Henry I, Duke of Burgundy

Henry I (9461002), called the Great,[lower-alpha 1] was Count of Nevers and Duke of Burgundy from 965 to his death. He is sometimes known as Odo-Henry or Otto-Henry (in French Eudes-Henri), since his birth name was "Odo" and he only adopted "Henry" on being elected duke of Burgundy.

He was a younger son of Hugh the Great, Count of Paris, and Hedwig of Saxony and thus the younger brother of King Hugh Capet.[1] As Odo, he entered the church at a young age and was a cleric at the time of the death of his brother Otto, Duke of Burgundy, on 22 February 965.[2] He was elected by the Burgundian counts to succeed his brother and they gave him the name Henry. However Otto-Henry only held three counties of his own, his vassals holding the remaining six that comprised the core of that held by Richard the Justiciar who died in 921.[3]

In 972, he married Gerberga of Mâcon, the widow of Adalbert II of Italy,[1] who had sought refuge at Autun. Through Gerberga, he had a stepson named Otto William. He married a second time to Gersenda, daughter of William II of Gascony. He died without any sons of his own by his first two wives[1] and was succeeded by his stepson, Otto-William.[4] The resulting war of succession between the adherents of Otto-William and those of Robert II of France, the latter finally prevailing.[5]

Family

By his third wife, Mathilde of Chalon he had a daughter:[1]

References

  1. His nickname, Latin magnus, originally meant "the elder", and distinguished him from Duke Henry II.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 10
  2. Jim Bradbury, The Capetians: Kings of France, 987-1328 (London, New York: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 42
  3. Jim Bradbury, The Capetians: Kings of France, 987-1328 (London, New York: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 62
  4. Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 59
  5. Constance Brittain Bouchard, Sword, Miter, and Cloister: Nobility and the Church in Burgundy, 980-1198 (New York: Cornell University Press, 1987), p. 33
Preceded by
Otto
Duke of Burgundy Succeeded by
Otto-William
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