Hugh IV (died 25 March 1051) was Count of Maine from 1036 to 1051.
Hugh IV, Count of Maine | |
---|---|
Born | (unknown) |
Died | 25 March 1051 |
Noble family | Hugonide Carolingian |
Spouse(s) | Bertha of Blois |
Father | Herbert I, Count of Maine |
Hugh was the son of Count Herbert I of Maine,[1] one of the Hugonides.[a] He was a minor on the death of his father (1036) so was born between 1018 and 1022. Herbert Baco, his great-uncle and a supporter of the Angevins, acted as regent.[2]
The bishop of Le Mans, Gervais de Château-du-Loir, was a partisan of the opposing Blois family.[2] The bishop and regent clashed, with the outcome being the expulsion of Herbert by means of a popular council.[3] Gervais then proclaimed Hugh to have reached his majority, and arranged a marriage for him, with Berthe of Blois.[4]
Herbert, unlike his predecessors, followed the advice of his bishop.[4] Gervais, unlike his uncle who he succeeded, Avesgaud de Bellême (who was an adherent of the counts of Anjou) was allied to the counts of Blois.[5] Hugh, no doubt in support of his bishop, engaged in a number of wars with Count Geoffrey Martel of Anjou in the Loir valley.[3] Shortly after Hugh's death, 26 March 1051,[6] Gervais sought refuge in Normandy after being driven out of Maine.[4] Gervais' success in strengthening the Bishopric of Le Mans served to downgrade the countship of Maine, which led to the county being absorbed into the domains of Anjou and Normandy.[3]
Hugh married c. 1046 Bertha of Blois, who was the widow of Alan III, Duke of Brittany,[7] and daughter of Odo II, Count of Blois and Ermengarde of Auvergne.[8]
Their children were: