The marches of Neustria were creations of the Carolingian

Carolingian

The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...

 king of West Francia covering the ancient Merovingian kingdom of Neustria

Neustria

The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...

. Originally, there were two marches, one against the Bretons

Breton people

The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...

 and one against the Norsemen

Norsemen

Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...

 created by Charles the Bald

Charles the Bald

Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...

 in 861

861

Year 861 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Carloman revolts against his father Louis the German.* Michael III and Bardas invade Bulgaria....

. These two marches are often called the Breton March and Norman March respectively. They were ruled by officials appointed by the crown, known as warden

Warden

Warden may refer to:Officers: having care or custody of some institution; the word is related to guardian.* Warden , head of some University colleges and academic institutions...

s or margrave

Margrave

A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...

s (or "marquis" in French).

Breton march

There was a Breton march created under the Merovingians in the late seventh or early eighth century. It was centred on Le Mans

Le Mans

Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...

 and eventually went by the name of ducatus Cenomannicus or Duchy of Maine. The exact extent of this duchy is unknown and it cannot be identified with either the later Breton or Norman march. One of the most famous margraves was Roland

Roland

Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. Historically, Roland was military governor of the Breton March, with responsibility for defending the frontier of Francia against the Bretons...

, who died at the Battle of Roncesvalles in 778

778

Year 778 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 778 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* August 15 – Battle of Roncevaux Pass...

 and gave rise to a famous series of legends as exemplified in the eponymous Chanson de Roland.

The Carolingian recreation of a march against the Bretons was conferred first on Robert the Strong

Robert the Strong

Robert IV the Strong , also known as Rutpert, was Margrave in Neustria. His family is named after him and called Robertians. He was first nominated by Charles the Bald missus dominicus in 853. Robert was the father of the kings Odo and Robert I of France. Robert was the great-grandfather of Hugh...

 in 861. Robert was killed fighting the Vikings in 866

866

Year 866 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Fujiwara no Yoshifusa becomes regent of Japan, starting the Fujiwara regentship.- Europe :...

, revealing how the boundaries of the marches did not affect the raiders with which the marcher margraves had to deal nor prevent the two margraves from cooperating in each other's territories against the common enemies of the Franks. Robert was succeeded by Hugh the Abbot

Hugh the Abbot

Hugh the Abbot was a member of the Welf family, a son of Conrad I of Auxerre and Adelaide. After his father's death, his mother apparently married Robert the Strong, the margrave of Neustria. On Robert's death in 866, Hugh became the regent and guardian for Robert's sons, Odo and Robert.Hugh...

.

Norman march

The first margrave against the Vikings was Adalard the Seneschal

Adalard the Seneschal

Adalard, also known as Adalhard or Alard, and called the Seneschal, was a Frankish nobleman of the ninth century. He served as warden of the Norman march from 861 to 865....

. His march extended over the county of Le Mans and he was immediately opposed by the Rorgonids

Rorgonids

The Rorgonids were the first Mayennaise dynasty. Gosfrid of Maine was the first to hold power in the Norman March of Neustria....

, who controlled the city. They intrigued against him and his relatives, also powerful nobles

Nobility

Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...

 in the region, until Charles revoked his grants to them and placed the Rorgonids at the head of the march, where they remained until 885

885

Year 885 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The Vikings besiege Paris.* Godfrith, the Sea King is killed in Lobith...

. In that year, Charles the Fat

Charles the Fat

Charles the Fat was the King of Alemannia from 876, King of Italy from 879, western Emperor from 881, King of East Francia from 882, and King of West Francia from 884. In 887, he was deposed in East Francia, Lotharingia, and possibly Italy, where the records are not clear...

 succeeded to power in West Francia and named Henry of Franconia

Henry of Franconia

Henry , a son of Count Poppo of Grapfeld, one of the first Babenbergs, was the most important East Frankish general during the reign of Charles the Fat. He was variously titled Count or Margrave of Saxony and Duke of Franconia....

 margrave.

United marches

In 886

886

Year 886 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :...

, both Hugh of the Breton march and Henry died. Charles replaced them with Odo and Berengar II

Berengar II of Neustria

Berengar II was the Count of Bayeux and Rennes and Margrave of the Breton March from 886 until his death a decade later.Berengar's kin became the first Gallo-speaking lords holding residence within Brittany , as a consequence of the Breton nobility being more or less broken under the Norman...

 respectively. Finally, in 911

911

Year 911 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* Rebellion of the Kutama Berbers against the Fatimid Caliphate...

, Robert II

Robert I of France

Robert I , King of Western Francia , was the younger son of Robert the Strong, count of Anjou, and the brother of Odo, who became king of the Western Franks in 888. West Francia evolved over time into France; under Odo, the capital was fixed on Paris, a large step in that direction...

, the Breton margrave, was granted the Norman march and the two entities became permanently united. Robert took the title of demarchus. In that same year, Charles the Simple

Charles the Simple

Charles III , called the Simple or the Straightforward , was the undisputed King of France from 898 until 922 and the King of Lotharingia from 911 until 919/23...

, by the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, granted the Viking leader Rollo

Rollo

Rollo has multiple meanings. It may mean:a first name*Rollo Armstrong, member of British dance act Faithless* Rollo May, American psychologist...

 the county of Rouen

Rouen

Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...

, the basis of the future Duchy of Normandy

Duchy of Normandy

The Duchy of Normandy stems from various Danish, Norwegian, Hiberno-Norse, Orkney Viking and Anglo-Danish invasions of France in the 9th century...

. Rollo later also took the title demarchus.

The Normans

Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 gradually expanded their territory and incorporated much of Neustria into it. When the margrave of Neustria became king in 987

987

Year 987 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* The Zirids fail to reconquer the western part of the Maghrib which they have recently lost to the Umayyads....

, the history of the march ended, to be replaced by the history of the various comital fiefs which were to rise in power within it.

List of margraves

Norman march 861 – 865 Adalard the Seneschal Adalard the Seneschal Adalard, also known as Adalhard or Alard, and called the Seneschal, was a Frankish nobleman of the ninth century. He served as warden of the Norman march from 861 to 865.... 861 – 865 Udo Udo of Neustria Udo was a 9th-century nobleman of East Francia, a son of Gebhard, Count of Lahngau, and older brother of Berengar I of Neustria. He and his brother were afforded their position in the March of Neustria both by kinship to Adalard the Seneschal and the favour of Charles the Bald.With his brothers,... 861 – 865 Berengar I Berengar I of Neustria Berengar I was a 9th-century nobleman of East Francia, a son of Gebhard, Count of Lahngau, and younger brother of Udo. He and his brother were created Margraves of Neustria by Charles the Bald in 861....		Breton march 861 – 866 Robert I Robert the Strong Robert IV the Strong , also known as Rutpert, was Margrave in Neustria. His family is named after him and called Robertians. He was first nominated by Charles the Bald missus dominicus in 853. Robert was the father of the kings Odo and Robert I of France. Robert was the great-grandfather of Hugh...
865 – 878 Gosfrid 878 – 885 Ragenold Ragenold of Neustria Ragenold was the Count of Herbauges from 852 and Count of Maine and Margrave of Neustria from 878... 884 – 886 Henry of Franconia Henry of Franconia Henry , a son of Count Poppo of Grapfeld, one of the first Babenbergs, was the most important East Frankish general during the reign of Charles the Fat. He was variously titled Count or Margrave of Saxony and Duke of Franconia....		866 – 886 Hugh the Abbot Hugh the Abbot Hugh the Abbot was a member of the Welf family, a son of Conrad I of Auxerre and Adelaide. After his father's death, his mother apparently married Robert the Strong, the margrave of Neustria. On Robert's death in 866, Hugh became the regent and guardian for Robert's sons, Odo and Robert.Hugh...
886 – 896 Berengar II Berengar II of Neustria Berengar II was the Count of Bayeux and Rennes and Margrave of the Breton March from 886 until his death a decade later.Berengar's kin became the first Gallo-speaking lords holding residence within Brittany , as a consequence of the Breton nobility being more or less broken under the Norman... 896 – 911 unknown		886 – 888 Odo 888 – 911 Robert Robert I of France Robert I , King of Western Francia , was the younger son of Robert the Strong, count of Anjou, and the brother of Odo, who became king of the Western Franks in 888. West Francia evolved over time into France; under Odo, the capital was fixed on Paris, a large step in that direction... , united marches
United march 911 – 922 Robert Robert I of France Robert I , King of Western Francia , was the younger son of Robert the Strong, count of Anjou, and the brother of Odo, who became king of the Western Franks in 888. West Francia evolved over time into France; under Odo, the capital was fixed on Paris, a large step in that direction... 922 – 956 Hugh the Great Hugh the Great Hugh the Great or Hugues le Grand was duke of the Franks and count of Paris, son of King Robert I of France and nephew of King Odo. He was born in Paris, Île-de-France, France. His eldest son was Hugh Capet who became King of France in 987... 956 – 987 Hugh Capet

Sources

• Smith, Julia M. H. Province and Empire: Brittany and the Carolingians. Cambridge University Press: 1992.
• Guillotel, Hubert. "Une autre marche de Neustrie." Onomastique et Parenté dans l'Occident médiéval. Edited Christian Settipani
  Christian Settipani
  Christian Settipani is the Technical Director of an IT company in Paris and a genealogist and historian.He has a Master of Advanced Studies degree from the Paris-Sorbonne University and is currently preparing his doctoral thesis, while he often gives lectures to students undergraduates at the...
  
  and Katharine S. B. Keats-Rohan. 2000.