LOTHARINGIA Gerberga b. Abt 0975 Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire d. Aft 1018 Nivelles, Brabant, Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire: Freeman-Smith Family Tree

Abt 0975 - Aft 1018 (> 44 years)

Name	LOTHARINGIA Gerberga
Birth	Abt 0975	Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire
Gender	Female
Death	Aft 1018	Nivelles, Brabant, Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire
Notes	Gerberga of Lotharingia (later Comtesse de Louvain / Gravin van Leuven) was the daughter of Charles, Duke of Lower Lotharingia and Adelais de Troyes / Vermandois. Her paternal grandfather was Louis IV "d'Outremer," King of the Franks (West Francia). [1] [2] [3] [4] Lower and Upper Lotharingia Lotharingia / Lothringen / Lotharingie 10th century Lotharingia (lat:Lotharii, nl: Lotharingen, fr: Lotharingie (later Lorraine), de: Lothringen) comprised the territory of "Middle Francia" originally granted to Lothar on division of the Carolingian Empire in 855. It included the territories that make up the modern-day Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) - as well as the eastern portion of France and the Rhineland of Germany. The region was generally part of the Holy Roman Empire but was the subject of frequent political and territorial conflict between the Western Franks (who established the Kingdom of France) and the Eastern Franks (who were associated with the emerging Kingdom of Germany) - particularly from 962 when Otto of Saxony was crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor. Lotharingia was partitioned in 959 into "Lower Lotharingia" (the lower Northern region) and "Upper Lotharingia" (the higher more Southern region). Upper Lotharingia became a Duchy and was increasingly influenced by the Western Franks - and in Old French the term Loherigne and Loherainc were increasingly used for the territories and people - which later developed into the word Lorraine in French. Marriage and Family By about 995 (991-1000), Gerberga was married to Lambert Reginar de Louvain (later Comte de Louvain / Graaf van Leuven), who was a member of the Lotharingian noble family known as the “Régniers” or “Reginar(id)s” and was the son of Rainier Reginar, Régnier III, Comte de Hainaut / Graaf van Henegouwen and his wife Adela. Gerberga's dowry in connection with the marriage was Brabant (including Louvain and Brussels). [1] [2] [4] [5] [6] [7] The Genealogica comitum Buloniensium records that "Karolus dux" was father of "Ermengardem et Gerbergam", and that "Gerberga soror Ermengardis" was mother of "Henricum seniorem de Bursella". The Gesta Abbatem Trudonensium names "Gerbergam, filiam Karoli ducis Lotharingie" as wife of "Lambertus filius Reyneri comitis Montensis", specifying that Brabant (including Louvain and Brussels) was her dowry. [5] Gerberga and Lambert had at least three children together: [5] [6] [7] Henri, who succeeded his father as Henri I, Comte de Louvain Lambert, who succeeded his elder brother as Lambert II, Comte de Louvain Mathilde, who married Eustace de Boulogne Another child is proposed by historians based on their descendants: [6] Reinier / Reginar Reign of Lambert I de Louvain, Death and Succession Gerberga's husband Lambert and his brother Reginar were actively involved in struggles for control over the territories of Lotharingia (modern-day Belgium) between the Kingdom of France - with whom they were generally aligned - and Otto II of Germany who had become the Holy Roman Emperor in 973 and King of Italy in 980. [5] [6] Her husband Lambert became the first Count of Louvain (Comte de Louvain / Graaf van Leuven) by 1003. [5] [6] Lambert was killed in battle at Florennes in the county of Namur on 12 Sep 1015 and was succeeded by their eldest son Henri, who became Henri I, Comte de Louvain. [5] [6] The Gesta of Gembloux Abbey records that "filio suo comite Heinrico" supported his mother's donation to Gembloux after the death in battle in 1015 of his father "Lantbertum comitem, filium Ragineri Longicolli" [5] Gerberga died after 1018 and was buried at Nivelles, south of Brussels. [1] [5] Sources ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dukes of Lower Lotharingia (Carolingian) by Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Published by Charles Cawley and the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG) 2006-2021, including source citations and relevant texts; hosted online by FMG, accessed 2025; see also WikiTree's source page for MedLands) ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wikipedia (en) – Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine ↑ Wikipédia (fr) - Charles de Basse-Lotharingie ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wikipedia (en) – Gerberga of Lower Lorraine ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Comtes de Louvain by Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Published by Charles Cawley and the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG) 2006-2021, including source citations and relevant texts; hosted online by FMG, accessed 2025; see also WikiTree's source page for MedLands) ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Wikipedia (en) – Lambert I, Count of Louvain ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lot, Ferdinand Victor Henri, "Les Derniers Carolingiens, Lothaire Louis V - Charles de Lorraine (954-991)", Paris: Emile Bouillon,1891. Available via Internet Archive: Cf. p. 287 See also: Bouchard, Constance Brittain (2001). "Those of My Blood: Creating Noble Families in Medieval Francia." University of Pennsylvania Press. Cf. fig. 6.1, cited in Wikipedia Wikipedia (en) – Gerberga of Lower Lorraine Tanner, Heather J. (1992). Chibnall, Marjorie (ed.). "The Expansion of the Power and Influence of the Counts of Boulogne under Eustace II". Anglo-Norman Studies - XIV.Proceeding of the Battle Conference 1991. The Boydell Press. pp. 251-286, cf. p. 255, cited in Wikipedia Wikipedia (en) – Gerberga of Lower Lorraine Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser, 1961, cited by Genealogics Die Nachkommen Karls des Grossen, 1995, Neustadt an der Aisch , Brandenburg, Erich. 93 cited by Genealogics
Person ID	I58940	Freeman-Smith
Last Modified	27 Jan 2026

Father	CAROLINGIAN Charles, b. 0953, France d. 21 May 0992, Orléans, France (Age ~ 38 years)
Relationship	natural
Mother	VERMANDOIS Adelais, b. Abt 0954, France d. Aft 0991, Orleans, France (Age > 38 years)
Relationship	natural
Marriage	0970
Family ID	F26220	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family REGINAR Lambert, b. Abt 0950, Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire d. 12 Sep 1015, Florennes, Comté de Namur, Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire (Age 65 years)

Marriage 0995 Lower Lotharingia (Lorraine), Holy Roman Empire

Children

	1. LOUVAIN Lambert, b. Abt 0998, Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire d. Abt 19 Jun 1054, Tournai, Comté de Hainaut, Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire (Age 56 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	2. LOUVAIN Mathilde, b. Abt 1006, Louvain, Brabant, Belgium d. Abt 1050, Boulogne, France (Age 44 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]

Family ID F26219 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 27 Jan 2026