Reginar "Longneck" I Duke Lorraine 850-915

History of the Dukes of Normandy by William of Jumieges. Then the wife¹ of Reginar Longneck, weeping and lamenting over him, gathered her nobles and sent to Rollo, asking that he return her husband in exchange for the twelve captured knights. At once Rollo, having received her request, replied: "Reginar Longneck shall not be returned to you, but will be beheaded, unless you first return my knights. And you must also give me all the gold and silver belonging to his duchy, sworn upon the Christian faith, and likewise the tribute of this region." Immediately the wife of Reginar Longneck, stricken with grief, returned the captured knights to Rollo and gave all the gold and silver she could find. She even added that belonging to the sacred altars and all the taxes of the duchy, swearing that she possessed no more metal nor could collect any more, while simultaneously offering Rollo prayers and words of supplication to restore her husband. Then Rollo, moved by pity and by the repeated prayers of those entreating him, had Reginar Longneck brought before him and spoke to him with peaceful words: "Reginar Longneck, duke and fiercest warrior, born of the proud blood of kings and princes and counts, what wrong had I done you in the past, that you fought with the Walgrenses and Frisians against me? If you would rage now, you lack weapons and followers. If you would flee, bound in chains, you cannot escape. I have repaid you measure for measure, as I did the Frisians, for the harm you did to me without cause. Your wife and your nobles have gathered all the gold and silver they could and sent it to me for your sake. I will return half of that ransom to you, and send you back to your wife. Let there be no discord from now on, but everlasting peace and friendship between us." When he had spoken, the chains were removed from Reginar's legs. Rollo, having made him his ally and enriched him with splendid gifts, and having returned of what he had received, sent Reginar back to his wife.

Tunc uxor Raineri flens et ejulans super eo, convocatis principibus suis misit ad Rollonem, ut pro xII comitibus captis redderet sibi suum seniorem. Illico Rollo, suscepta legatione, remisit ad eam dicens: "Non reddetur Rainerius tibi, sed decollabitur, nisi reddideris prius meos comites; mihi insuper dederis quidquid auri et argenti sui ducaminis, cum juramento Christianæ religionis, quinetiam tributum istius regionis." Mox conjux Rainerii lugubri legatione afflicta, comites captos Rolloni remisit, aurumque et argentum quod usquam invenire potuit. Quin etiam illud quod erat sacris altaribus concessum, pariterque vectigal illius ducaminis, cum jurejurando quod plus metalli non haberet nec exigere posset, supplicibus verbis et deprecativis misit ad Rollonem, ut redderet sibi suum virum. Ipse vero motus pietate, vocibusque suppliciter petentium, ad se fecit venire Longi Colli Rainerium, verbisque pacificis affatur eum: "Rainere dux, milesque asperrime, regumque et ducum atque comitum superbo satus sanguine; quid tibi feceram olim injuriæ, propter quod præliatus es cum Walgris et Frisonibus contra me? Si sævire modo voles, armorum spicula desunt, et satellites. Si velis a nobis fuga labi, compedibus intricatus nunc captus non potes evadere. Talionem, sicut Frisonibus, tibi reddidi pro malis quæ mihi sine re intulisti. Uxor tua et principes tui, quidquid auri et argenti recuperare potuerunt pro te miserunt mihi. Dimidium exaggerati muneris reddam tibi, teque tuæ uxori remittam. Hinc mansuescens requiesce, et nullatenus sit discordia, sed sempiterna inter me et te pax et amicitia." His dictis, Rainerii crura solvuntur compedibus. Statimque Rollo sibi fœderatum, muneribusque et donis præmaximis ditatum, quin etiam reddita medietate legatorum munerum, ad uxorem suam remisit Rainerium.

Note 1. His wife's name was Alberada; nothing more is known of her.

History of the Dukes of Normandy by William of Jumieges. Crossing the sea, he entered the channel of the Scheldt, and ravaging the land on both sides, advanced against Reginar Longneck until he came to a certain abbey called Condé¹. Reginar fought many battles against him, but Rollo emerged victorious and powerful over all of them. The land of both armies suffered greatly from the devastation. A severe famine arose, for the earth was not ploughed. The common folk were afflicted by scarcity, ground down by hunger and war. Life seemed hopeless to all, deprived of sustenance. Then one day, while Reginar lay in ambush, wishing secretly to fall upon the Danes, the Danes surrounded him on every side, overpowered him, and captured him alive, and led him bound to Rollo. But that same day, the men of Reginar, lying in hiding to capture some of the Danes, attacked and seized twelve of Rollo's leading knights, overcoming them by courageous effort.

Pererrato ponto, intrat Scaldi alveum et cis citraque terram depopulans super Longi Colli Rainerium, venit ad quamdam abbatiam dictam nomine Condatum. Rainerius vero multa prælia contra eum fecit, sed ex omnibus Rollo victor potens exstitit. Devastabatur terra utriusque exercitus mala perpessa. Prœvalida fames exoritur, quia terra aratro non scinditur. Vulgus penuria affligitur, fame bellisque atteritur. Diffidunt vivere cuncti, salute victus privati. Quadam igitur die Rainerio loco insidiarum commorante, clam super Dacos cupiente irruere, Daci eum hinc inde congesti vallaverunt, eumque nimium debellantem manciparunt, vinctumque ad Rollonem duxerunt. Ipsa namque die Raineridæ, Dacorum ut caperent aliquos latebris commorantes, invaserunt XII milites præcipuos Rollonis et constanti virtute ceperunt.

Note 1. 'Condé' from Latin 'Condatum' i.e. confluence. The abbey of Notre-Dame de Condé was founded around 630 at the confluence of the Scheldt and the Haine.

History of the Dukes of Normandy by William of Jumieges. But the Walgrenses, thinking that Rollo would remain in Walcheren forever because of the abundant supply of grain, summoned Reginar Longneck¹, Duke of Hesbaye and Hainaut, and Radbold, prince of the region of Frisia, and gathering together an army from the neighbouring regions, they attacked Rollo. He went to war without hesitation many times, and killed many thousands of them, and drove Reginar Longneck and Radbod the Frisian back to their camps. Then he devastated the whole land of Walcheren and burned it with fire. After this he quickly sought out the Frisians, who were indignant at this, and began to ravage their land. Then the Frisians, quickly gathering together a great multitude of peoples, and gathering to themselves a multitude of the common people who dwelt on the border of Frisia¹, advanced rapidly to attack Rollo, who was dwelling by the river Almere and had also assembled his numerous battalions. But Rollo and those with him, seeing themselves threatened by all the horrors of war, fell to their knees, raised their shields, and, trusting in the sacred edge of their gleaming swords, awaited the signal for battle. The Frisians, thinking their numbers small, entered the fight in hope of a quick victory. But the Danes sprang up and charged upon them and cut them down almost to destruction, captured many leaders, and led an innumerable host of captives back to their ships. Thus those Frisians who survived, despairing of their own strength, became tributaries from that time onward, obedient in all things to Rollo's commands. When the tribute of Frisia had been gathered and delivered, he at once hoisted his sails and turned the prows of his ships toward the lands of Reginar Longneck, wishing to take vengeance on him because he had aided the Walgrenses and Frisians when they had already been defeated in battle.

Estimantes autem Walgrenses propter deportati frumenti copiam omni tempore Rollonem Walgris moraturum, convocarunt Rainerium Longi Colli Hasbacensem et Hainaucensem ducem, et Radeboldum Frisiæ regionis principem, et conglobato exercitu aliorum pagorum, invaserunt Rollonem. Qui sic sæpius ad bellum indubitanter perrexit, et multa millia illorum occidit, atque Rainerium Longi Colli et Radebodum Frisonem ad sua castra fugavit. Deinde totam terram Walgrorum devastavit atque incendio cencremavit. Post hinc hujusrei causa indignatos Frisones celeriter expetivit, terramque illorum devastare cœpit. Tunc Frisones multorum congeriem populorum concite coacervantes, sibique multitudinem plebium in confinio Frisiæ commorantium accumulantes, fluvio Almeræ commorantem, agminibus multis præparatis, accelerata incursione conantur invadere Rollonem. Rollo vero et qui cum eo erant, genu flexo armorumque ingruente horrore, scutorum tegmine cooperti, strictæque aciei mucronibus coruscis complicati, expectabant initium certaminis. Frisones ergo parvissimam esse putantes multitudinem illorum, inierunt bellum sibi non profuturum. Daci vero exsihentes et in illos irruentes, usque ad internecionem prostraverunt, pluresque principes ceperunt, innumerabilemque manum ad naves duxerunt. Frisones igitur residui diffidentes sui, exhinc tributarii effecti sunt, Rollonis præceptis per omnia obedientes. Congesto et exaggerato atque dato Frisiæ tributo, illico librat in altum carbasa navibus data, vertitque proras ad Rainerii Prolixi Juguli terras; ulcisci se cupiens de ipso, qui adfuit Walgris cum Frisonibus jam prostratis in prælio.

Note 1. Reginar Longneck, around 850-915. Duke, sometime Count, of Hainaut in or before 905, possibly also of Hesbaye.

Note 2. Frisia is the region of the northern coast in what is now the Netherlands and Germany.