Rudolph of France
Encyclopedia
Rudolph (c. 890 – 14/15 January 936) was the Duke of Burgundy
between 921 and 923 and King of Western Francia from thereafter to his death. Rudolph inherited the duchy of Burgundy from his father, Richard the Justiciar. He married Emma of France
, daughter of Robert I of France
and Béatrice of Vermandois
.
He was elected king of Western Francia by an assembly of nobles, to succeed his father-in-law, and crowned by Walter, Archbishop of Sens
, at St Médard in Soissons
on Sunday, 13 July 923. Assuming the crown, he passed Burgundy to his younger brother, Hugh the Black, after only two years as duke. Charles III was still living and claiming the kingdom at the time, but Rudolph's brother-in-law, the Carolingian
Count Herbert II of Vermandois, who was married to Emma's sister, tricked Charles, a fellow Carolingian, into meeting him and took him prisoner. Rudolph's first act as king was to lead an army against King Henry I of Germany
, who had made a compact with King Robert at Jülich
earlier in the year. Trying to annex Lorraine
, the German monarch met Rudolph and a considerably-sized army and made peace again. Though, in 925, Henry attacked the waffling Gilbert, Duke of Burgundy
, constantly changing sides, and wrested control of Lorraine from France permanently, Rudolph then being in no position to resist.
At about this point, 924, the Vikings made a fresh series of raids into West Francia. From the Loire Valley
, they threatened Hugh the Great
, brother of Emma, his wife, but Rudolph did nothing. Soon they had attacked Burgundy, domain of his own brother and were repulsed, moving to Melun
, where they threatened the royal demesne. Joined only by his ecclesiastic vassals and Herbert, he recruited troops in Burgundy, while Hugh the Great was convinced to join him. The Vikings left, but the Normans
, whom Charles had legally implanted around Rouen
in 911, began ravaging that whole region. Herbert and Arnulf I of Flanders joined him this time and they took Eu
, but were ambushed near Fauquembergues
and the king was wounded, the Count of Ponthieu
killed, and many Normans left dead on the field. Also in that year, Rudolph conversed with Louis the Blind
, king of Provence
, over the Magyars, the newest migrants to Europe, then menacing Louis. In 930, the Magyars invaded the region around Rheims, but left before the king could engage them. In 935, the Magyars invaded Burgundy and Rudolph brought a large army against them, causing their retreat without battle. France was temporarily safe from both Viking and Magyar at Rudolphs's death.
Herbert, however, was not to continue to be one of Rudolph's partisans. He used his royal prisoner as a bargaining tool to secure the archbishopric of Rheims for his son Hugh in 925 and the county of Laon
for his other son Odo in 927. The protestations of Rudolph led Herbert to bring Charles before William Longsword
, son of Rollo
, the duke of Normandy
, for homage and thence to Rheims to press Charles' claim on Pope John X
. In 928, Herbert finally got possession of Laon, but the next year, Charles died at Péronne
and Herbert lost his leverage against Rudolph. By defeating the Vikings of the Limousin
, Rudolph received the allegiance of the Aquitainians
and the homage of William Longsword, now duke.
In 929, Rudolph started trying to reduce the power of Ebalus, count of Poitou and duke of Aquitaine
. He withdrew from him access to Berry
, then, in 932, he granted the title of prince of Gothia
to the count of Toulouse, Raymond Pons
, and his brother of Rouergue, Ermengol
. He also transferred the title Count of Auvergne to Raymond. Moreover, the territory of the march which was under the control of the lord of Charroux
was transformed into an independent county. Later, however, he was campaigning with Ebalus in the south to eradicate the last Viking strongholds there. He then proceeded aggressively against Herbert, marching into Rheims and replacing Hugh with Artald (931). Then, joined by Hugh the Great, Rudolph burned Herbert's fortresses and cornered him in Château-Thierry
, where he had first imprisoned Charles, from 933 to 934. The two made peace in 935 and Rudolph fell ill, dying a few months hence on 14 or 15 January 936.
This Rudolph is frequently confused with his uncle Rudolph I of Burgundy
, who was the second King of Upper Burgundy.
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of West Franks...
between 921 and 923 and King of Western Francia from thereafter to his death. Rudolph inherited the duchy of Burgundy from his father, Richard the Justiciar. He married Emma of France
Emma of France
Emma of France was daughter of Robert I of France and Aelis. In 921 she married Duke Rudolph of Burgundy who was crowned king 13 July 923, at Saint-Médard de Soissons. She was very politically active and an army leader. The marriage produced a son, who died young. She died in 934, after having...
, daughter of Robert I of France
Robert I of France
Robert I , King of Western Francia , was the younger son of Robert the Strong, count of Anjou, and the brother of Odo, who became king of the Western Franks in 888. West Francia evolved over time into France; under Odo, the capital was fixed on Paris, a large step in that direction...
and Béatrice of Vermandois
Béatrice of Vermandois
Béatrice of Vermandois was the wife of Robert I, King of France . She is sometimes stated to be the sister of Herbert II, Count of Vermandois. No contemporary source explicitly states that Heribert II and Beatrix were the children of Herbert I, and researchers are divided on the probablity of this...
.
He was elected king of Western Francia by an assembly of nobles, to succeed his father-in-law, and crowned by Walter, Archbishop of Sens
Walter, Archbishop of Sens
Walter was Archbishop of Sens from 887 to 923.He anointed Eudes as King of France in 888, Robert I in July 922, and Rudolph of France on 13 July 923, all in the church of St. Medard's Abbey, Soissons....
, at St Médard in Soissons
Soissons
Soissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
on Sunday, 13 July 923. Assuming the crown, he passed Burgundy to his younger brother, Hugh the Black, after only two years as duke. Charles III was still living and claiming the kingdom at the time, but Rudolph's brother-in-law, the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
Count Herbert II of Vermandois, who was married to Emma's sister, tricked Charles, a fellow Carolingian, into meeting him and took him prisoner. Rudolph's first act as king was to lead an army against King Henry I of Germany
Henry I of Germany
Henry I the Fowler was the Duke of Saxony from 912 and German king from 919 until his death. First of the Ottonian Dynasty of German kings and emperors, he is generally considered to be the founder and first king of the medieval German state, known until then as East Francia...
, who had made a compact with King Robert at Jülich
Jülich
Jülich is a town in the district of Düren, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Jülich is well known as location of a world-famous research centre, the Forschungszentrum Jülich and as shortwave transmission site of Deutsche Welle...
earlier in the year. Trying to annex Lorraine
Lorraine (province)
The Duchy of Upper Lorraine was an historical duchy roughly corresponding with the present-day northeastern Lorraine region of France, including parts of modern Luxembourg and Germany. The main cities were Metz, Verdun, and the historic capital Nancy....
, the German monarch met Rudolph and a considerably-sized army and made peace again. Though, in 925, Henry attacked the waffling Gilbert, Duke of Burgundy
Gilbert, Duke of Burgundy
Gilbert of Chalon or Giselbert was count of Chalon, Autun, Troyes, Avallon and Dijon, and duke of Burgundy between 952 and 956. He ruled Burgundy jure uxoris, his wife Ermengarde being sister of Hugh the Black. By her he had two daughters: Adelais and Liutgarde...
, constantly changing sides, and wrested control of Lorraine from France permanently, Rudolph then being in no position to resist.
At about this point, 924, the Vikings made a fresh series of raids into West Francia. From the Loire Valley
Loire Valley
The Loire Valley , spanning , is located in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. Its area comprises approximately . It is referred to as the Cradle of the French Language, and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards, and artichoke, asparagus, and...
, they threatened Hugh the Great
Hugh the Great
Hugh the Great or Hugues le Grand was duke of the Franks and count of Paris, son of King Robert I of France and nephew of King Odo. He was born in Paris, Île-de-France, France. His eldest son was Hugh Capet who became King of France in 987...
, brother of Emma, his wife, but Rudolph did nothing. Soon they had attacked Burgundy, domain of his own brother and were repulsed, moving to Melun
Melun
Melun is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Located in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, Melun is the capital of the department, as the seat of an arrondissement...
, where they threatened the royal demesne. Joined only by his ecclesiastic vassals and Herbert, he recruited troops in Burgundy, while Hugh the Great was convinced to join him. The Vikings left, but the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
, whom Charles had legally implanted around Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
in 911, began ravaging that whole region. Herbert and Arnulf I of Flanders joined him this time and they took Eu
Eu, Seine-Maritime
Eu is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.Eu is located near the coast in the eastern part of the department, near the border with Picardie.Its inhabitants are known as the Eudois.-Geography:...
, but were ambushed near Fauquembergues
Fauquembergues
Fauquembergues is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A town situated 10 miles southwest of Saint-Omer, at the junction of the D928 with two minor roads, the D92 and the D158...
and the king was wounded, the Count of Ponthieu
Count of Ponthieu
The County of Ponthieu , centered on the mouth of the Somme, became a member of the Norman group of vassal states when Count Guy submitted to William of Normandy after the battle of Mortemer.....
killed, and many Normans left dead on the field. Also in that year, Rudolph conversed with Louis the Blind
Louis the Blind
Louis the Blind was the king of Provence from January 11, 887, King of Italy from October 12, 900, and briefly Holy Roman Emperor, as Louis III, between 901 and 905. He was the son of Boso, the usurper king of Provence, and Ermengard, a daughter of the Emperor Louis II. Through his father, he was...
, king of Provence
King of Burgundy
The following is a list of the Kings of the two Kingdoms of Burgundy, and a number of related political entities devolving from Carolingian machinations over family relations.- Kings of the Burgundians :...
, over the Magyars, the newest migrants to Europe, then menacing Louis. In 930, the Magyars invaded the region around Rheims, but left before the king could engage them. In 935, the Magyars invaded Burgundy and Rudolph brought a large army against them, causing their retreat without battle. France was temporarily safe from both Viking and Magyar at Rudolphs's death.
Herbert, however, was not to continue to be one of Rudolph's partisans. He used his royal prisoner as a bargaining tool to secure the archbishopric of Rheims for his son Hugh in 925 and the county of Laon
Laon
Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...
for his other son Odo in 927. The protestations of Rudolph led Herbert to bring Charles before William Longsword
William I of Normandy
William I Longsword was the second Duke of Normandy from his father's death until his own assassination. The title dux was not in use at the time and has been applied to early Norman rulers retroactively. William actually used the title comes .-Biography:Little is known about his early years...
, son of Rollo
Rollo
Rollo has multiple meanings. It may mean:a first name*Rollo Armstrong, member of British dance act Faithless* Rollo May, American psychologist...
, the duke of Normandy
Duke of Normandy
The Duke of Normandy is the title of the reigning monarch of the British Crown Dependancies of the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey. The title traces its roots to the Duchy of Normandy . Whether the reigning sovereign is a male or female, they are always titled as the "Duke of...
, for homage and thence to Rheims to press Charles' claim on Pope John X
Pope John X
Pope John X, Pope from March 914 to May 928, was deacon at Bologna when he attracted the attention of Theodora, the wife of Theophylact, Count of Tusculum, the most powerful noble in Rome, through whose influence he was elevated first to the see of Bologna and then to the archbishopric of...
. In 928, Herbert finally got possession of Laon, but the next year, Charles died at Péronne
Péronne, Somme
Péronne is a commune of the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.It is close to where the Battles of the Somme took place during World War I...
and Herbert lost his leverage against Rudolph. By defeating the Vikings of the Limousin
Limousin (province)
Limousin is one of the traditional provinces of France around the city of Limoges. Limousin lies in the foothills of the western edge of the Massif Central, with cold weather in the winter...
, Rudolph received the allegiance of the Aquitainians
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
and the homage of William Longsword, now duke.
In 929, Rudolph started trying to reduce the power of Ebalus, count of Poitou and duke of Aquitaine
Duke of Aquitaine
The Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of Frankish, English and later French kings....
. He withdrew from him access to Berry
Berry (province)
Berry is a region located in the center of France. It was a province of France until the provinces were replaced by départements on 4 March 1790....
, then, in 932, he granted the title of prince of Gothia
Prince of Gothia
The title Prince of Gothia or Prince of the Goths was a title of nobility, sometimes assumed by its holder as a sign of supremacy in the region of Gothia and sometimes bestowed by the sovereign of West Francia to the principal nobleman in the south of the realm, in the ninth and tenth centuries...
to the count of Toulouse, Raymond Pons
Raymond Pons of Toulouse
Raymond Pons was the Count of Toulouse from 924. He was the last head of his house to rule in Toulouse before the power passed to his cousins the counts of Rouergue....
, and his brother of Rouergue, Ermengol
Ermengol of Rouergue
Ermengol was a son of Odo of Toulouse and Garsindis. His father gave him the County of Rouergue and Quercy in 906 and he governed it to his death...
. He also transferred the title Count of Auvergne to Raymond. Moreover, the territory of the march which was under the control of the lord of Charroux
Charroux
Charroux may refer to:places in France* Charroux, Allier, commune in the department of Allier* Charroux, Vienne, commune in the department of Vienne* Charroux Abbey, in Charroux, Viennepeople*Robert Charroux, French writer...
was transformed into an independent county. Later, however, he was campaigning with Ebalus in the south to eradicate the last Viking strongholds there. He then proceeded aggressively against Herbert, marching into Rheims and replacing Hugh with Artald (931). Then, joined by Hugh the Great, Rudolph burned Herbert's fortresses and cornered him in Château-Thierry
Château-Thierry
Château-Thierry is a commune in northern France about east-northeast of Paris. It is a sub-prefecture of the Aisne department in Picardy.-History:...
, where he had first imprisoned Charles, from 933 to 934. The two made peace in 935 and Rudolph fell ill, dying a few months hence on 14 or 15 January 936.
This Rudolph is frequently confused with his uncle Rudolph I of Burgundy
Rudolph I of Burgundy
Rudolph I was King of Burgundy from his election in 888 until his death.Rudolph belonged to the elder Welf family and was the son of Conrad, Count of Auxerre, from whom he inherited the lay abbacy of St Maurice en Valais, making him the most powerful magnate in Upper Burgundy - present-day...
, who was the second King of Upper Burgundy.
Ancestry
Sources
- Gwatking, H. M., Whitney, J. P., et al. Cambridge Medieval History: Volume III—Germany and the Western Empire. Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
: London, 1930.