Henry I of France

Henri I (May 4, 1008 - August 4 1060) was King of France from 1031 to 1060.

A member of the Capetian Dynasty, Henri was born in Reims, France, the son of King Robert II (972-1031) and Constance d'Arles (973-1032). He was crowned King of France at the Cathedral in Reims on May 14, 1027.

The reign of Henri 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, Henri came to the rescue of his very young nephew, 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 Henri 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, married the daughter of the count of Flanders, King Henri I feared William’s potential power. In 1054 and again in 1058 Henri went to war to try to conquer Normandy from William, but on both occasions he was defeated. Despite his efforts, Henri’s thirty-year reign saw feudal power in France reach its pinnacle.

Map shows France at the time of Henri I.

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

Marriages:

• 1) In 1043: Mathilde de Frise
• 2) On May 19, 1051: Princess Anne of Kiev, (1024 - 1075)

• Issue:
  • 1) Philippe I (May 23, 1052 - July 30, 1108)
  • 2) Hugues le Grand (1057 - 1102)
  • 3) Robert (c. 1055 - c.1060)
  • 4) Emma (dates unknown)