• Born: Est 820, Anjou, Blois, Tours, Auxerre, Nevers, France
• Died: 25 Aug 866, Brissarthe, Anjou, France

  Research Notes:

Born between 815 and 830. Robert’s birth date range is estimated assuming that his known sons were born in [850/60]. The parentage of Robert "le Fort" is obscure. Some general indications of his origin are found in near contemporary sources, but these are contradictory. An unspecific Franconian origin is favoured by the Annales Xantenses which name him “Ruodbertus…ortus de Francia, dux Karoli” when recording his death, and by Widukind who refers to his son King Eudes as “ex orientalibus Francia”. A Saxon origin is suggested by two sources: firstly, Richer names “ex equestre ordine Rotbertum” as father of King Eudes and his “avum…paternum Witichinum advenam Germanum”; secondly, the Miracula Sancti Benedicti names “Robertus, Andagavensis comes, Saxonici generis vir”. Abbon refers to his son Eudes King of France as "Neustrien…fils de la Neustrie".... The possible identity of Robert’s mother is suggested by the charter dated 20 Feb "anno XXVII regnante domino Carolo…rege" under which "Robertus…beati Martini abbas…et comes" confirmed donations to Tour Saint-Martin made "olim…ab Odone quondam comite Aurelianensi avunculo nostro et Willelmo eius filio". However, there are two possible interpretations of the dating clause of this document. If it refers to Charles II "le Chauve" King of the West Franks, whose reign is normally dated from the death of his father in Jun 840, the year would be [867] the year after Robert "le Fort" died. Another possibility is that the clause refers to Charles III "le Simple" King of the West Franks, in which case the year would be 920, indicating that the donor was the future Robert I King of France, rather than Robert "le Fort", although this would not change the significance of the relationship described ("avunculus" could also have been used in the document in the sense of "great-uncle")....

[Many] modern secondary sources identify him as Robert [Rodbert], son of Rodbert Graf im Wormsgau & his wife Wiltrud ---, who was first named in Germany in 836 as "son of the late Rodbert Graf von Wormsgau", in a donation to Mettenheim... No primary source has yet been found which points specifically towards this suggested co-identity, although it is consistent with the Franconian origin referred to by the Annales Xantenses and by Widukind, as noted above. It is assumed that the suggestion is based primarily on onomastics, although the first secondary source which proposed the connection has not yet been identified and therefore has not been checked.... ¹