EFL - Enciclopedia delle Famiglie Lombarde

http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/HAINAUT.htm RICHILDE, daughter of -- - (-Messines 15 Mar 1087, bur Hanson Abbey). The sources are conflicti ng about whether Count Herman or his wife was the child of Count Regin ar [IV]. In contrast to the relatively clear statements in favour of H erman being Reginar's son, numerous sources describe Richilde as his d aughter. These include the ''Annales Hanoniæ'' which name "Richildis " as the daughter of "secundi Ragineri, vel secundum aliquos tercii" a nd clarify in a later passage that she was "filiam Ragineri comitis Mo ntensis tercionis" [1]. The ''Gesta Episcoporum Leodiensium'' also nam es "Richildis comitissa Haynonie filia Raineri comitis filii comitis R aineri Longicolli" [2]. The ''Historia Comitum Ghisnensium'' names "Ri childis Montensis comitis filia" [3]. Other primary sources give her n ame and specify that her first husband was Comte Herman, but do not re fer to her origin: "Richilde mater Arnulphum et Balduino" is named i n the Cartulaire de Saint-Bertin [4]; the ''Genealogica Comitum Flandr iæ Bertiniana'' names "Richelde vidua Herimanni comitis Montensis" a s wife of "Balduinum Haanoniensem" [5]; the ''Chronicon S. Andreæ'' r ecords "Balduinus filius comitis Flandrensis, Richildem comitissam, qu æ antea Hermanno nepoti ipsius comitis nupseat, uxorem dixit", specif ying that it was "eo autem tempore" with reference to other events dat ed 1050 which are recounted in the same paragraph [6]. Although the qu estion is not free from doubt, it is probable that the sources which r efer to Herman as the son of count Reginar are correct. It is assume d that the sources which support the alternative case were misled by t he unusual inheritance of the county of Hainaut/Mons by Count Herman' s widow and her transmission of the county to her second husband and h er children by this second marriage. However, Nicholas highlights th e "universal community" property regime, customary by the 1050s in Ger manic eastern Flanders, under which a surviving spouse received the en tire deceased spouse's estate if a child had been born of the marriage . He also records that Richilde's second husband, Baudouin VI Count o f Flanders, enshrined this regime into his constitution for Geraardsbe rgen [7]. This suggests that Richilde's inheritance may not have bee n as unusual as at first sight appears. If it is correct that Herman w as the son of Count Reginar [IV], what then was the origin of Ctss Ric hilde? Several clues are provided by different sources. The ''Chronic on Hanoniense'' names "Hermanno comite…" and "eius uxore Richelde co mitissa", specifying that "defuncto comite Valencenensi absque propri i corporis herede" Richilde inherited his county "tam iure hereditari o quam coemptione facta" [8], the comte de Valenciennes in question pr esumably being a descendant of Comte Arnoul [II]. The ''Flandria Gener osa'' provides another line of enquiry by referring to Pope Leo IX a s "eiusdem Richeldis avunculo", when recording that her second husban d was excommunicated by Engelbert Bishop of Cambrai for his marriage w ith "cognate sui Herimanni comitis uxorem", the Pope later lifting th e penalty [9]. The ''Annales Hanoniæ'' also name Richildis as nepti s of Pope Leo, and specify that "de Macourt iuxta Condatum… prioriss am" was also neptis of the Pope and of Richildis [10], although this p rioress has not yet been identified. A continuator of Sigebert is mor e precise, recording that "Balduinus Hasnoniensis" married "Richeldem , relictam Herimanni comitis Montensis, que erat de sanguine imperial i et soror sancti Leonis pape noni" [11], but a sibling relationship w ith Pope Leo is impossible from a chronological point of view. No othe r mention has been found of any "Richilde" in the family of the count s of Egisheim in Alsace to which Pope Leo belonged. A further indicati on of Richilde´s family origin is provided by the ''Gesta Cameracensi um'' which names "iuvenculam Adame neptem Richeldis Montensis comitiis sæ" as the wife of Hugues Châtelain de Cambrai [12]. According to '' Europäische Stammtafeln'' [13], this was "Ada de Rumigny" but no pare nts are shown and it has not so far been possible to identify her mor e precisely from other sources. Another possible clue is provided by t he first name "Roger", given by Richilde to her son by her first marri age, which is otherwise unknown in the family of the Comtes de Hainaut . The name Roger was used in the families of the 10th century Comtes d e Laon, the 11th century Comtes de Porcéan, and the earliest known an cestor of the Comtes de Saint-Pol, but positing a precise connection w ith any of the families would be speculative. [1] ''Iacobi de Guisi a Annales Hanoniæ'' VIII.XII and XV.I, MGH SS XXX Part 1, pp. 114 an d 190. [2] ''Ægidii Aurevallensis Gesta Episcoporum Leodiensium'' II I.3, MGH SS XXV, p. 79. [3] ''Historia Comitum Ghisnensium'' 27, MG H SS XXIV, p. 574. [4] Saint-Bertin I.21, p. 197. [5] ''Genealogic a Comitum Flandriæ Bertiniana'' MGH SS IX, p. 306. [6] ''Chronicon S . Andreæ, Castri Cameracesii'' II.12, MGH SS VII, p. 533. [7] Nichol as, D. (1992) Medieval Flanders (Longman), p. 137. [8] ''Gisleberti C hronicon Hanoniense'', MGH SS XXI, p. 490. [9] ''Flandria Generosa' ' 12, MGH SS IX, p. 320. The precise relationship between Pope Leo an d Richilde has not been identified. [10] ''Iacobi de Guisia Annales H anoniæ'' XV.III, MGH SS XXX Part 1, p. 193, footnote 1 interpreting t his as "Macon". [11] ''Sigeberti Continuatio Aquicinctina'' 1195, MG H SS VI, p. 433. [12] ''Gesta Episcoporum Cameracensium continuatio' ' 20, MGH SS VII, p. 495. [13] ES XIII 99A.