Lambert (nobleman of the Maasgau)

Lambert (10th century), was a Lotharingian nobleman with lands somewhere near modern Dutch Limburg, and associated with the Gembloux Abbey in French-speaking Belgium. Its founder Wicbert was probably a close relative. Lambert is known from one record, known from two versions, one made much later in the 16th century, which has however been the subject of much published discussion.

Interpretations of the evidence

Over the centuries, this Lambert has been claimed as a Count of Louvain, and an "Advocate" (Latin advocatus) of the Abbey. A number of historical records imply that the family group which he and Wicbert seem to be a part of were related to the Ottonian dysnasty, Robert, Archbishop of Trier, and possibly the House of Reginar.

The record which has survived says that one of the early possessions of the Abbey was half of the church at a place called Wiettine or Biettine in the Maasland district.[1] Erluin, the first abbot of Gembloux, wanted sent the founder Wicbert himself (who probably had originally owned and granted the first half to the Abbey). The negotiation succeeded, possession was handed over to the advocatus of the Abbey, and this was observed by a son named Ansfried.

The oldest version is that found in the Gesta abbatum Gemblacensium, by Sigebert of Gembloux. Aubert Miraeus published the early modern version of this text which appears to have clarified, and maybe modified, the meaning, so that Ansfried is definitely the son of Lambert, not Wicbert. His source was a different old document, the Catalogus Abbatum Gembalcensium, which is today lost. T.hat Lambert was count of Louvain is a statement Miraeus does not explain, and which does not appear in any of the citations he makes from old sources, so it is possibly he is own conclusion.

Ansfried is normally understood to be either Ansfried III, Bishop of Utrecht, who would have been quite young at this time, or his uncle, with the same name, a count with 15 counties, who is normally understood to have been advocatus of Gembloux at around about this time.

The name of Lambert as a Count of Louvain, is known from later generations, but in this period historians are suspicious that the document has been falsified or modified. It is not even clear if there was a county of this name. Count Lambert I of Louvain and his brother Reginar IV had apparently been in exile and they only returned to Lotharingia in 973 to re-take possession of some of the places their family had once held.

On the other hand, the version of Miraeus has generally been accepted concerning the fact that his text makes Ansfried the son of Lambert instead of Ansfried. More recently Jongbloed (2009) has controversially proposed that Ansfried can confidently be described as the son of Wicbert, though authors such as Karsten and Aarts think that the reading of Miraeus might still be justifiable if the text of the Gesta itself already contained an error. The reason for proposing that a faulty text is likely, is to explain what the role of Ansfried was as an observer. Typically in medieval contracts, heirs appear as witnesses, when a family is giving away something they might otherwise have inherited, in order to avoid future disputes. In this case, the man selling was clearly Lambert.

Miraeus claimed directly that Lambert was the son of Ragineri I et Alberadæ, frater Ragineri II Longicolli, Hannoniæ comitis [son of Raginer I and Alberade, and brother of Reginar II, Count of Hainaut Longneck] although there are no primary sources to support this statement. In his influential work of 1902, Vanderkindere made a proposal for a more believable connection with the history of Louvain. Under this proposal, Lambert married an unattested daughter of Ricfried, Count of Betuwe, and they were the parents of the younger Ansfried, the witness (who was however too young to be advocatus), who would later become Bishop of Utrecht. This proposal, though widespread, is no longer accepted among historians.

Thietmar refers to the "paternal uncle [of Count Ansfrid, possibly Lambert’s son], Robert, Archbishop of Trier”, implying a sibling relationship between Lambert and Robert, if Lambert (not Wicbert) was Bishop Ansfrid's father, and not the elder Ansfried's.

Notes
  1. It is called Biettine in a falsified 946 document. Diplomata Otto I, MGH DD OI no:82 p.161 year 946

Sources
  • Aarts, Bas (1994) "Ansfried, graaf en bisschop. Een stand van zaken", in: J. Coolen en J. Forschelen (ed.), Opera Omnia II. Een verzameling geschied- en heemkundige opstellen , 7-85
  • Aarts, Bas (2009) "Montferland' en de consequenties. De vroege burchten bij Alpertus van Metz", H.L. Janssen en W. Landewé (ed.), Middeleeuwse Kastelen in veelvoud. Nieuwe Studies over oud erfgoed (Wetenschappelijke Reeks Nederlandse Kastelenstichting 2) pp.13-59. link
  • Aarts, Bas (2016) "Het 'eeuwige Strijen'. Speurtocht naar de gravin, haar schenking en haar familie" in Van den Eynde & Toorians (eds) Op zand, veen en klei: Liber amicorum Karel Leenders bij gelegenheid van zijn zeventigste verjaardag, Hilversum, Verloren
  • Baerten (1961) "Les Ansfrid au Xe siècle" Revue belge de Philologie et d'Histoire 39-4 pp. 1144-1158
  • Jongbloed, Hein H.. (2009) "Listige Immo en Herswind. Een politieke wildebras in het Maasdal (938-960) en zijn in Thorn rustende dochter", Jaarboek. Limburgs Geschied- en Oudheidkundig Genootschap vol. 145 (2009) pp. 9-67
  • Karsten, (2016) Zwischen Glaube und Welt pp.31-36
  • Vanderkindere, Léon, La Formation territoriale des principautés belges au Moyen Âge, Bruxelles, H. Lamertin, 1902
  • van Winter, (1981) Ansfried en Dirk, twee namen uit de Nederlandse geschiedenis van de 10e en 11e eeuw link
  • Warner, David A., Ottonian Germany. The Chronicon of Thietmar of Merseburg. Manchester, 2001.
  • Weigle, Fritz, Balderich , Neue Deutsche Biographie, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 1953

Primary sources
  • Gesta abbatum Gemblacensium can be found in MGH SS VIII p.528
  • Miraeus (Foppens ed.) Opera diplomatica et historica, Vol. I, 2nd ed. p.41
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Medieval Lands Project, Holland & Frisia, Graven van Betuwe (self published)

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