Dreux of Mantes, "de prosapia Caroli Magni"

Wednesday, 10 January, 2006

Hello All,

In prior threads discussing the family and ancestry of
Dreux, or Drogo de Mantes (d. 1035), father of Ralph 'the
Timid', Earl of Hereford, it was stated that the parentage of
Dreux's great-grandfather Raoul [I] was unknown. It was
previously understood that his grandmother was 'Heilwig'
[or similar], daughter of Eberhard of Friuli, and thereby that
Raoul and those following were of Carolingian descent.

While my own database currently ends with Raoul [I]'s son
Gautier, or Walter [cf. Europäische Stammtafeln, Tafel III:657],
I noted today a statement by Ordericus Vitalis who wrote in
part,

" Drogo, it was said, was of the stock of Charlemagne,
King of the Franks,... " [1]

I would be interested to hear if there is any further
evidence to hand that correctly describes the descent of this
family from the Carolingians. Ralph 'the Timid', Earl of
Hereford, is the ancestor of the Lords Tregoz [of Ewyas
Harold], and Drogo's brother Raoul 'II' was the
great-grandfather of Adela of Vermandois, wife of Hugh 'Magnus'
Count of Vermandois (d. 1101): the descendants of the latter
are far too numerous to mention, royal and otherwise.

Cheers,

John *

NOTES

[1] Round, Studies in Peerage and Family History (1901),
p. 149. The complete abstract from Orderic reads as
follows, concerning Walter, Drogo's son:

' Walterius Pontesiensium comes, filius Drogonis comitis,
qui cum Rodberto seniore Normannorum duce in Jerusalem ierat
et in illo itinere peregrinus obierat. Drogo, ut dicitur,
erat de prosapia Caroli Magni regis Francorum, eique
sepedictus dux Rodbertus in conjugium dederat consobrinam
suam, Godivam, sororem Edwardi regis Anglorum, ex qua orti
sunt Radulfus et Gauterius Comites et venerandus Fulco
praesul Ambianensium. '

* John P. Ravilious