Henry, I of France

Male 1008 - 1060  (52 years)


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  • Name Henry , I of France  [1
    Suffix I of France 
    Born 04 May 1008  Reims, Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Male 
    Died 04 Aug 1060  Vitry-en-Brie, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Buried Aft 04 Aug 1060  Paris, ÃŽle-de-France, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Notes 
    • He and Mathilde Salian were engaged. He was a member of the House of Capet. He succeeded to the title of Roi Henri I de France in 1031.

      Henry I (4 May 1008 - 4 August 1060) was the King of the Franks from 1031 to his death. The royal demesne of France reached its smallest size during his reign, and for this reason he is often seen as emblematic of the weakness of the early Capetians. This is not entirely agreed upon, however, as other historians regard him as a strong but realistic king, who was forced to conduct a policy mindful of the limitations of the French monarchy.

      Reign

      A member of the House of Capet, Henry was born in Reims, the son of King Robert II (972-1031) and Constance of Arles (986-1034). He was crowned King of France at the Cathedral in Reims on 14 May 1027, in the Capetian tradition, while his father still lived. He had little influence and power until he became sole ruler on his father's death.

      The reign of Henry I, like those of his predecessors, was marked by territorial struggles. Initially, he joined his brother Robert, with the support of their mother, in a revolt against his father (1025). His mother, however, supported Robert as heir to the old king, on whose death Henry was left to deal with his rebel sibling. In 1032, he placated his brother by giving him the duchy of Burgundy which his father had given him in 1016.

      In an early strategic move, Henry came to the rescue of his very young nephew-in-law, the newly appointed Duke William of Normandy (who would go on to become William the Conqueror), to suppress a revolt by William's vassals. In 1047, Henry secured the dukedom for William in their decisive victory over the vassals at the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes near Caen.

      A few years later, when William married Matilda, the daughter of the count of Flanders, Henry feared William's potential power. In 1054, and again in 1057, Henry went to war to try to conquer Normandy from William, but on both occasions he was defeated. Despite his efforts, Henry I's twenty-nine-year reign saw feudal power in France reach its pinnacle.

      Henry had three meetings with Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor-all at Ivois. In early 1043, he met him to discuss the marriage of the emperor with Agnes of Poitou, the daughter of Henry's vassal. In October 1048, the two Henries met again, but the subject of this meeting eludes us. The final meeting took place in May 1056. It concerned disputes over Lorraine. The debate over the duchy became so heated that the king of France challenged his German counterpart to single combat. The emperor, however, was not so much a warrior and he fled in the night; despite this, Henry did not get Lorraine.

      King Henry I died on 4 August 1060 in Vitry-en-Brie, France, and was interred in Saint Denis Basilica. He was succeeded by his son, Philip I of France, who was 7 at the time of his death; for six years Henry I's Queen, Anne of Kiev, ruled as regent.

      He was also Duke of Burgundy from 1016 to 1032, when he abdicated the duchy to his brother Robert Capet.

      Marriages and family

      Henry I was betrothed to Matilda, the daughter of the Emperor Conrad II (1024-39), but she died prematurely in 1034. Henry I then married Matilda, daughter of Liudolf, Margrave of Frisia, but she died in 1044, following a Caesarean section. Casting further afield in search of a third wife, Henry I married Anne of Kiev on 19 May 1051. They had four children:

      Philip I (23 May 1052 - 30 July 1108)
      Emma (born 1054, date of death unknown)
      Robert (c. 1055 - c. 1060)
      Hugh the Great (1057-1102)
    Person ID I1880  Bosdet Genealogy
    Last Modified 16 May 2013 

    Father Robert, II of France,   b. 27 Mar 972, Orléans, Orléanais, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 20 Jul 1031, Melun, Seine-et-Marne, ÃŽle-de-France, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 59 years) 
    Relationship Natural 
    Mother Constance of Arles,   b. Between 973 and 986,   d. 25 Jul 1034  (Age ~ 61 years) 
    Relationship Natural 
    Married 1003  [2
    Family ID F932  Group Sheet

    Family Anne of Kiev,   b. Abt 1024,   d. Abt 1075  (Age ~ 51 years) 
    Married 19 May 1051  Reims, Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Children 
     1. Hugh, I of Vermandois,   b. 1057,   d. 18 Oct 1101, Tarsus, Icel, Turkey Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 44 years)
     2. Philip, I of France,   b. 23 May 1052,   d. 29 Jul 1108  (Age 56 years)
    Family ID F534  Group Sheet

  • Sources 
    1. [S174] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I_of_France.

    2. [S178] thePeerage.com, Darryl Lundy, (Location: Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand;).