Henri, I, King of France

Male 1008 - 1060  (52 years)


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  • Name Henri  
    Suffix I, King of France 
    Birth 4 May 1008  Reims, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2, 3
    Gender Male 
    Death 4 Aug 1060  Vitry-aux-Loges, Centre, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 3
    Burial Saint Denis Basilique, Paris, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I48271  The Hennessee Family
    Last Modified 4 Mar 2018 

    Family Anna Agnesa Yaraslavna, Queen of France,   b. 1036, Kiev, Ukraine Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 5 Sep 1075, France Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 39 years) 
    Marriage Y  [1, 3, 4
    Children 
     1. Hugues de France, Count of Vermandois,   b. 1057, (Vermandois) France Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 18 Oct 1102, Tarsus, Turkey Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 45 years)
    Family ID F17802  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 30 Apr 2023 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 4 May 1008 - Reims, France Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 4 Aug 1060 - Vitry-aux-Loges, Centre, France Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Saint Denis Basilique, Paris, France Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Notes 
    • Henry I (4 May 1008 – 4 August 1060) was 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.

      King of the Franks
      Junior king
      Senior king 14 May 1027 – 20 July 1031;
      20 July 1031 – 4 August 1060
      Coronation 14 May 1027, Cathedral of Reims
      Predecessor Robert II
      Successor Philip I
      Born 4 May 1008
      Reims, France
      Died 4 August 1060 (aged 52)
      Vitry-aux-Loges, France
      Burial Saint Denis Basilica, Paris, France
      Spouse Matilda of Frisia
      Anne of Kiev
      Issue Philip I
      Emma of France
      Robert of France
      Hugh I, Count of Vermandois
      House Capet
      Father Robert II of France


      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).[1] He was crowned King of France at the Cathedral of Reims on 14 May 1027,[2] 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.[3] In 1032, he placated his brother by giving him the duchy of Burgundy[3] which his father had given him in 1016.[4]

      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-áes-Dunes near Caen;[5] however, Henry would later support the barons against William until the former's death in 1060.[6]

      In 1051, William married Matilda, the daughter of the count of Flanders, which Henry saw as a threat to his throne.[7] In 1054, and again in 1057, Henry invaded Normandy, but on both occasions he was defeated.[7]

      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.[8] In October 1048, the two Henries met again and signed a treaty of friendship.[9] The final meeting took place in May 1056 and concerned disputes over Theobald III and County of Blois.[9] The debate over the duchy became so heated that Henry accused the emperor of breach of contract and subsequently left.[9] In 1058, Henry was selling bishoprics and abbacies, ignoring the accusations of simony and tyranny by the Papal legate Cardinal Humbert.[10] Despite his efforts, Henry I's twenty-nine-year reign saw feudal power in France reach its pinnacle.

      King Henry I died on 4 August 1060 in Vitry-en-Brie, France, and was interred in Basilica of St Denis. He was succeeded by his son, Philip I of France, who was 7 at the time of his death; for six years Henry's queen Anne of Kiev ruled as regent. At the time of his death, he was besieging Thimert, which had been occupied by the Normans since 1058.[11]

      Marriages
      Henry I was betrothed to Matilda, the daughter of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, but she died prematurely in 1034.[12] Henry then married Matilda of Frisia, but she died in 1044,[13] following a Caesarean section. Casting further afield in search of a third wife, Henry married Anne of Kiev on 19 May 1051.[13] They had four children:

      Philip I (23 May 1052 – 30 July 1108).[14]
      Emma (1054 – 1109?).
      Robert (c. 1055 – c. 1060).
      Hugh "the Great" of Vermandois (1057–1102).[15]

      end of biography [2]

  • Sources 
    1. [S10789] "Hugues de France" profile, accessed, downloaded & published on this website Sunday, April 3rd, 2017 by David A. Henness.

    2. [S12424] "Henry I of France", Biography, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I_of_France, revisited or retrieved, recorded & uplo.

    3. [S12745] "Gundreda (Warenne) de Lancaster (abt. 1120 - 1170)", Biography, Pedigree & Registry, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ware.

    4. [S12528] "Anna (Agnesa) JAROSLAVNA (Princess) of KIEV", Pedigree, https://fabpedigree.com/s017/f008760.htm, by David A. Hennessee.