Gerhard (Lorraine)

Gerhard (* around 1030; † April 14, 1070 in Remiremont ) was Lord of Châtenois and from 1048 Duke of Lorraine . In contemporary sources he is called Gerhard von Alsace and Gerhard von Châtenois (after his property near Neufchâteau ). His parents are Count Gerhard and Gisela, who is sometimes referred to as the daughter of Duke Dietrich I of Upper Lorraine († 1026/27), albeit without evidence .

His brother Adalbert was in 1047 by Emperor Heinrich III. appointed Duke of Lorraine, after this the Duchy of Gottfried III. had decreased. Gottfried did not accept the decision, rebelled and killed Adalbert. Henry III. passed the duchy on to Adalbert's brother Gerhard. Gottfried continued his fight with the support of the Lorraine nobility, and he soon succeeded in taking Gerhard prisoner. However, Gerhard had the support of Pope Leo IX. (Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg and former Bishop of Toul ), who - while passing through Lorraine - achieved the release of Gerhard in 1049. The more the emperor supported him with soldiers, the stronger Gerhard became until he succeeded in overcoming his opponent. The Lorraine nobility, however, continued their resistance.

Gerhard's rule was thus through his loyalty to Heinrich III. and later Heinrich IV. coined. Through his collaboration with the church, he became Vogt of Moyenmoutier (Central Minster), Saint-Mihiel and Remiremont . He had the Château de Prény built and a town in the center of the duchy in a place called Nancy , which soon became the metropolis of Lorraine.

The children from his marriage to Hedwig, the daughter of Albert II of Namur were:

• Dietrich II , attested in 1065, 1070 Duke of Lorraine, 1114 Margrave, † December 30, 1115; ∞ I 1079 Hedwig von Formbach, daughter of Friedrich von Formbach and Gertrud von Haldensleben , widow of Gebhard von Süpplingenburg , mother of Emperor Lothar III. ; ∞ II 1095 Gertrud von Flanders, † 1115/26, daughter of daughter Robert the Friese , Count of Flanders and Holland , widow of Heinrich III. Count and Vogt of Brabant .
• Gerhard I , 1073 Count of Vaudémont - descendants † 1346
• Gisela, abbess of Remiremont around 1079/1114
• Beatrix, 1102/17 testified; ∞ Stephan I. Tollkopf , Count of Vienne and Mâcon , † 1102 ( House of Burgundy-Ivrea )

He died in Remiremont while he was fighting another revolt of the Lorraine nobility, poisoning is not excluded. He was buried in Remiremont Abbey .

literature

• Hans Jürgen Rieckenberg:  Gerhard. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 6, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1964, ISBN 3-428-00187-7 , p. 268 ( digitized version ).
• Henry Bogdan: La Lorraine des ducs. Sept siècles d'histoire. Perrin, Paris 2005, ISBN 2-262-02113-9 .
• Detlev Schwennicke : European family tables . New series Volume 1, 2: Přemyslids, Ascanians, Dukes of Lorraine, the houses of Hesse, Württemberg and Zähringen. Klostermann, Frankfurt am Main 1999, ISBN 3-465-03020-6 , plate 204.

predecessor	Office	successor
Adalbert	Duke of Lorraine 1048-1070	Dietrich II.