS, King of Aquitaine, Emperor, married (1st) ERMENGARDE OF HASPENGAU; (2nd) JUDITH OF ALTORF [see Line B, Gen. 2 below].”

Charlemagne married von Vinzgau, Hildegard in 771. Hildegard (daughter of of Kraichgau, Gérold I and of Alemannia, Imma) was born on 2 Apr 757 in Aachen, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany; was christened on 2 Apr 757 in Kingdom of the Franks; died on 30 Apr 783 in Thionville, Moselle, Lorraine, France; was buried on 1 May 783 in Metz, Moselle, Lorraine, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: L19Q-3DY
• Appointments / Titles: Between 790 and 811; 2nd Duke of Toulouse
• Life Event: 29 Jun 806, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France; Lived as a hermit in the Gellone monastery which he founded

Notes:

When Wilhelm von Gellon Herzog von Aquitanien was born about 0750, in Royaume, Tournai, Hainaut, Belgium, his father, Theoderic I Graf von Autun, was 35 and his mother, Aldana, was 32. He married Kunigunde in 0779. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 1 daughter. In 806, at the age of 56, his occupation is listed as lebte als einsiedler in dem von ihm gegründeten kloster gellone in Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. He died in May 0815, in Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, at the age of 65, and was buried in Aniane, Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France.

The abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert in the Gellone valley (30 kilometers northwest of Montpellier) owes its name to Guilhem, a French knight of the medieval period. Born sometime in the late 8th century, Guilhem was the grandson of Charles Martel, the Duke of Aquitane, and one of the Emperor Charlemagne's chosen knights. He fought bravely against the Saracens (Muslims) of Spain and became famous as the hero of medieval ballads due to his knightly prowess and chivalrous character. A devout Christian who ended his days (died 812 AD) in the monastery at Gellone, he endowed the abbey with a relic of the True Cross, given to him by Charlemagne. Because of this relic, the monastery soon prospered and became an important place of pilgrimage in southern France.
With the development of the great medieval pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (the shrine of Saint James in northwestern Spain) in the 10th century, Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert became a recognized stage on one of the four major routes leading to Compostela. By the middle of the 11th century this influx of pilgrims to the Gellone valley enabled the monks to rebuild their monastery on a larger scale, using the architectural techniques of the early Romanesque style. The present abbey church dates from that period.
The life of the monastery continued, influenced from time to time by national events and the wider crosscurrents of history until its slow decline in the 18th century and its suppression during the French Revolution in 1790. In the 19th century the abbey was vandalized and fragments of its buildings are found scattered all over the region, even as far away as the Cloisters museum, north of New York City. Reconstructed in the 20th century, today the abbey is the parish church of the small, picturesque village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert. No archaeological evidence has come to light indicating the sanctity of the site in pre-Christian times.
Biographical information about Guilhem
William a grandson of Charles Martel. He was born in France around the middle of the 8th century. His mother Aldana was a daughter of Charles Martel, so he was a cousin of Charlemagne. As a close kinsman of Charlemagne he spent his youth in the imperial court. William was made Count of Toulouse in 790, and Charlemagne placed his young son (Louis the Pious, who was to inherit Aquitaine), in his wardship. He was the second count of Toulouse and held the title from 790 until 811.
The following detailed information on Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert can be found on the Languedoc website.
Guilhem dedicated the next thirteen years to sustaining the southern frontiers of the Frankish empire. He was renowned as one of the most valiant warriors of his time. He married twice; his second wife, the Lady of Orange was apparently the widow of a Saracen Lord that he killed and whose estates he seized. Guilhem's exploits became famous and he evolved into the hero of medieval ballads of knightly prowess and chivalry. He is the hero of the Chanson de Guillaume, an early chanson de geste, and of several later sequels.
In 804 Guilhem retired to the Abbey of Aniane. (For many centuries it was regarded as entirely laudable for men to abandon their wives and families to become monks). In 806 he headed a group of monks who set off to found the Abbey of Gellone (now Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert). Before his death, Charlemagne had given the young Guilhem a reliquary, which was believed to contained pieces of the True Cross. (Hundreds of such bogus relics were in circulation even before the Crusades). Guilhem left this one to his Abbey, where it remains to this day. The jewelled reliquary is carried through the village in procession once a year on the 3rd May - St Guilhem's feast day. Replicas made of biscuit are available in the Abbey Church. The faithful claim that they provide protection against lightening.
Guilhem is known by several different names, some of them reflecting his appearance, some his conquests, some his later religious life, and some merely confusion with other semi legendary Guilhems. He was Guilhem the short nosed - French Guillaume au Court Nez, or the Marquis au court nez - a disfigurement incurred during his battle with that pesky Moorish giant who lived in the castle at Gellone. He was also Guillaum de Narbonne; Guillaume Fierabrace, Guillaume d'Orange, and Guilhem de Gellone and Saint Guilhem.
According to the book Holy Blood Holy Grail Guilhem was the son of "Theodoric, king of the Jews of Septimania" crowned in 768. Through him the bloodline of Jesus became the bloodline of Frankish royalty. This fantasy was later incorporated into the plot of the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code.
The town of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert
The town Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert lies in the Gellon valley just North of Gignac, east of the new A75 motorway, about 30 kilometres Northwest of Montpellier. It is really more of a village with a population of around 250.
The village has retained its medieval personality with old houses in amber stone, an ancient tower, and a shady square with a fountain and traditional plain trees. It sprawls organically along the Verdus stream, surrounded by cliffs, verdant with thyme, oak and pine trees. The prison tower is a vestige of the medieval village and still dominates it. It is a simple square crenelated tower, pierced by a simple window.
Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert is counted among the Plus Beaux Villages (most beautiful villages) of France, classed, since 1999 a National Site. It is home to numerous artists, many of whom may be found in their studios around the square.
Overlooking the village, on the side of the cliff, is a castle of Visigoth origin. It was only ever a modest fortress but has attracted colourful stories involving Visigoths, Saracens and troubadours. According to legend this castle was once the abode of a Saracen giant, called Don Juan, who was defeated in improbable circumstances by the eponymous Guilhem in single combat.
The Abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert
The Abbey is located in the town of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert in the Gellone Valley not far from Montpellier, in the Hérault département. It is a Benedictine foundation dedicated to Saint-Sauveur. It was founded in 804 by Guilhem of Orange, Duke of Aquitaine and second Count of Toulouse, a member of Charlemagne's court, later known as Saint Guilhem.
As the medieval pilgrimage route to the shrine of Saint James of Compostella in Spain developed in the 10th century, the monastery of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert became a staging point on one of the four main routes through Europe leading to it. Like all such staging points it benefited financially from its more than usually gullible pilgrim visitors. By the middle of the 11th century the monks were rich enough to rebuild their monastery on a larger scale in the latest Romanesque style. The present abbey church dates from this period.
By the twelfth century, the abbey had been renamed in honour of its founder. And as the site in the Gellone Valley had been selected because it was a virtual desert, we now know it at the Abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. By 1206, a new cloister had been built at Saint-Guilhem incorporating columns and pilasters which are now located in an American museum. Many of them recall classical Roman columns, but they depart from classical models in their variety of design.
During the 14th to 16th centuries, progressively declined. Under the 'commende' system the abbot was nominated by the king, who selected from among the members of the high clergy (rather than being elected by the monks of the community). The system inevitably led to abuse and for centuries successive Abbots from aristocratic families accumulated titles and neglected their monastic duties.
Like other French religious buildings, Saint-Guilhem suffered in the Wars of Religion during and after the Reformation. In 1569 the Abbey was pillaged by Protestants and sculptures were damaged. Furniture and fittings were sold off to pay for repairs, and for a garrison to protect the Abbey. By 1670 the monastery was in a state of advanced decay. The monks called upon the congregation of Saint-Maur to undertake repair work to save the buildings from ruin and re-establish the monastic life.
The abbey declined in the 18th century. In 1783, it was attached to the bishopric of Lodeve, losing its independence. Monks from Saint-Maur occupied the monastery until the French Revolution, by which time the community had been reduced to six monks. It was suppressed in 1790 during the French Revolution, and the buildings sold ominously to a stonemason. The abbey church escaped vandalism as it became a parish church, but the rest was vandalised. Various businesses were established in the cloister, including a spinning business and a tannery. Private houses were established in the buildings around the cloister and the cloister itself which was used as a stone quarry.
Fragments of the abbey may be found all over the region, and even much further away. You can see some of those columns of the cloister dating from before 1206 in the Cloisters museum, north of New York (part of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art). It is difficult to know who best deserves the title of Most Cretinous Philistine - the people who sold them, those who bought them, or those who now decline to return them. The cumulative damage of these various acts of vandalism was so severe that it is now impossible to determine the number and sequence of its columns - or even the dimensions of the cloister.
In 1840, the abbey was taken in hand by the Monuments Historiques. Restoration since 1960 has tried to restore the original aspect of the building. A new cloister has been built. Since the end of the 1970s, a community of monks from Carmel Saint Joseph has made the abbey their home.
The abbey is one of several World Heritage sites in the Languedoc. In 1987, the Abbey of Gellone was classed as a French Historical Monument. On the 5 December, 1998, it was classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO as part of the "Paths of Saint James" - the pilgrimage routes of St-Jacques de Compostela.

Wilhelm married de Gellone, Kunigunde in 779. Kunigunde was born in 755 in Kingdom of the Franks; died in 795 in Somme, Picardie, France; was buried in 795 in Kingdom of the Franks. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Bourges, Cher, Centre, France; Count
• FSID: GH4Z-R1P

Family/Spouse: de Champagne, Countess Altrude. Altrude (daughter of de Bourges, Optatus II, daughter of de Champagne, Godfried and de Bourges, Pomponia) was born in 730 in Champagne, Dordogne, Aquitaine, France; died in 788 in Bourges, Cher, Centre, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Nickname: Pomponia
• FSID: GDN5-QW9
• Birth: 705, France
• Birth: 730, Champagne, Dordogne, Aquitaine, France

Altrude married du Mans, Gozlin in 749 in France. Gozlin was born in 710 in Europe; died in 770 in Sillé, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: de Bourges, Count Humbert. Humbert (son of de Champagne, Godfried and de Bourges, Pomponia) was born in 725 in Bourges, Cher, Centre, France; died in 778 in Bourges, Cher, Centre, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]