In the history of Piedmont (in North West Italy) it is known that born in 671AD there was a Duke Ragimberto of Turin, who was briefly King of Lombardy and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in the years 700-701. Upon the death of King Cuniberto in 700 the crown was to pass to his under-age son Liutberto, Ragimberto rose against Liutberto and his guardian AnsprandoIt and defeated AnsprandoIt's forces in battle at Novara, imprisoning the child Luitberto and taking the throne. He reigned for just one year before his own death in 701. After this time the family fell on hard times and some travelled to Germany, some to Spain and some remained in Northern Italy.
Some three generations later there is mention in the Langobardi documents to Regimbaldo, the last Duke of Clusium in Italy around 775. Clusium is the latin name for what was one of the twelve cities of Etruria and is now called Chiusi (a small town of about 10,000 in Tuscany). The Etruscan Duke was known to have a strong alliance with the Frankish King Charles 742-814.
In the Antichi documents there are numerous references to Ragimbaldo, Abbot of St Maria di Palazzolo, Ravenna in 955.
Land records show a Ragimberto of Treviolo selling the Lands of Albiare in Lallio for twenty pieces of good silver in 982. The Lands of Albiare today are an area to the North of Monza.
In the medieval Nervesa Documents it is says that in 994, the Germanic Ottone III, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, gave land to Regimbaldo di Treviso (Regimbaldo of Treviso). This document also says that the Regimbaldo family later took the name Collalto, the Collalto family subsequently had a complete dynasty of Ramboldos but this is confusing as the Nervesa Documents talk of both Regimbaldo and Ramboldo separately. In writings of the history of the name Collalto, it says that the origins lie in the name of Raimbaldo (yet another spelling). It seems most probable that a Regimbaldo built the original Castle at Collalto and became Regimbaldo of Collalto, known in history as Raimbaldo I, Conti (Count) di Collalto. It is very easy to see how difficult 10th Century documents are to understand and translate when their condition is taken into account.
From 1125 to 1140, Reginberto of Sabiona was recorded as the Prince Bishop of Bressanone.
The name appears in Germany with reports of the battle of Lechfeld (August 10, 955 AD). "Count Dietbold of Dillingen fell together with his nephew Reginbald (son of Dietbold's sister, Liutgard) in the battle of Lechfeld against the Magyars.". The Battle of Lechfeld took place in 955 when King Otto I put an end to the Magyar (Hungarian) threat to his Eastern Frankish kingdom in a battle fought on the approach to Augsburg on the rough ground lying between the Rivers Lech and Schmutter. Otto's army was made up of three Bavarian legions, the Franks, the Saxons, two legions of Swabians and a legion of Bohemians.
Subsequently a Reginbold took the title of "Graf Reginbold I von Dillingen" (Count of Dillingen). Dillingen is a town in Swabia (now South West Bavaria).
His successor, Graf Reginbold II von Dillingen was educated at the St. Gallen Monastery in Switzerland, he became the Abbot at Lorsch in 1018, before being appointed by Konrad II to the post of Bishop of Speyer and Limburg in 1032. Konrad the Red (as he was known) commissioned Reginbold to found the cathedral at Speyer and his name can still be seen on the bronze doors of the cathedral. The spelling varies with Reginbaldus, Regimbaut, Reginbold and Regimbald all common. He is remembered now as Saint Regimbald (feastday 13 October). It was documented in 1033 that "The oratory of St Peter in Wissembourg was dedicated by Reginbold, bishop of Spirensus (the old spelling of Speyer), and an eclipse of the sun occurred on the nativity of the apostles.". He remained bishop until his death in 1039 and his ashes lie in the crypt, the cathedral was completed in 1060.
During the medieval period the name Reginbold appears regularly in connection with the Princes of Isenburg. Count Regimbold was the uncle of Henry I. Reginbold of Moselgau can be traced back to 1059.
In France the name makes its first appearance in 909 as Regembald. In the history of Lunas there was is charter dated 5 June 909, that grants, from the Earl of Toulouse, the Diocese of Nimes to Regembald, Abbot of Psalmodi. Psalmodi was an abbey on an island in the mouth of the Rhone. The name changes in France to the modern French spelling of Regimbeau and in the early 1700s the name begins to appear in numbers at Gignac in France (a small village near Montpellier). There are now more than 100 Regimbeau families listed in French telephone directories.
It is notable that the above connections to the church (Bishops, Abbots etc), Germanic, Italian and French are all Benedictine.
In English history there is Regenbald, listed in the Doomsday Book as a Lotharingian, a northerly Germanic Frankish kingdom running from what is now Alsace to the Dutch coast. Regenbald was described as a Presbyter (a religious elder) and found great favour with Edward the Confessor, whom around 1066, named him as England's first Chancellor. Edward wrote that whosoever denied Regenbald the land and privileges bestowed upon him by the King, would no longer be considered a friend of the King. He is thought to have fallen from power in the reign of William the Conqueror and returned to the continent. In Anglo-Norman Studies volume X by Simon Keynes there is a chapter titled "Regenbald the Chancellor" (pages 185-222) detailing his time in power.
America received its first immigrant Regimbeau in 1906. The ships manifest of the Hudson sailing from Le Havre to New York, shows the arrival at Ellis Island on 3rd December 1906 of Julien Regimbeau, farmer, male, aged 17, from Alhis? or Clehis?
France had a Regimbeau of note in the late 19th Century, a Pierre Regimbeau was the Minister for Education in Paris in the 1890s.
Jean L A Ragimbeau living in Worcester in England, was awarded a bronze medal for bravery by the Royal Humane Society in 1886 for saving the life of a man who was drowning in the river Severn.
Please let me know of any other Regimbeau worth a mention that you may know of.
A French book of surnames lists Ragimbeau as:
Ragimbeau - Nom de personne d'origine germanium, Raginbald (ragin = conseil + bald = audacieux), rencontré dans l'Hérault. C'est un patronyme très rare, et donc l'origine géographique peut se situer ailleurs.
Ragimbeau - Name of people of Germanic origin found in the Hérault (Raginbald, ragin = council + bald = daring). It is a very rare surname, and thus the geographical origin can be elsewhere.
A German book of surnames lists Reginbald as:
Reginbald - ragin+bald; Herzog von Clusium um 775; Bischof von Speyer 1039
Reginbald - ragin+bald; Duke of Clusium circa 775; Bishop of Speyer 1039
An Italian book explains Ramboldo as:
derives from the Longobardo name Rambold (Rhambald), composed from rham (the Council) and baltha, that it means dared. The Rambaldo name we find it also in the 959, historical sources recall that the Court of Lovadina was assigned in investiture from Garibaldo King of Longobardi to the Conte Rambaldo of Treviso, one of the forerunners of the family of Conti di Collalto.
Reginbaldus, Regimbaldus, Reginobaldus - Latin (n & m are commonly transposed)
Regimbaldo, Ragimbaldo - Etruscan
Ragimberto, Ragimbert - Lombardy (Italy)
Reginbold, Reginbald - Swabian (Germany)
Regimbeau, Regimbaud - French
Ragimbeau - English (Jean Regimbeau, born 1831 in St Affrique, France, moved to England where his name was first mis-spelled in the UK census of 1871 as Joan Ragimbean from St Affugne in France, subsequently mis-spelled again as Ragimbeau, this spelling was used for over a century in England)
Please e-mail me with any comments on or additions to this page.
27 October 2008
