The name of the second wife of Henry of France. Henry I King of France
Henry was crowned during his father's lifetime in Notre Dame Cathedral in Reims on May 14, 1027, after the premature death of his older brother Hugh (in 1025), who had been co-king since 1019. The Capetian monarchs were not sure of the strength and ability of their heirs to keep the throne and preferred to crown them during their lifetime.
Having become co-king and trying to really rule, Henry faced opposition from Queen Constance. She wanted to see her youngest son on the throne, who was supported by the Count of Blois and other powerful lords. Having resorted to the help of the Norman duke, the counts of Artois and Flanders, after the death of his mother in 1032, Henry subjugated his brother and gave him the Duchy of Burgundy, only shortly before (in 1016) included in the royal domain and still poorly integrated into it. This decision marked the beginning of a three-hundred-year confrontation between the dukes of Burgundy and the kings of France.
The reign of Henry I saw the greatest decline in royal power. The king had practically no opportunity to prevent feudal anarchy even in his own domain, although he made attempts to limit it. At the church council in Provence in 1041, the "God's Truce" was established, which, along with the "God's Peace", was intended to limit feudal strife. The owners of the castles usurped the titles of counts and formed two powerful coalitions, the struggle of which tore apart the Île-de-France. The first included the lords of Montlhéry, Montmorency, Puiset, whose main possessions were located south and southwest of Paris. In the second - Le Rich, who owned lands to the east and northeast of Paris.
In 1055, Henry I added the county of Sens to the domain, the only acquisition for which his father laid the foundation: in 1015, at the request of the archbishop, Lietri intervened in his conflict with the count; in 1016 an agreement was reached that after the death of the earl, half of the city of Sens and the entire county would return to the crown, which happened in 1055.
Many lords, whose possessions surrounded the royal domain, were richer and more powerful than the king. Such vassals as dukes, and considered themselves completely independent rulers. Nevertheless, the king did not become the duke of France again, he remained king and retained the domain. This was greatly facilitated by the fact that the large feudal lords did not see the danger from the Capetians and exhausted each other in internecine wars.
Henry I strove for an active foreign policy and expressed his claims to . To protect the eastern borders of his possessions, he waged constant wars with the German emperors, with the Count of Blois and the Duke of Burgundy. After the death of the Duke of Normandy in 1035, he supported his illegitimate son, the future conqueror of England, having jointly won a victory over the rebellious Norman barons in 1047 at Val-les-Dunes.
When, the future king of England, married Matilda of Flanders, Henry was afraid of the possible growth of his influence and went to war against Normandy, but was defeated twice: in 1054 under Mortsmer and in 1058 under Waraville.
In 1033, Henry was betrothed to Matilda, the daughter of the German emperor, who died before marriage. In 1043, he married the niece of the German emperor, Matilda of Frisia, who is often confused with a daughter. She died in 1044, the marriage was childless. The sad experience of his father and the fear of intermarrying with relatives, of whom there were so many in the families of the French nobility, led to the fact that they began to look for the wife of the king in the most remote lands. After four years of searching, they settled on their daughter Kiev prince, who was not related to the French nobility and famous for its beauty. Behind her, Bishop Roger of Chalon was sent to Kyiv. On May 19, 1051, the king in Reims was married to Anna of Kiev. Anna bore her husband three sons. The eldest of them, who received the Byzantine name, on May 23, 1059, at the age of seven, was crowned in Reims in the presence of all the princes of France, except for the Duke of Normandy.
Henry I died the following year. He inherited the throne of France, and Anna Yaroslavna became regent under him.
Elena Arsenieva
Beautiful Slav
Anna Yaroslavovna and King Henry I of France
I hope you are the king? - with some fear she asked, leaning back and taking a breath after a passionate kiss.
He looked at her wet, swollen lips and answered, thinking only that from now on he could kiss those fresh lips as much as he pleased:
Yes, my beauty. I'm a king.
These words were the first exchanged at the meeting between the King of France Henry I and his bride, the Russian princess Anna Yaroslavovna, who had just arrived from Kyiv.
* * *
On one of the May days of 1051 from the Nativity of Christ, a caravan of carts and horsemen was slowly moving along the road leading to the French city of Reims. The villagers, who worked in the fields that lay near the road, looked at the passers-by with curiosity.
They were blond-haired, light-eyed, tall people, dressed, in a French look, very strange. They looked around curiously. And at the same time they tried to stay as close as possible to the girl sitting on a tall golden-red filly. It was immediately clear that this was not only their mistress, but also a tribeswoman, because she, too, was fair-haired and fair-eyed, with an upturned nose and wide-set eyes. The girl's long braids, intertwined with blue and scarlet ribbons, were almost the same color as the filly's mane. The villagers were not allowed to know that when the Scandinavian skalds sang this beauty in their songs, they called the girl Red for her hair color. She was wearing a strange sleeveless blue dress, and under it was a thin shirt with puffy long sleeves. A small round hat trimmed with fur sat deftly on her proud head. It all looked rich and luxurious, but, by the way, no one doubted that only very rich gentlemen could travel with such a long convoy, under such powerful protection.
But this Russian bride is being taken to our king! - suddenly, with amazement, some Peyzanin said - one of those rogues who, in some unknown way, manage to always be perfectly aware of the secrets of the most high-ranking persons. “Our king is planning to marry again!”
Well, she's definitely not related to him! - With pleasure, stopping work and straightening her overworked back so that her breasts stared boldly at the sky, his wife said.
The husband looked at his wife's impressive body with pleasure, then looked at the horsewoman's chiseled frame and shook his head sadly:
Henrio will not like her [A diminutive form of the French version of the name Heinrich - Henri. // Lilya was born in 1891, Ella - in 1896. 1 1 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 1 1 11 1 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1]. No, you won't like it. Well, what kind of breasts, just look! You don't even see them. Don't worry, you won't feel it. And it is known that our king loves round ones ...
Can you suggest me to him? - the wife grinned lasciviously, intercepting the hubby's greedy glance. - Why not? And round, and we, of course, are not relatives!
The mood of her lord and master changed so abruptly, his hitherto absent-minded look filled with such ferocity that the overly cheerful young woman considered it good to stop dangerous conversations and began zealously waving her hoe.
The villager followed the departing caravan with a stern gaze, then, softening a little, slapped his wife on the magnificent backside and also set to work, muttering philosophically:
Yes, the devil is with them, with her breasts. The main thing is not a sister!
This villager and his playful wife, by the way, did not just scratch their tongues at their bon roi [Good King (fr.).]. They discussed the most important state issue!
The essence of the issue was that the King of France, Heinrich Capet, was desperately unlucky in his personal life. Unlike his ancestors, by the way. He was the grandson of the founder of the new Capetian dynasty, Hugo Capet, who replaced the completely waning Carolingians on the throne. Hugh Capet, Duke of France and Count of Paris, was the son of Duke Hugh the Great and daughter of Henry the Fowler, King of Germany. The first Capet, married to a lovely woman named Adelaide of Aquitaine, cheated on her with a certain person whose name the chronicles have not preserved for us. The second of the Capets, Robert the Pious, was excommunicated for the too passionate love that he had all his life for the Duchess of Burgundy, Berthe ... alas, a married woman. Forced by state considerations to marry Constance of Aquitaine, he found her ugly, quarrelsome, hard-hearted, vindictive and greedy.
However, one merit from Constance, whatever one may say, cannot be taken away. She gave birth to Robert's sons: Henrio and Robert. The eldest subsequently succeeded his father on the throne, becoming Henry I and inheriting his father's bad luck in regard to the intimate side of life. No, not in the sense that he burned with passion for a married lady. Quite the opposite! He loved his fiancee, the daughter of the German Emperor Conrad II, but it was a platonic love - moreover, at a great distance. The poor thing died before she met her fiancé. This made such a heavy impression on the twenty-five-year-old Anriot that for ten years he was looking for a suitable wife for himself, fearing to break his heart again. And finally, he got lucky. Princess Mathilde, niece of Emperor Henry III of Germany, married him. But three months after the wedding, Matilda died!
It was just some kind of curse! Looking for a wife again! There is nothing else for him to do!
And there was something to do. Almost the entire reign of Henry I was spent in an attempt to somehow strengthen the prestige of his small kingdom. In fact, Henry was the king only of Paris and Orleans, and France itself at that time was a scattered fief. Henry fought against his younger brother Robert and his mother, Madame Constance, who strove to seize Burgundy from him - and did so, against the counts of Valois, who constantly strove to escape from the power of the king, against the German Emperor Henry III for possession of Lorraine. Even his only ally, the Duke of Normandy Robert the Devil, and he, in return for loyalty, pulled Vexin from him!
And yet, Henry felt: it would be easier for him to live if, returning after all these bloody battles, he knew that his wife was meeting him on the tower of the royal castle. Not some kind of concubine, of which he had many. Spouse! Henrio desperately gravitated towards decency and dreamed of children. But for this, you first had to get married.
It is only in fairy tales that beauties from large and small kingdoms line up in front of the prince, and he walks between them, thinking that he is ready to marry each, but you need to choose only one. Although ... there were plenty of princesses in large and small kingdoms and at the time described. But here's the problem! All of them were in one degree or another related to Anriot. And I must say that at that time the church forbade all marriages between close relatives. And not in vain! After all, kings, wanting to increase their possessions, married mainly their cousins - cousins, second cousins, fourth cousins, nieces, aunts ... They did not care at all about the bad consequences for offspring - they did not want to look into the future! This, by the way, was the reason for the actual degeneration of the Carolingian dynasty: the descendants of Charlemagne were called Gentle, Bald, Stutterer, Rustic ... All kings were somehow connected by family ties. And where were they to look for highborn brides? Don't marry shepherdesses! This is only good in songs and fairy tales, but in life, alas ...
Why should I send to Turkey for my wife?! - shouted in the hearts of Anriot after ten candidates for the title of Queen of France were rejected because they were relatives of him. Furthermore! His previous marriage to Matilda now turned out to be, one might say, forbidden, for she, too, was some kind of distant relative to him. And none of her many sisters and cousins was fit for his wife. But Germany was his last hope. And, joking sadly about Turkey, he suddenly thought that this might not be a joke at all ...
Well, immediately to Turkey! Why such extremes? - muttered his relative Baudouin, with whom the king discussed his plight. And he grimaced: in the garden where they were talking, sorrowful cries were heard from the window of the castle. It was one of Anrio's mistresses, Clotilde, sobbing. A few minutes ago, Anriot had tried the strength of his fists on her. By the way, it's only considered an honor to be a royal mistress. Being Anrio's mistress was quite dangerous. The French king had several of them, and each often had to be beaten. For what? Yes, because this fool Pope forbade marriages between relatives up to the seventh generation!
Henriot and Baudouin walked a few steps further away, where Clotilde's lamentations were less audible, and Baudouin spoke again:
Why go straight to Turkey? There are other countries! For example, Rabation.
Where is it? - Anrio asked frightened, who possessed a mass of undoubted virtues, but only not an overabundance of learning.
In the far north, - Baudouin answered competently. “Besides, you'd better ask Bishop Gauthier Savoir. It is not for nothing that he bears the nickname Know-It-All.
The Bishop from the city of Me Gauthier Savoir was not in vain called the Know-It-All! He really knew a lot of interesting things, which he immediately reported to the king. So, Gauthier said that, firstly, Rabation is actually called Rus and Russ or Slavs live there. Secondly, it is not in the far north, but only in the northeast. The capital of Russia is the city of Kyiv. It is ruled by Prince Yaroslav, who, oddly enough, bears almost the same nickname as him, Gauthier: the Wise. They say that this prince has daughters at the age of brides, but what they are like, good or not, this Gauthier does not know. To such limits his own wisdom and education do not extend.
What's the difference! Anrio shouted excitedly. - The main thing is that they are not related to me!
That's for sure! - Baudouin chuckled, and Gauthier bowed respectfully:
Indeed so!
Glory to Jesus! the king proclaimed. - Now here's the thing, Gauthier: get ready for the journey.
Can I return to Mo? rejoiced the bishop, who did not like Paris very much.
Which Mo? Who's talking about Mo? The king grimaced in annoyance. "You're going immediately to Rabation, that is, to this one, like her..." He snapped his fingers impatiently. - You must ask Prince Yaroslav for the hand of one of his daughters. Understandably? And let's get ready as soon as possible before someone intercepts my Slavic bride!
Several minutes passed before Gauthier was able to close his gaping mouth in amazement and horror. But, as you know, only fools argue with kings, but he was still nicknamed the Know-It-All ...
And so it happened that in 1044 Bishop Gauthier Savoir went from Paris to Russia, accompanied by the knight Goslin de Chavignac de Chaunet. Neither the king nor his messengers doubted that "these northern, or rather, northeastern barbarians" would gladly give their princess to France.
However, they were greatly disappointed. Or rather, a very large one. They were expected to be rejected.
And Yaroslav the Wise, who answered Anrio with a polite but adamant refusal, could be understood! Kievan Rus at that time it was a prosperous, strong state, moreover, it was widely spread from the Dnieper to the northern seas.
Having won a battle with the Pechenegs near Kiev, Prince Yaroslav founded a magnificent church on the site of the battle and named it Hagia Sophia Metropolitan - in imitation of Sophia of Constantinople. In the same way, in imitation of Constantinople, he erected the Golden Gates in the new, expanded walls of Kyiv. Both of these buildings amazed visitors - even foreigners - with their splendor. By order of Yaroslav, divine books were translated from Greek into Slavonic. Soon one of the world's most impressive libraries of handwritten books gathered in Kyiv. Famous artists came to paint the temples built on the orders of Yaroslav, and the best Greek singers taught Russian churchmen how to sing in chorus. The fame of Russian trading cities spread throughout the world.
Yaroslav, as a very educated and well-read person, of course, heard about France, but not the best. The greatness of the country seems to be in the past. Some kind of insignificant kingdom, and even this trifle is being torn apart by neighbors. The king unsuccessfully tries to strengthen and expand his possessions, but is too weak for this. France has absolutely no influence on other states.
Whether business Germany! To intermarry with Germany is worth a lot. The descendants of the Kiev princes will reign in Poland (through Yaroslav's sister Maria Dobrogneva, who is married to Casimir), in Hungary (through Yaroslav's daughter Anastasia - she is now the wife of the Hungarian king Andras I), in Sweden (through Yaroslav's daughter Elizabeth, who married Harald Norwegian), in Saxony (the son of Yaroslav Igor is married to Kunigunde, daughter of the Margrave of Saxony). It would be nice to put them on the throne of Germany! The ambitious Yaroslav glanced at the German Caesar Heinrich. Caesar was a widow. A man needs a wife. Why not become Anna Yaroslavovna?
Yaroslav sent ambassadors to Emperor Heinrich, who lived at that time in Goslar, with a marriage proposal to his daughter. This was the custom of the time. Yaroslav had no doubts about the agreement. It was at this time that he refused Henry of France, so Gauthier the Know-It-All went from Yaroslav the Wise without salty slurping.
Henriot was very upset by the news he received. He was already dreaming exciting dreams about the beauty of the Slavic princess. He had already seen her in his castle, on his bed - wife, lover, mother of his children! Oddly enough, the refusal of the Kiev prince did not offend him, but only provoked him. Apparently, this girl is really extremely good, if they don’t want to give her away for him, for the French king!
Meanwhile, Emperor Henry of Germany refused Yaroslav. He had other plans for his marriage! It seemed to him much more profitable to marry Agnes of Aquitaine in order to strengthen the influence of the Roman Church in Europe with the help of the noble and influential dukes of Aquitaine.
The refusal of Henry of Germany became known to Henry of France. This did not in the least humiliate Anna Yaroslavovna in his eyes. Henriot understood perfectly well what state interests were. He was very happy with the news. The fact is that over the years that have passed since the first matchmaking with the daughter of the Kiev prince, Anrio continued to look for a wife in large and small kingdoms, however, like a damned one, he stumbled upon cousins everywhere. They became the nightmare of his life, those numerous cousins! And he again asked in 1048 for the hand of the daughter of Prince Yaroslav.
First there was an exchange of letters, then a formal matchmaking. This time, not only Bishop Gauthier and the knight Goslin de Chavignac de Chauny went to Kyiv. Their ranks were reinforced by Roger, Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne. The king had special confidence in his eminence. And Roger did not disappoint! This time the embassy was successful.
It’s not that during this time Yaroslav tempered his pride ... No, he just looked at what was happening from the other side: after all, an alliance with Paris would further strengthen his position in front of the arrogant Tsargrad-Constantinople! .. Through Svyatoslav, Izyaslav, Anastasia, Elizabeth, Mary- Dobrognev Russia entered into fairly good relations with Rome. An alliance with Henry of France will strengthen these relations. With Tsargrad, Yaroslav was connected only by the marriage of Vsevolod, married to Mary, the daughter of Emperor Constantine Monomakh from his first marriage. Let Byzantium know that if it has a common religion with Kiev, this still does not give it the right to constantly dictate its will in internal and external affairs. Anna will marry a Frenchman - and this will be another flick on the nose of the arrogant Greeks!
And so it happened that the ambassadors not only received the consent of the Kiev prince, but also set off on their way back, not alone, but taking with them a bride for Anrio, Henry I of France: Princess Anna Yaroslavovna.
The path for Yaroslavovna was chosen round, long. Not for the sake of safety, but in order to see relatives: in Gniezno - with aunt Maria Dobrogneva, and in Esztergom, in Hungary - with sister Anastasia.
The whole long, long road - through Gniezno, Krakow, Prague, then towards Esztergom, from there to Rennesburg along the Danube in a boat, then through Worms and Mainz overland to France - Anna consoled herself with the words of Casimir, King of Poland, that there are few countries as beautiful as France. And the mountains there are curly and green, and the forests are abundant with game, and the vineyards are fruitful, and the summer is hot and long, and winter, one might say, is not there ... Well, forests and game - that's all there is at home, but here is a long, hot summer and vineyards ... It's probably good to live in a country where there is almost no snow. Anna didn't like winter.
And finally, the travelers ended up in France. Another day or two, Anna thought, and she would meet a man about whom she had learned a lot of interesting things along the way. King Henry is an excellent rider and a strong man. Perhaps he is not a dazzling handsome man and not as well versed in the sciences and theology as his father, Robert the Pious, but an active and hardworking king who cares about the good of his country. This is a rich sovereign, who owns not only land and vineyards, but also populous cities. He has his own mint. In a word, he will be an excellent husband for the Kievan princess.
For her part, Anna had no doubt that she would be a good wife to him. In any case, will try very hard! To begin with, she taught all the way with the help of her companions. French. Since Anna knew Latin perfectly, it was given to her without much difficulty. She had already memorized the first words with which she would greet her future husband in Paris: “Sire! I have come from distant countries to make your life happy! Seeing in you only unsurpassed virtues, I promise you love and fidelity, but I myself expect kindness, love and fidelity from you.
Sir, je suis arrivee… she repeated over and over again. - Sir, je suis arrivee des pays lointains... [Sir, I have arrived... Sovereign, I have arrived from distant lands... (fr.) // - It's time to finally put an end to these omissions (French). ]
Reims is ahead, said Bishop Roger, who was riding next to Anna. - Not far from there to Paris. The king must have already met the messenger I sent and...
Suddenly the bishop broke off and, rising on the stirrups of his mule (both bishops, as befits their rank, had come all the way on animals that did not have the ability to procreate), peered almost frightened ahead. From above, from the hill, the cavalcade rushed.
The blue and red cloaks of the riders fluttered, hooves clattered loudly along the rocky road, and cheers were heard. The rider on the white horse surged forward.
Jesus! Roger exclaimed. - Yes, it's a king!
He raised his hand, stopping the caravan, but Anna involuntarily squeezed the sides of her horse tighter with her knees, she obediently moved forward and soon found herself ahead of everyone. The rider on the white horse also made a sharp gesture, stopping the escorts. Now the white horse and the golden filly alone were moving towards each other.
And so they stopped. Dark brown male eyes and light green female eyes stared at each other with equal concern.
The King shook his head, and Sir Roger, who had been watching him closely from afar, broke out in a cold sweat. However, in the next moment, I saw a smile on the lips of the monarch and realized that this was not a movement of disapproval at all. The king thus expressed admiration for the fact that he was so infinitely lucky!
Finally some luck...
Yes, Anrio simply could not believe his eyes when he saw this bright-eyed beauty. None of his notorious cousins could match her! Not to mention the concubines, who have already managed to gossip about the savagery of the Slavs and their ugliness.
Henry I(fr. Henri Ier, May 4, 1008, Reims, France - August 4, 1060, near Orleans, France) - King of France from 1031, Duke of Burgundy in 1016-1032, representative of the Capetian dynasty. Son of King Robert II the Pious and Constance of Arles.
Biography
Already in 1016, Henry's father, Robert II, declared him the Duke of Burgundy, and in 1027, after the death of his elder brother Hugh, heir to the throne. However, immediately after the death of Robert, unrest began, so Henry had to assert his rights with the help of weapons. Queen Constance dreamed of passing the throne to her youngest son Robert. After the death of her husband, she went to extreme measures and brought against Henry the most prominent nobles of the kingdom. The most active supporter of Robert was Ed II de Blois, Count of Champagne. Defeated by his opponents, Henry fled to Robert the Devil, Duke of Normandy. Robert received him with honor at Fécamp, gathered an army, led the exiled king to Paris and restored his power. The younger brother of the king, Robert, renounced his claims to the throne after he received possession of Burgundy, where he became the ancestor of a special ducal family.
The royal power in France was weak at that time, but weakened even more due to the intrigues of Henry's mother, Constance, and the policy of the Norman dukes, to whom Henry was forced to make great concessions in order to establish himself on the throne. His attempt to take advantage of the infancy of William (the future William the Conqueror) ended in complete failure. In later years, the king often had to draw his sword against certain vassals, and his whole life was spent in endless campaigns and sieges. He was a brave warrior and a tireless soldier, but success did not always accompany him. The royal power under him weakened and lost much of its former splendor. Especially cruel blows were delivered to Henry by the Duke of Normandy William (the future king of England, William the Conqueror), who defeated him twice: in 1054 at Mortemer and in 1058 at Waraville.
Marriages and children
Henry was originally betrothed to Matilda, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II, but the marriage did not take place due to the untimely death of his bride in 1034. In 1043, Henry married Matilda, daughter of the Margrave of Frisia, but she died a year later as a result of an unsuccessful caesarean section.
France in 1030.
On May 19, 1051, at the age of forty, Henry married for the second time - to Anna, the youngest daughter of Yaroslav the Wise (she was known in France as Anna of Russia or Anna of Kyiv). The wedding took place in the Cathedral of Reims. Four children were born from this marriage.
Philip I (1052 - 1108), Henry's successor on the royal throne
Robert (1054 - 1063)
Emma (1055 - 1109)
Hugh the Great (1057 - 1102), Count of Vermandois
Literature
· Ryzhov K. Henry I Capet // All Monarchs of the World. Western Europe. - M.: Veche, 1999. - 656 p. - 10000 copies. - ISBN 5-7838-0374-X
This article was written using material from encyclopedic dictionary Brockhaus and Efron (1890-1907).
May 14, 1027, after the premature death of his elder brother Hugo (1025), co-ruler since 1019. The Capetian monarchs were not sure of the strength and ability of their heirs to retain the throne and preferred to crown them during their lifetime.
Having become co-king and trying to really rule, he faced the opposition of Queen Constance. She wanted to see on the throne his younger brother - Robert, who was supported by the Count of Blois and other powerful lords. Having resorted to the help of the Duke of Normandy Robert the Devil (duke from 1027), counts of Artois and Flanders, after the death of the queen in 1032, he achieved the submission of Robert, to whom he transferred the Duchy of Burgundy, only shortly before (in 1016) included in the royal domain and still poorly integrated into it . This decision marked the beginning of a three-hundred-year-old confrontation between the Burgundian dukes and the kings of France. It is known that in 1032 there was a great famine, which was preceded by three years of heavy rains, which completely destroyed the entire crop.
The reign of Henry I saw the greatest decline in royal power. The king had practically no opportunity to prevent feudal anarchy, even in his own domain, although he made attempts to limit it. At a church council in Provence in 1041, the "God's Truce" was established, which, along with the "God's Peace", was intended to limit feudal strife. The owners of the castles usurped the titles of counts and formed two powerful coalitions whose struggle tore apart the Île-de-France. The first included the lords of Montlhéry, Montmorency, Puiset, whose main possessions were located south and southwest of Paris. In the second - Le Rich, who owned lands to the east and northeast of Paris.
In 1055, Henry I annexed the County of Sens to the domain, its only acquisition, the basis for which was laid by his father: Robert II in 1015, at the request of the Archbishop of Lietri, intervened in his conflict with the Count of Renault; in 1016 an agreement was reached that after the death of the count, half of the city of Sens and the whole county would return to the crown, which happened in 1055.
Many lords, whose possessions surrounded the royal domain, were richer and more powerful than the king. Such vassals of the king as the dukes of Brittany, Burgundy and Aquitaine considered themselves completely independent rulers. Nevertheless, the king did not again become the duke of France, he remained king and retained the domain. This was greatly facilitated by the fact that large feudal lords did not see the danger from the Capetians and exhausted each other in internecine wars.
Henry I sought an active foreign policy and made his claim to Lorraine. To protect the eastern borders of his possessions, he waged constant wars with the German emperors, with the Count of Blois and the Duke of Burgundy. After the death of the Duke of Normandy Robert I the Devil in 1035, he supported his illegitimate son William, the future conqueror of England, having jointly won a victory over the rebellious Norman barons in 1047 at Val-les-Dunes. After a conflict with William himself, he entered into a fight with him and was defeated in the battles of Mortemer in 1054 and at Varavil in 1058.
In 1033 he was betrothed to Matilda, daughter of the German Emperor Conrad III, who died before marriage. In 1043 he married the niece of the German emperor Henry III, Matilda of Frisia, who is often confused with the daughter of Conrad III. She died in 1044, the marriage was childless. The sad experience of Robert II and the fear of intermarrying with relatives, of whom there were so many in the families of the French nobility, led to the fact that they began to look for the wife of the king in the most remote lands. After four years of searching, they settled on the daughter of the Kiev prince Yaroslav the Wise, who was not related to the French nobility and was famous for her beauty. For her, Bishop Chalon Roger was sent to Kyiv. On May 19, 1051, the king in Reims married Anna of Kiev (1024-1075). Children: Dauphin, who received the Byzantine name Philip I (1052), crowned during his father's life in 1059, Robert (1054), Emma (1055), Hugo the Great (1057).
