(Redirected from Gilbert of Lorraine)'Gilbert' or 'Giselbert' (c.
890 –
2 October 939) was the
duke of Lotharingia until
939.
Lotharingia (or
Lorraine) was an area which comprised present north east
France, the
German Rhineland,
Luxembourg, east
Belgium, and the
Netherlands. It was not yet divided into
Upper and
Lower Lorraine.
The beginning of the reign of Gilbert is not clear. Lotharingia belonged to
West Francia (or
France) from
910, when a ''dux Lotharingiae'' is first mentioned. This may have been Gilbert. The French king
Charles III was deposed in
922 by
Robert. Charles remained king in Lotharingia and tried to reconquer West Francia from there. He was imprisoned in
923.
In
925, Gilbert swore fealty to King
Henry the Fowler of Germany as duke of Lotharingia. Gilbert married Henry's daughter Gerberge by
930. For whatever reason, Gilbert rebelled when Henry died in
936 and changed allegiance to the king of France, where the king had less authority. Gilbert managed to be practically independent for three years until he was defeated by the army of king
Otto I of Germany in
939 at the
Battle of Andernach. Gilbert was made prisoner, and succeeded in fleeing but drowned while trying to cross the
Rhine. Lorraine was given to
Henry I, Duke of Bavaria.