Heribert was born about 879, the son of Heribert I, comte de Vermandois, and Bertha de Morvois. He was count of Vermandois and count of Troyes.
He inherited the domain of his father and in 907 he added to it the Saint de Soissons abbey. His marriage with Adela (also known as Liégarde) of Neustria brought him the county of Meaux. In 918 he was also named count of Mézerais and of the Véxin. With his cousin Bernhard, count of Beauvais and Senlis, he constituted a powerful group in the west of France, to the north and east of Paris. In 923 he imprisoned King Charles III in Château-Thierry, then in Péronne. He and his wife Adela, daughter of Robert I, king of France, and his wife Aelis, had seven children of whom Adela, Robert, Adalbert and Liutgarde would have progeny.
In 922 the archbishop of Reims, Seulf, called on Heribert to reduce some of his vassals who were in rebellion against him. On the death of Seulf in 925, with the help of Raoul, king of France he acquired for his second son Hugues (then five years old) the archbishopric of Reims, which had a large inheritance in France and Germany. In 926, on the death of Roger, count of Laon, Heribert demanded this county for Eudes, his eldest son. He settled there, initially against the will of King Raoul, and constructed a fortress there. Raoul yielded to pressure to free King Charles III 'the Simple', whom Heribert still held in prison.
In 930 Heribert took the castle of Vitry-en-Perthois at the expense of Boso, the brother of King Raoul. Raoul united his army with that of Hugues, marquis of Neustria, and in 931 they entered Reims and defeated Hugues, the son of Heribert. Artaud became the new archbishop of Reims. Heribert II then lost, in three years, Vitry, Laon, Château-Thierry and Soissons. The intervention of his ally, Emperor Heinrich I 'the Fowler', allowed him to restore his domains (except Reims and Laon) in exchange for his submission to King Raoul.
Later Heribert allied with Hugues 'the Great', duke of the Franks, and Guillaume I 'Longsword', duke of Normandy, against King Louis IV, who allocated the county of Laon to Roger II, the son of Roger I, in 941. Heribert and Hugues 'the Great' took back Reims and captured Artaud. Hugues, the son of Heribert, was restored as archbishop. Again the mediation of the German King Otto I, in Visé near Liège, in 942 allowed for the normalisation of the situation.
Heribert II died on 23 February 943 without having succeeded in building the principality of which he dreamed. His succession was reconciled by Hugues 'the Great', maternal uncle of his children. It took place in 946 and led to an equitable distribution between Heribert's sons.
Robert I was born after September 866, the son of Rutpert IV, Graf in Wormsgau, duke of Francia, and Aelis de Tours. Her was the brother of Eudes, who became king of the Western Franks in 888. West Francia evolved over time into France; under Eudes, the capital was fixed on Paris. His family is known as the Robertians.
Robert was present at the Siege of Paris in 885. Appointed by Eudes the ruler of several counties, including the county of Paris, and abbot _in commendam_ of many abbeys, Robert also secured the office of _Dux Francorum,_ a military dignity of high importance. He did not claim the crown of West Francia when his brother died in 898; but he recognised the supremacy of the Carolingian king, Charles 'the Simple', and was confirmed in his offices and possessions, after which he continued to defend northern Francia from the attacks of the Norsemen.
The peace between the king and his powerful vassal was not seriously disturbed until about 921. The rule of Charles, and especially his partiality for a certain Hagano, had aroused some irritation. Supported by many of the clergy and by some of the most powerful of the Frankish nobles, Robert took up arms, drove Charles into Lorraine, and was himself crowned king of the Franks (_Rex Francorum_) at Reims on 29 June 922. Collecting an army, Charles marched against the usurper, and on 15 June 923, in a bloody battle near Soissons, Robert was killed, according to one tradition in single combat with his rival.
Robert was married twice. Through his first wife Aelis he had a daughter Adela who married his vassal Heribert II, comte de Vermandois. Through his second wife Beatrice he had his only son Hugues 'the Great', who was later _Dux Francorum_ and father of King Hugues Capet. Robert's daughter Emma married Raoul, duke of Burgundy, who succeeded as king of France after Robert's death.