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Henry I Of France




Henry I (, 1008August 4 1060 ) was King Of France from 1031 to 1060.

A member of the Capetian Dynasty , Henry I was born in Reims , France, the son of King Robert II (996–1031) and Constance Of Arles (973–1032). He was crowned King of France at the Cathedral in Reims on May 14 , 1027 .

The reign of Henry I, like those of his predecessors, was marked by territorial struggles, including joining his brother Robert in a revolt against his father. In a strategic move, Henry I 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 I secured the dukedom for William in their decisive victory over the vassals at a battle near Caen .

A few years later, when William, who was cousin to King Edward The Confessor of England (1042–66), married the daughter of the count of Flanders, King Henry I feared William's potential power. In 1054 and again in 1058 Henry I 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.

King Henry I died on August 4 , 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 May 19 , 1051 . They had four children:

  • ---1) Philip I (May 23, 1052 – July 30, 1108)

  • ---2) Hugues Le Grand (1057–1102)

  • ---3) Robert (c. 1055–c. 1060)

  • ---4) Emma (dates unknown)



SOURCES

  • Vajay, S. ''Mathilde, reine de France inconnue'' (Journal des savants), 1971