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). In the early-Capetian tradition, he was crowned at the
Cathedral of Reims on 14 May 1027, while his father still lived. He had little influence and power until he became sole ruler on his father's death four years later. The reign of Henry I, like those of his predecessors, was marked by territorial struggles. Initially, he joined his younger 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. In 1032, he placated his brother by giving him the
Duchy of Burgundy as an
appanage, which their father Robert II originally gave to Henry in 1016. In an early strategic move, Henry came to the rescue of his very young nephew-in-law to be, 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 duchy for William in their decisive victory over the vassals at the
Battle of Val-ès-Dunes near
Caen; however, Henry would later support the barons against William until his own death in 1060. In 1054, William married Henry’s niece
Matilda, daughter of the
count of Flanders, whom Henry viewed as a threat to his throne. In 1054, and again in August 1057, Henry invaded Normandy, but lost twice at the battles of
Mortemer and
Varaville. Henry had three meetings with
Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor—all at
Ivois. In early 1043, they met to discuss the marriage of the emperor with
Agnes of Poitou, the daughter of Henry's vassal. In October 1048, the two Henries met again and signed a treaty of friendship. Their final meeting took place in May 1056 and concerned disputes over
Theobald III and the
County of Blois. The debate over the county became so heated that Henry accused the emperor of breach of contract and subsequently left. In 1058, Henry was selling bishoprics and abbacies, ignoring the accusations of simony and tyranny by the Papal legate
Cardinal Humbert. In 1060, Henry rebuilt the
Saint-Martin-des-Champs Priory just outside
Paris. Despite the royal acquisition of a part of the
County of Sens in 1055, the transfer of Burgundy to his brother
Robert in 1032 meant that 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 the
Basilica of St Denis. He was succeeded by his son,
Philip I of France, and 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. ==Marriages==