Robert I of France

King of West Francia from 922 to 923

Robert I

Robert I as depicted in a 14th century family tree of the Robertians

King of West Francia
Reign| 29 June 922 – 15 June 923
Coronation| 29 June 922, Rheims
Predecessor| Charles the Simple
Successor| Rudolph

Born| c. 866
Died| 15 June 923 (aged 57)
Soissons, France
Burial|

Abbey of Sainte-Colombe, Saint-Denis-lès-Sens [fr]

Spouses| Aelis
Béatrice of Vermandois
Issue
more...| Emma, Queen of West Francia
Hugh the Great
House| Robertian
Father| Robert the Strong
Mother| N. sister of count Adalhelm, or Adelaide of Tours

Robert I (c. 866 – 15 June 923) was the elected King of West Francia from 922 to 923. Before his election to the throne he was Count of Poitiers, Count of Paris and Marquis of Neustria and Orléans. He succeeded the overthrown Carolingian king Charles the Simple, who in 898 had succeeded Robert's brother, king Odo.

## Life

[edit]

Robert was younger son of count Robert the Strong (d. 866), one of the most prominent nobles in the West Frankish Kingdom during the reign of Charles the Bald.[1] Regarding the identity of Robert's mother, and numbers of marriages of his father, several solutions have been proposed in scholarly literature.[2][3] Chronicler Regino of Prüm (d. 915) stated that count Adalhelm was maternal uncle (Latin: avunculus) of Roberts's brother Odo, meaning that Odo's mother (and thus maybe Roberts's too) was sister of Adalhelm,[4] but some alternative genealogical solutions have been also suggested by scholars.[5][6][7]

On the other side, several researchers have proposed that Odo's and Roberts's father was during the last years of his life married to Adelaide of Tours,[8][9] but those suggestions are not universally acknowledged in scholarly literature,[3] since it was shown that they were initially based on some late textual additions and misunderstandings in the Chronicle of St-Bénigne.[2][10][11][12]

Roberts's brother Odo became Count of Paris in 882,[13] and was elected king of West Francia in 888.[14] In time West Francia evolved into the Kingdom of France;[15] and under Odo, the royal capital was fixed in Paris. Robert and Odo came from the Robertian dynasty out of which the Capetian dynasty grew.[16]

In 885 Robert participated in the defence of Paris during the Viking siege of Paris.[17] He was appointed by Odo as 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; instead recognizing the supremacy of the Carolingian king, Charles the Simple. Charles then confirmed Robert in his offices and possessions, after which he continued to defend northern Francia from the attacks of Vikings. Robert defeated a large band of Vikings in the Loire Valley in 921, after which the defeated invaders converted to Christianity and settled near Nantes.[18]

## King

[edit]

The peace between King Charles the Simple and his powerful vassal was not seriously disturbed until about 921 when Charles' favoritism towards Hagano aroused rebellion. Supported by many of the clergy and by some of the most powerful of the Frankish nobles, Robert took up arms, drove Charles into Lotharingia, and was himself crowned king of the Franks (rex Francorum) at Rheims on 29 June 922.[19]

Robert's rule was contested by the Viking leader Rollo, who had settled in the Duchy of Normandy in 911 with the permission of Charles the Simple. During Robert's reign, Rollo remained loyal to Charles, who continued to contest his deposition.[20] Gathering an army, Charles marched against Robert, and on 15 June 923 at the Battle of Soissons Robert was killed. However, his army won the battle and Charles was captured.[21] Charles remained a captive until his death in 929. Robert was succeeded as king by his son-in-law, Rudolph.[22]

## Family

[edit]

Robert's first wife was Aelis.[23] They had:

* Adela (name uncertain, sometimes also Adelaide or Adelais), married Herbert II, Count of Vermandois[24]
* Emma of France, married to Rudolph, Duke of Burgundy[14]

Robert married for the second time c. 890 to Beatrice of Vermandois, daughter of Herbert I, Count of Vermandois.[25] Together they had:

* Hugh the Great, who was later dux Francorum.[14] Hugh was the father of King Hugh Capet.[14]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Nelson 1992.
2. ^ a b Bouchard 1981, p. 512.
3. ^ a b Jackman 2008, p. 41-47.
4. ^ Jackman 2008, p. 47.
5. ^ Kurze 1890, p. 139.
6. ^ MacLean 2003, p. 118.
7. ^ MacLean 2009, p. 214.
8. ^ Riché 1993, p. 196.
9. ^ Bradbury 2007, p. 24.
10. ^ Nelson 1991, p. 144.
11. ^ Nelson 1996, p. 176.
12. ^ HenryProject: Robert le Fort (Rotbertus Fortis, Robert the Strong)
13. ^ MacLean 2003, p. 50.
14. ^ a b c d Riché 1993, p. table 4.
15. ^ Jones 2005, p. 74.
16. ^ Bradbury 2007, p. 34.
17. ^ Berkhofer 2004, p. 29.
18. ^ Collins 1999, p. 376-377.
19. ^ Fanning & Bachrach 2011, p. 6-7.
20. ^ Collins 1999, p. 376.
21. ^ Fanning & Bachrach 2011, p. 7-8.
22. ^ Collins 1999, p. 361.
23. ^ Fanning & Bachrach 2011, p. 92.
24. ^ Fanning & Bachrach 2011, p. 21,92.
25. ^ Bautier 1985, p. 555.

## Sources

[edit]

* Bautier, Robert-Henri (1985). "Anne de Kiev, Reine de France, et la Politique Royale au XI e Siecle: Étude critique de la documentation". Revue des études slaves. 57 (4). Institut d'études slaves: 539–564\. doi:10.3406/slave.1985.5520.
* Berkhofer, Robert F. (2004). Day of Reckoning: Power and Accountability in Medieval France. University of Pennsylvania Press.
* Bouchard, Constance B. (1981). "The Origins of the French Nobility: A Reassessment". The American Historical Review. 86 (3): 501–532.
* Bradbury, Jim (2007). The Capetians: Kings of France, 987-1328. London: Continuum Books.
* Collins, Roger (1999). Early Medieval Europe, 300–1000 (2 ed.). St. Martin's Press.
* Fanning, Steven; Bachrach, Bernard S., eds. (2011). The Annals of Flodoard of Reims, 916–966. University of Toronto Press.
* Jackman, Donald C. (2008). Comparative Accuracy. State College, PA: Editions Endlaplage.
* Jones, Colin (2005). The Cambridge Illustrated History of France. Cambridge University Press.
* Kurze, Fridericus, ed. (1890). Reginonis abbatis Prumiensis Chronicon cum continuatione Treverensi. Hannoverae: Impensis Bibliopolii Hahniani.
* MacLean, Simon (2003). Kingship and Politics in the Late Ninth Century: Charles the Fat and the end of the Carolingian Empire. New York: Cambridge University Press.
* MacLean, Simon (2009). History and Politics in Late Carolingian and Ottonian Europe: The Chronicle of Regino of Prüm and Adalbert of Magdeburg. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press.
* Nelson, Janet L. (1991). The Annals of St-Bertin. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
* Nelson, Janet L. (1992). Charles the Bald. London and New York: Longman.
* Nelson, Janet L. (1996). The Frankish World, 750-900. London: The Hambledon Press.
* Riché, Pierre (1993). The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Preceded by

Charles the Simple

|  King of West Francia
922–923  | Succeeded by

Rudolph

|
|

* v
* t
* e

Monarchs of France

* Detailed family tree
* Simplified family tree
* List of Frankish kings
* List of French monarchs

Merovingians (509–751)|

* Clovis I
* Childebert I
* Chlothar I
* Charibert I
* Guntram
* Chilperic I
* Sigebert I
* Childebert II
* Chlothar II
* Dagobert I
* Sigebert II
* Clovis II
* Chlothar III
* Childeric II
* Theuderic III
* Clovis IV
* Childebert III
* Dagobert III
* Chilperic II
* Chlothar IV
* Theuderic IV
* Childeric III

Carolingians,
Robertians and Bosonids (751–987)|

* Pepin the Short
* Carloman I
* Charlemagne (Charles I)
* Louis I
* Charles II
* Louis II
* Louis III
* Carloman II
* Charles the Fat
* OdoR
* Charles III
* Robert IR
* RudolphB
* Louis IV
* Lothair
* Louis V

House of Capet (987–1328)|

* Hugh Capet
* Robert II
* Henry I
* Philip I
* Louis VI
* Louis VII
* Philip II
* Louis VIII
* Louis IX
* Philip III
* Philip IV
* Louis X
* John I
* Philip V
* Charles IV

House of Valois (1328–1589)|

* Philip VI
* John II
* Charles V
* Charles VI
* Charles VII
* Louis XI
* Charles VIII
* Louis XII
* Francis I
* Henry II
* Francis II
* Charles IX
* Henry III

House of Lancaster (1422–1453)|

* Henry VI of England

House of Bourbon (1589–1792)|

* Henry IV
* Louis XIII
* Louis XIV
* Louis XV
* Louis XVI
* Louis XVII

House of Bonaparte (1804–1814; 1815)|

* Napoleon I
* Napoleon II

House of Bourbon (1814–1815; 1815–1830)|

* Louis XVIII
* Charles X
* Louis XIX
* Henry V

House of Orléans (1830–1848)|

* Louis Philippe I
* Louis Philippe II

House of Bonaparte (1852–1870)|

* Napoleon III

Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* 2
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Spain
* Netherlands
* Israel
* Belgium

People|

* Deutsche Biographie
* DDB

Other|

* IdRef

*[c.]: circa
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template