Editing Robert II of France (section)

====Second marriage: Bertha of Burgundy====
{{Redirect|Excommunication of Robert the Pious|the painting|The Excommunication of Robert the Pious}}[[File:Bertha of Burgundy.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Bertha of Burgundy, detail from a genealogical chart of the Ottonian dynasty in a manuscript of the 2nd half of 12th century.]]
Now Robert II was determined to find a bride who would give him the much hoped-for male offspring. In early 996, probably during the military campaign against Count [[Odo I, Count of Blois|Odo I of Blois]], he met Countess [[Bertha of Burgundy]], wife of the latter. She was a daughter of King [[Conrad I of Burgundy|Conrad of Burgundy]]<ref>Stefan Weinfurter, ''The Salian Century: Main Currents in an Age of Transition'', transl. Barbara M. Bowlus, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999), p. 46.</ref> and his wife [[Matilda of France|Matilda]] (in turn daughter of King [[Louis IV of France]] and [[Gerberga of Saxony]], sister of [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor]]), so was from an undisputed royal lineage. Robert II and Bertha quickly became attracted to each other despite the complete resistance of Hugh Capet{{efn|Moreover, Gerbert of Aurillac expressed his disagreement, not only out of friendship for Hugh Capet but also for canonical reasons.<ref name="Riché">Pierre Riché, ''Gerbert d'Aurillac, Le pape de l'an mil'' (in French). Fayard, Paris 1987, p. 168.</ref>}} (the [[House of Blois]] was the great enemy of the [[Capetian dynasty]]). However, Robert II saw, in addition to his personal feelings, that Bertha would also bring all the Blois territories under Capetian control.{{sfn|Theis|1999|pp=80–83}} The deaths in 996 of Odo I of Blois (12 March) and Hugh Capet (24 October) eliminated the main obstacles for a union between Robert II and Bertha.

According to French historian Michel Rouche, this alliance was purely political: to loosen the grip threatening the Capetian dynasty and its stronghold of [[Île-de-France]], and probably according to the will of Robert II's mother, Queen [[Adelaide of Aquitaine]]; indeed, the territories of Odo I were [[Blois]], [[Chartres]], [[Melun]] and [[Meaux]]. In addition, the couple were just waiting for the statutory nine months set by law after Odo I's death. It was, therefore, obvious that another objective was to have legitimate children.<ref name="Rouche">Michel Rouche, ''Gerbert face au mariage incestueux: le cas de Robert le Pieux'', (in French) in acts of the study days of Aurillac, ''Gerbert, Moine, Évêque et Pape'', Aurillac, ed. Association cantalienne pour la commémoration du pape Gerbert, 2000, p. 155.</ref>

However, two important details obstructed this union: firstly, Robert II and Bertha were second cousins (their respective grandmothers, [[Hedwig of Saxony|Hedwig]] and [[Gerberga of Saxony|Gerberga]], were sisters){{efn|Since 830, the canonical doctrine prevented all unions within the 7th degree of kinship, fearing consanguineous relationships.{{sfn|Menant|1999|p=35}}}} and secondly, Robert II was the godfather of [[Theobald II of Blois|Theobald]], one of the sons of Bertha.{{efn|With regard to the spiritual kinship, [[Helgaud]] wrote: ''Quoniam non exhorruit facinus copulationis inlicite, dum commatrem et sibi consanguinitatis vinculo nexam duxit uxorem.''}} According to canon law, marriage was then impossible.<ref name="Rouche"/> Despite this, the two lovers began a sexual relationship and Robert II put part of the [[County of Blois]] under his direct rule. He took over the city of [[Tours]] and [[Langeais]] from Count [[Fulk III, Count of Anjou|Fulk III of Anjou]], thus breaking the alliance with the [[House of Ingelger]], faithful support of the late Hugh Capet. At the start of Robert II's reign, the alliance relations were thus changed.{{sfn|Theis|1999|pp=85–86}}

{{blockquote|author=Richer of Reims, ''History'', 996–998.{{sfn|Theis|1999|p=81}}|"Bertha, the wife of Odo, took King Robert as her protector and defender of her cause."}}

[[File:Laurens excomunication 1875 orsay.jpg|thumb|250px|left|''[[The Excommunication of Robert the Pious]]'', oil on canvas by [[Jean-Paul Laurens]], 1875, currently at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris. In reality, the excommunication of the king was never promulgated by the Pope.<ref name="Riché2"/>]]

Robert II and Bertha quickly found a complacent bishop to marry them off, which Archambaud de Sully, [[Archbishop of Tours]], finally did in November/December 996,<ref name="Riché"/> much to the chagrin of the new [[Pope Gregory V]]. To please the Holy See, Robert II annulled the sentence of the Council of Saint-Basle, freed Archbishop Arnoul and restored him to the episcopal see of Reims. Gerbert of Aurillac then had to take refuge with Emperor Otto III in 997. Despite this, the Pope ordered Robert II and Bertha to put an end to their "incestuous union".{{sfn|Menant|1999|pp=35–36}} Finally, the two councils which met first in [[Pavia]] (February 997), then in [[Rome]] (summer 998), condemned them to do penance for seven years and, in the event of non-separation, they would be struck with [[excommunication]].{{sfn|Palmer|2014|p=215}} Moreover, at the end of three years of union, there were no living descendants: Bertha gave birth only to one stillborn son, in 999. That year, the accession of Gerbert of Aurillac to the Papacy under the name of [[Pope Sylvester II|Sylvester II]] did not change anything. Following a synod, the new Pope accepted the condemnation of the King of the Franks whose "perfidy" he had suffered.<ref name="Riché2">Pierre Riché, ''Gerbert d'Aurillac, Le pape de l'an mil'' (in French). Fayard, Paris 1987, pp. 200–201.</ref> Finally, the seven years of penance were completed around 1003.<ref name="Rouche2">Michel Rouche, ''Gerbert face au mariage incestueux: le cas de Robert le Pieux'', (in French) in acts of the study days of Aurillac, ''Gerbert, Moine, Évêque et Pape'', Aurillac, ed. Association cantalienne pour la commémoration du pape Gerbert, 2000, p. 160.</ref>
{{blockquote|author=[[Ivo of Chartres]], IX, 8, letter to King [[Henry I of France|Henry I]].|"They came to the Apostolic See and after having received satisfaction for their penance, they returned home (''Postea ad sedem apostolicam venientes, cum satisfactione suscepta penitentia, redierunt ad propria'')."<ref name="Rouche2"/>}}

Despite the threat of excommunication, Robert II and Bertha refused to submit until September 1001, when they finally became separated. The inability of Bertha to produce further offspring after her stillbirth was probably the main reason for this. Robert II, in need of male heirs, decided to remarry one more time.<ref name="Rouche2"/>