 Abt 0850 - Bef 0916 (< 66 years)
-
| Name |
REGINAR Reginar |
| Birth |
Abt 0850 |
Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
Bef 15 Jan 0916 |
Meerssen, Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire |
| Notes |
- Reginar I, Comte de Hainaut is often considered to have been a son of Giselbert, Graaf van Maasgau, however his parentage has not yet been confirmed by primary sources. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Nobility of Lotharingia
Territories (Medieval and Modern)
Europe after the Treaty of Prüm 855
The medieval land of Lotharingia included the territory from the North Sea to Burgundy that now comprises the Benelux countries: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg - as well as the eastern portion of France that arose from the Duchy of Lorraine, and the Rhineland of Germany.
Lotharingia arose as the northern half of Middle Francia, originally granted to Charlemagne's grandson Lothair upon division of the Carolingian Empire by the Treaty of Verdun in 843. Before Lothar's death, he divided Middle Francia among his three sons by the Treaty of Prüm in 855: granting Italy and the imperial title to eldest son Louis; Provence and Lower Burgundy to youngest son Charles; and the northern territories, which became known as Lotharingia, to his middle son Lothair II.
Note: only well after Reginar's time, in 959, was Lotharingia partitioned into Lower Lotharingia (the lower Northern region that today comprises the Benelux countries) and Upper Lotharingia (the higher more Southern region that developed into the Duchy of Lorraine).
Languages and Names
Latin was the principal written language in Lotharingia and in adjacent lands. The Franks who were migrating to the west, including in particular the nobility. increasingly adopted spoken ("vulgar" or popular) versions of Latin that would become Lorrain roman, Walloon and Old French (all of which introduced Germanic words into the Latin) - while the Eastern Franks generally continued to speak more purely Germanic tongues (although these also introduced words of Latin origin) - which in Lotharingia would develop into Dutch, Flemish and Luxembourgish.
The resulting countries such as Belgium continue to reflect both French and 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). [6] Among French speakers, the Old French terms Loherigne and Loherainc were increasingly used for the territories and people - which later developed into the word and regional name of Lorraine in French.
Reginar Dynastic Founder
Reginar I, Comte de Hainaut was the founder of the Lotharingian noble family referred to as the “Reginars” or “Régniers” that became associated with the Houses of Brabant, Hainaut and Louvain / Leuven. The dynastic family name 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 Reginar I and with the succeeding Counts of Hainaut from 915-1039 (Reginar II through Reginar V). [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [7]
The nickname "Langhals" (Longneck) has been applied to Rehinar I although there are some indications that it may actually have been associated with his grandson. [3]
Titles
The date of Reginar being installed as the Comte de Hainaut is not certain but is considered to have been in the late 9th century: [1]
"Ragenarius comes…et coniuge mea Hersenda" confirmed the donation of revenue from "Sathanacense atque Mousense" to Saint-Dagobert de Stenay made by "Carolus…Augustus Imperiali" by charter dated to after 886.
Reginar was noted as having served as a lay abbot of Echternach from 897, St Servatius at Maastricht before May 898, and of Stablo and Malmédy 900-902. [1]
Records of 898 through 911 reflect Reginar's titile as count, and in one case is referenced as being a duke. [1]
Regino records that in 898 Zwentibold King of Lotharingia banished "Reginarium ducem…sibi fidissimum et unicum consiliarium" who went with "Odacro comite et quibusdam aliis, cum mulieribus et parvulis" to "Durfos" (near "Mosa fluvius") where they were besieged. The passage appears to be the only indication that Reginar was granted the title duke. Reginar was presumably rehabilitated after King Zweintibold was murdered, as shown by the following charter. Ludwig IV "das Kind" King of Germany confirmed an exchange of property between Kloster Stablo and "Reginarius comes" by charter dated 10 Sep 902. King Ludwig IV also confirmed an exchange of property involving "Reganarius comes" by charter dated 20 Oct 906, and a donation of property "…in pago ac in comitatu Hainuense" to the church of Tongern at the request of "Kepehardus et Reginharius comites" by charter dated 18 Jan 908. "Raginarius comes" and the abbot of Stavelot granted property "in pago Hasbanio in locis Honavi, Versines et Serangio" to "quidam fidelium nostrorum Harduinus" by charter dated 911, signed by "Ragenarii comitis, Issaac comitis, Macineri comitis…"
Reginar was installed as marchio by Charles III "le Simple" King of the West Franks in 915. [1]
Reginar is sometimes referrred to as Duke of Lotharingia (fr: Lotharingie, later French Lorraine) - but this would have been before Lotharingia was partitioned into Lower and Upper duchies (in 959), and it not clear that he was ever duke of the earlier (combined) territory, although he apparently had an elevated status among the nobility. [3]
In a charter of king Charles "the Simple" in the period 908×915, he appears as "comes et demarcus" alongside duke Robert (later king Robert I) ["... comes Reynerus et demarcus et Rotbertus comes et demarcus ..." Wampach (1935), 165-6 (#144); see the page of Wigeric for a full transcript]. In another charter of Charles, on 25 August 915, he appears alongside Robert as "marchio" ["Raginerus Marchio strenuus" RHF 9: 523]. These titles of missus dominicus, demarcus, and marchio suggest that Regnier had some sort of special status in Lorraine between 910 and 915, but they do not prove that he was duke of Lorraine [see Parisot (1898), 563, 601-3].
Reginar has also sometimes been referred to as the Comte de Mons, although this appears to be inaccurate. [1]
Marriages and Family
Reginar was reportedly first married to a woman named Hersenda, whose family name and origin remain unknown. He was married to a woman named Alberada, whose parentage is uncertain, but with whom he had children: [1] [2] [3] [8]
Giselbert, who became the Duke of Lower Lotharingia
Reginar, who succeeded his father to become Reginar II, Comte de Hainut
a daughter (potentially named "Ada"), who married Berengar I Comte de Namur
Death
Reginar died sometime after 25 Aug 915 (when he was mentioned in a document) and before 19 Jan 916, when his sons appeared at the imperial convocation held at Herstal. [1] [2] [7]
Sources
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Comtes de Hainaut (Reginar) 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 2.2 2.3 Graven van Maasgau (Masau) 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)
↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Baldwin, Stewart et al. The Henry Project: The ancestors of king Henry II of England, cf. The Henry Project - Regnier I (Reginar), hosted by the American Society of Genealogists (ASG) 2020, including source citations and relevant texts, accessed Sep 2025 (see also WikiTree's source page for Pre-1500 Resource Page)
↑ 4.0 4.1 Wikipedia (en) - Reginar Longneck
↑ 5.0 5.1 Wikipedia (en) – Reginarids (Houses of Brabant, Hainaut and Louvain
↑ Wikipédia (fr) - Basse-Lotharingie
↑ 7.0 7.1 Rubincam, Milton. The House of Brabant, Ancestry of Philippa of Hainault, Wife of Edward III, The American Genealogist, (1949) Vol. 25, pp. 224-25
↑ Baldwin, Stewart et al. The Henry Project: The ancestors of king Henry II of England, cf. The Henry Project - Giselbert, hosted by the American Society of Genealogists (ASG) 2020, including source citations and relevant texts, accessed Sep 2025 (see also WikiTree's source page for Pre-1500 Resource Page)
|
| Person ID |
I58403 |
Freeman-Smith |
| Last Modified |
27 Jan 2026 |
| Family |
UNKNOWN Alberada, b. Abt 0860, Lotharingia d. Abt 0916, Lotharingia (Age 56 years) |
| Marriage |
0900 |
| Children |
| | 1. REGINAR Giselbert, b. Abt 0885, Reims, Kingdom of the West Franks d. 07 Oct 0939, Andernach, Kingdom of the East Franks (Age 54 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 2. REGINAR Reginar, b. Abt 0890, Lotharingia d. Abt 0939, Mons, Hainaut (Age 49 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 3. REGINAR Ada, b. Aft 0890, Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire d. Abt 0933, Lotharingia, Holy Roman Empire (Age < 41 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
|
| Family ID |
F26041 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
27 Jan 2026 |
|
|
