REGINAR Lambert

Abt 0950 - 1015  (65 years)

• Name	REGINAR Lambert
  Birth	Abt 0950	Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire
  Gender	Male
  Death	12 Sep 1015	Florennes, Comté de Namur, Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire
  Notes	Lambert I "dit le Barbu / the Bearded," Comte de Louvain / Graaf van Leuven was a member of the Lotharingian noble family known as the “Reginars” or “Régniers” that was associated with the Houses of Brabant, Hainaut and Louvain / Leuven (see notes below). Lambert was the son of Rainier Reginar, Régnier III, Comte de Hainaut / Graaf van Henegouwen and his wife Adela. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Lotharingia and place names Lower (northern) Lotharingia (fl/nl: Neder-Lotharingen, fr: Basse-Lorraine, de: Niederlothringen) comprised almost all of the territory of the modern-day Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) as well as the northeastern portion of France and the lower 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. Belgium continues to reflect both French and Dutch/Germanic influences, concentrated in Wallonia and Flanders, respectively - and Belgian place names generally have counterparts in both languages, e.g. Bruxelles et Louvain (fr), Brussel en Leuven (fl/nl). [8] Dynastic family name The name associated with this family (which in Latin was typically written as Raginerus, Ragenerus or Rainerus) is generally translated in Dutch/Flemish as Reginar or Reinier, French as Renier or Régnier, German as Reginhar and English as Reginar. The name has been associated with the Duke of Lorraine from 910 (Reginar I) and with the succeeding Counts of Hainaut from 915-1039 (Reginar II through Reginar V). [2] Early Years in Exile and Return to Lotharingia Lambert's father Rainier Reginar III helped the French in an attempt to take over Lotharingia, which had earlier been governed by his uncle - for which he was exiled from the Holy Roman Empire in about 958 (when Lambert and his brother Reginar (later de Hainaut) were still young). Shortly after their father died in exile in Bohemia in 973, the brothers returned to Lotharingia in an attempt to reclaim the Comté de Hainaut / Graaf van Henegouwen, which had belonged to their father. [5] The Annales Leodienses, Floressienses et Marchianenses record that "Raginerus et Lantbertus" (sons of Reginar [III] Comte de Hainaut) returned from exile in 973 and killed "Guarnero et Rainaldo", who occupied their father's county, "apud Perronam" and besieged "super Hagnam fluvium castello Buxude. Emperor Otto II ordered their exile again. Sigebert's Chronica records that in 977 "filii Ragineri" were "in terra partum suorum relocati", which presumably marked the beginning of their rehabilitation. [1] 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. [1] [5] Marriage and Family By about 995 (991-1000), Lambert had married Gerberge (Gerberga) de Lorraine - who was the daughter of Charles Duke of Lotharingia and his wife Adelais de Troyes, and whose dowry was Brabant (including Louvain and Brussels). [1] [5] [9] Lambert and Gerberga had at least three children together: [1] [5] [9] Henri, who succeeded his father in 1015 as Henri I, Comte de Louvain / Graaf van Leuven Lambert, who succeeded his elder brother in 1038 as Lambert II, Comte de Louvain / Graaf van Leuven Mathilde Another son has been proposed by historians based on their descendants but is considered uncertain: [5] Reinier / Reginar Accession Lambert called "le Barbu" ("the Bearded") became the first named Comte de Louvain / Graaf van Leuven in 1003 - and through his wife also inherited Brussels. [1] [5] He established himeself as LAMBERT "le Barbu" Comte de Louvain. He is named "comite Lovaniæ Lantberto" in a charter dated 1003. The Annales Colonienses specify that "Lambertus comes" returned to favour with Heinrich II King of Germany in 1007. 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. [1] Death and Succession Lambert was killed in battle at Florennes in the county of Namur on 12 Sep 1015 - was succeeded by his eldest son Henri, who became Henri I, Comte de Louvain. [1] [5] [6] Henri and his mother are reflected in a subsequent memorial donation at Gembloux Abbey in the County of Namur: 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" [1] Sources ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 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) ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wikipedia (en) – Reginarids (Houses of Brabant, Hainaut and Louvain ↑ Wikipedia (en) – Reginar III, Count of Hainaut ↑ Wikipédia (fr) – Régnier de Hainaut ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Wikipedia (en) – Lambert I, Count of Louvain ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wikipédia (fr) – Lambert I de Louvain ↑ Anderson, James, "A Genealogical History of the House of Yvery; In its Different Branches of Yvery, Luvel, Perceval, and Gournay", London: private, 1742, Vol. II, available online via Google Books, p. 63 ↑ [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basse-Lotharingie Wikipédia (fr) - Basse-Lotharingie} ↑ 9.0 9.1 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: Wauters, Alphonse, « Lambert Ier », Académie royale de Belgique, Biographie nationale, vol. 11, Bruxelles, 1891; p. 138-142 Kupper, Jean-Louis, « Annexe II. Les Régnier et les Balderic », p. 509 in Liège et l’Église impériale aux XIe-XIIe siècles, by Presses universitaires de Liège, 1981. ISBN: 9782821828681. Digital version vailable online via OpenEdition Books: Les Régnier et les Balderic Geni – Lambert I, count of Louvain Find A Grave - Lambert “the Bearded” of Louvain (Grave ID 148161210) reports burial at the Collegiate Church of St. Gertrude in Nivelles. Note: this secondary reference in unsourced, and the Collegiate Church of St. Gertrude was not completed until 1049. However, the associated Abbey of Nivelles is from the 7th century, and various family members - including Lambert's son and others - were buried at Nivelles.
  Person ID	I58941	Freeman-Smith
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026

  
  

  Father	REGINAR Rainier,   b. Abt 0920, Belgium d. Bef 0973 (Age < 52 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	UNKNOWN Adela,   b. 0929   d. 0961, Brabant, Brabant, Belgium (Age ~ 32 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	0949	Brabant, Brabant, Belgium
  Family ID	F26221	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	LOTHARINGIA Gerberga,   b. Abt 0975, Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire d. Aft 1018, Nivelles, Brabant, Lower Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire (Age > 44 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