Year 741 (DCCXLI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 741 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.
Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks.
Ansegisel was the younger son of Saint Arnulf, bishop of Metz.
Theuderic III was the king of Neustria on two occasions and king of Austrasia from 679 to his death in 691. Thus, he was the king of all the Franks from 679. The son of Clovis II and Balthild, he has been described as a puppet – a roi fainéant – of Ebroin, the Mayor of the Palace, who may have even appointed him without the support of the nobles.
Childebert III the Adopted was a Frankish king.
Charibert, Count of Laon, was the maternal grandfather of Charlemagne. He was the father of Charles's mother, Bertrada of Laon.
Hugobert was a seneschal and a count of the palace at the Merovingian court during the reigns of Theuderic III and Childebert III. He was a grandson of the dux Theotar, and it is assumed, but not proven, that his father was Chugus, who in 617 became mayor of the palace of Austrasia. The juxtaposition of names in the Vita Landiberto episcopi Traiectensis may imply a relationship between him and the family of Saint Lambert.
Bertrada, also called Berthe or Bertree, is known to be the mother of Charibert of Laon, with whom she is co-founder and benefactor of the Prüm Abbey. They founded the abbey in 721.
The Rorgonids were a powerful Frankish family dating from the eighth century. They are sometimes referred to as the first Mayennaise dynasty, referring to the city of Mayenne, and are the original counts of Maine. The Rorgonids were named after Rorgon I, Count of Maine, who was the progenitor of the dynasty. His son, Gauzfrid, Count of Maine, was the first to hold power in the Norman March of Neustria. The Rorgonids controlled the County of Maine throughout the ninth century. The Rorgonids and the Widonids competed for control of the Breton March through much of that time.
The Robertians are the proposed Frankish family which was ancestral to the Capetian dynasty, and thus to the royal families of France and of many other countries. The Capetians appear first in the records as powerful nobles serving under the Carolingian dynasty in West Francia, which later became France. As their power increased, they came into conflict with the older royal family and attained the crown several times before the eventual start of the continuous rule of the descendants of Hugh Capet.
Robert II was a Frankish nobleman who was count of Worms and of Rheingau and count of Hesbaye around the year 800. He is the earliest-known male-line ancestor of the French royal family called the Capetians, and of other royal families which ruled in Portugal, Spain, Luxembourg, Parma, Brazil and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
Charivius was the Frankish Duke of Maine in the early eighth century. His father was Chrotgar, Duke of Maine, son or grandson of Chrodbert, count Palatine of Chlothar III, and so brother of Lambert, Count of Hesbaye. In 723 he seized the revenues of the Diocese of Le Mans. On the death of the bishop Herlemund he took control of the see and its monasteries and appointed his illiterate son Gauciolenus bishop. Though the date of Charivius' death is unknown, his son retained control of the diocese and the region as bishop until 771. Charivius is postulated by Settipani to be an ancestor of the Rorgonids.
Robert I, Rupert,, Count of Hesbaye and Duke of Neustria, son of Lambert. He was Count palatine under Childeric III.
LambertII, was possibly a Count of Haspengau (Hesbaye), generally referred to without the number modifier. The identity of his father remains uncertain, but the prevailing theories identify Lambert as either the son or paternal grandson of Robert II, Lord Chancellor of Francia. An alternative theory would make him son of Warnius and Gunza, although this is not likely.
Rotrude (Chrodtrudis) was the first wife of Charles Martel, Mayor of the Palace and de facto ruler of Francia from 718 to 741. She was the mother of Pepin the Short, King of the Franks, and therefore the grandmother of Charlemagne. Rotrude is believed to be the daughter of Lambert, Count of Hesbaye, although this designation is not without controversy, as discussed below. She is also referred to as Rotrude of Treves.
Chrodebert I , Merovingian refendary and Bishop of Tours, son of Charibert de Haspengau and his wife Wulfgurd. Robert and his brothers Erlebert and Aldebert were the ancestors of the Robertians.
Saint Lambertus , (625-688), Abbot of Abbey of Fontenelle and Bishop of Lyon (678-688). His feast day is celebrated on 14 April. He was son of Erlebert and so nephew of Robert I, Bishop of Tours. He was born in Quernes where his father was seigneur.
Charibert de Haspengau was a Frankish nobleman, possibly a count. Son of Charibert I, Charibert is described as Charibert nobilis in Neustria. No other information is available other than descriptions of his grandchildren, who are described as having "high rank and worthy of significant positions" within the palace.
Lambert Ι, was a Neustrian nobleman who was son of Robert I, Bishop of Tours. Lambert is identified as a noblilis in Neustria, son of Chrodbert I and father of Chrodbert II in Europäische Stammtafeln, and as such, is a direct ancestor of the Robertians. Brother to Angadrisma, he is sometimes confused with their cousin and her mentor Lambert.
The royal household of the early kings of the Franks is the subject of considerable discussion and remains controversial. This discussion is aimed at identifying the major categories of participants in the administration and those who made the major historical impacts. Every king of the Franks from Clovis I to Charles the Bald had a large cadre of advisors and bureaucrats that helped implement their regime. These supporters of the crown are frequently unknown, but often are ancestors of the later rulers of France. This is not intended to be a complete list of those supporting the kings but to serve as a guide for further study. A general discussion of the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties can be found in the associated main articles. See also Government of the Carolingian Empire.
