3Herbert I (died 1036), called
Wakedog or
Evigilans Canis (Eveille-Chien), was the
count of Maine from 1015, the son and successor of
Hugh III.
Under the last
Carolingian and first
Capetian kings of France, royal power declined sharply and many royal rights were amassed by the greater and lesser nobility. Herbert of Maine even struck coins with his own monogram. He purchased the loyalty of his vassals by dolling out his land to them and granting them the right to build castles, which proliferated, as at
Sablé,
Château-du-Loir,
Mayenne,
Laval,
La Ferté Bernard,
Saint Calais,
Sillé (after 1050),
La Suze,
Malicorne,
La Milesse,
Montfort, and
Sourches.
From the beginning of his reign, he was constrained to aid his suzerain,
Fulk III of Anjou, in a war against
Odo II of Blois, both of whom had designs on the
Touraine. In 1016, following an attack on the fortress of
Montrichard, Odo met the forces of Fulk at the
Battle of Pontlevoy on 6 July. Despite Odo's numerical advantage, by the intervention of Herbert, the battle went to Fulk. One of the consequences of the battle was to create a balance of power in the region, which was followed by peace for several years.
By marrying his son to Bertha of Chartres, daughter of
Odo II of Blois, Herbert was able to maintain himself independent of his legal suzerain. He also allied with the
count of Rennes, who threatened Fulk from the west. He made enemies with the king,
Robert II, and even expelled the
bishop of Le Mans,
Avesgaud of Bellème, from his diocese. Finally, on 7 March 1025, he was arrested in
Saintes by Fulk, who kept him imprisoned for two years until a coalition forced his release. Herbert then did homage to Fulk.
Herbert left four children:
▪ Hugh IV, successor, married Bertha, daughter of Odo of Blois
▪ Biota, married
Walter III of the Vexin ▪ Paula, either wife or mother of
John de Beaugency, among whose children was
Elias to whom Maine eventually passed
▪ Gersenda, married firstly
Theobald III of Blois; divorced in 1048 and married secondly
Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan