AR denier, 18mm, 1.26gr. Obv: +HEINRICVS, central cross. Rev: +LVGDVNVS, central ‘S.’ Mint is Lyon. R1896, Boud 1127, PdA 5025, CXII#22. The king of France was Henri 1 during the entire reign of Henri III.

The Rudolphian hold on Burgundy ended in 1032. Conrad the Pacific had four children, one son and three daughters. He was succeeded by his son Rudolf, but Rudolf, in turn, had no heirs. Instead, the kingdom came under the control of the HRE and its emperor Conrad II.

Cope (68) describes this as a process of a gradual weakening of the Rudolphian hold and a growing dependence on the HRE to help address the continuing threat of external (read Magyar) invasion. It ended up with Rudolf III essentially becoming a vassal of the HRE and naming the then ruler Henri II his heir. This shift from a Burgundian to a Franconian family was not without resistance, but the in the end the HRE prevailed. The map, from Cope, shows the county of Burgundy clearly within the bordes of the HRE.

This introduced a period of a century plus where Burgundy was ruled by Franconians and Hohenstaufens. Henri III was second in a line of five rulers with a Franconian background. Burgundy was ruled as a separate entity, but was essentially a part of the HRE.

This Germanic influence in Burgundy might have been larger except for the outcome of a struggle between Robert the Pious, king of France, and Otto William, duke of Burgundy. In 1002 Henry the Venerable died without a direct male heir. The inheritance was contested between a nephew, Robert of France, and his son-in-law, Otto William. Otto William was a vassal to the emerging HRE. Had he prevailed, he would have taken much of the duchy to a Germanic influence and France would have been correspondingly reduced. As it was, after thirteen years of conflict Robert prevailed and the duchy remained French and Capetian.

Henri was unusual in that he came to power peacefully, due to the power base his father created and the stability of the kingdom. In fact, this century was to usher in an era of prosperity for Burgundy and Europe in general. This was a welcome respite for an area that had been plundered by Vikings, threatened by Saracens and invaded by Magyars. Cope notes that while Burgundy ceased to have an independent ruler, it flourished as a religious center. The growing influence of the Cluniac order, based in Burgundy, illustrates this importance.

Turk (39) characterizes Henri’s contribution like this: “Henri reformed the court and church and even declared a day of indulgence to forgive all his enemies. … He subdued Poland, Hungary and Bohemia, making them pay homage. In 1046 he called a number of church synods in order to gain control of the papal election. Claiming the right, as emperor, to nominate the pope, he had sufficient power to depose three elected popes in order to make his own selection. ….The security of the German imperial state required internal peace, collaboration with the pope, and peace with the neighboring states. Henry III attained all these, and was, without doubt, the strongest of the German medieval rulers.”

Pope Leo IX, Henri’s cousin and former bishop of Toul, was a sincere reformer of the church leading to such changes as the forbidding of carrying arms by the clergy and enforcing the rule of celibacy. This wave of reform led to the excommunication of some of the nobility who married too close (consanguinity) and deposed a number of bishops found morally wanting. (Duby 104) `

Henri sought to influence events in France beyond Burgundy. For example, he allied himself with Geoffrey of Anjou as he (Geoffrey) expanded his territory north into Maine. Geoffrey pursued his interests in Italy, Provence and Lorraine, again with Henri’s support. The two were related by marriage, which strengthened the tie. (Dunbabin 188)

There is an interesting story about Henry seeking political advantage through relics that also illustrates his desire to influence affairs beyond his realm. From Duby (135): “The monks of St. Emeream at Regensburg announced that they had accidentally discovered the body of St. Denis, maintaining that king Arnulf had taken the body in the course of a plundering expedition. The Emperor Henry III gave them a hearing, well aware of the advantage of having the patron of the Merovingian kings and Pippin the Short in his hands. The reaction in France was strong, and Henry I of France had the coffin at St. Denis opened to confirm that the martyr’s bones rested there.”

Unfortunately, Henri was succeeded by his six year old son and the centralization of power and control he achieved began to unravel.

Sources: (for full citations see references)

Calmette, J., The Golden Age of Burgundy

Cope, C., The Lost Kingdom of Burgundy

Duby, G., France in the Middle Ages 987 - 1460

Dunbabin, J., France in the Making 843- 1180

Turk, E., The History of Germany