Editing Robert II of France (section)

===Territorial conquests===
The King led a clear policy: to recover the count palatine's function for his own benefit, either by appropriating it or by ceding it to a friendly bishop, as did the [[Ottonian dynasty]], the most powerful rulers in the West at that time. Robert II's most brilliant victory, however, would be the acquisition of the [[Duchy of Burgundy]].

[[Henry I, Duke of Burgundy]] died on 15 October 1002 without a legitimate heir. According to the ''Chronique de Saint-Bénigne'', he designated his stepson [[Otto-William, Count of Burgundy|Otto-William of Ivrea, Count of Burgundy and Count of Mâcon]] (son of Henry I's first wife [[Gerberga, mother of Otto-William|Gerberga]] and her first husband [[Adalbert of Italy|Adalbert of Ivrea, sometime King of Italy]]) as the heir{{efn|This contradicts the Chronicle of [[William of Jumièges]], who reports that in fact, Duke Henry I appointed his nephew Robert II as his heir, but "''with arrogant pride, the Burgundians refuse to acknowledge him as their Duke''".{{sfn|Lévêque|1996|p=138}}}} of his domains; however, and despite counting on the support of many Burgundian lords to his rights, Otto-William cared more about his lands in overseas [[Saône]] and towards Italy from which he came.{{efn|There are serious indications that in 1016 Otto-William was a candidate for the [[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|Kingdom of Lombardy]]: he had already distributed his County of Mâcon and those of overseas Saône to his children. In 1024, he gave in the presence of the King to the Piedmontese [[Abbey of Fruttuaria]], founded by [[Guglielmo da Volpiano]], the old Beaune Monastery of Saint-Martin de l'Aigue, dying two years later, on 24 September 1026.{{sfn|Lévêque|1996|p=139}}}} The Duchy of Burgundy, acquired in 943<ref>Yves Sassier, Jean-François Lemarignier, [https://books.google.com/books?id=HQtoAAAAMAAJ ''Recherches sur le pouvoir comtal en Auxerrois du Xe au début du XIIIe siècle''] (in French), 1980, p. 2.</ref><ref>Ovide Chrysanthe Desmichels, [https://books.google.com/books?id=9cNCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA628 ''Histoire générale du Moyen Âge''(in French), 1831, p. 628].</ref> by [[Hugh the Great]], Henry I's father, was part of the [[Robertian]] family possessions.{{sfn|Theis|1999|pp=119–122}} Moreover, Burgundy was a major stake since it abounded in rich cities ([[Dijon]], [[Auxerre]], [[Langres]], [[Sens]]). With the death of his uncle, Robert II claimed the succession over the Duchy of Burgundy as his closest male blood relative and also as a complete fief.

The rivalry between [[Hugh of Chalon (bishop of Auxerre)|Hugh of Chalon, Bishop of Auxerre]] (supporter of Robert II) and Landry, [[Counts and dukes of Nevers|Count of Nevers]] (son-in-law and ally of Otto-William) over the possession of Auxerre, triggered the armed intervention of the Frankish King who, with the help of troops lent by [[Richard II, Duke of Normandy]], gathered his army in spring 1003 and engaged them in Burgundy, but they failed in front of Auxerre and Saint-Germain d'Auxerre. In 1004, Robert II besieged [[Beaune]]. Autun and Beaune<ref>{{cite web |last1=Raphaël Bijard |title=La construction de la Bourgogne Robertienne (936–1031) |url=https://www.academia.edu/53288686 |website=Academia|date=January 2021 }}</ref> were under control of the king, which forced Otto-William to initiate a diplomatic settlement. In 1005, Robert II, his men and the Normans were back in the north of the duchy. They took [[Avallon]] after a few days of fighting, then Auxerre. An arrangement{{efn|Agreement in which was undoubtedly included the marriage of one of Otto-William's sons with a daughter of the Duke of Normandy.{{sfn|Richard|1954|p=5}}}} had already been made between the King and Otto-William, who was with him during the siege of Avallon.{{sfn|Richard|1954|p=5, citing Chevrier-Chaume, n° 233}} Under the mediation of Bishop Hugh of Chalon, Count Landry was reconciled with the King by renouncing the Counties of Avallon and Auxerre. At the end of the agreements of 1005–1006, Otto-William had renounced the ducal title of Burgundy and all the possessions of his late stepfather, which reverted to the Crown, except the city of [[Dijon]], still in the possession of Brunon of Roucy, the irreducible [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Langres|Bishop of Langres]], who did not want Robert II to settle there at any cost.
[[File:Le royaume des Francs sous Hugues Capet-fr.svg|300px|thumb|left|The Kingdom of the Franks during late 10th century.]]

In [[Sens]], a fight arose between Count Fromond II and Archbishop Léotheric for the control of the city. The Archbishop, who was close to the King, was furious at the behavior of the Count, who had built a powerful defense tower. In 1012, Renard II succeeded his father Fromond II and the situation worsened in as much as the Bishop of Langres, Brunon de Roucy, enemy of Robert II, was Renard II's maternal uncle. Léotheric, isolated, appealed to the King. The latter wished to intervene for several reasons: Sens was one of the main archiepiscopal cities of the Kingdom, it was also an obligatory passage to go to Burgundy and, finally, the possession of the County of Sens would allow Robert II to fragment the possessions of [[Odo II, Count of Blois|Odo II de Blois]] in two parts. Renard II was excommunicated and underwent the attack of the King, who seized Sens on 22 April 1015. Renard II, in the meantime, had allied himself with Odo II de Blois, and offered Robert II a compromise: he would continue to exercise his rule as Count as vassal and, upon his death, the territory would revert to the Crown. Renard II died 40 years later (1055) and with his death, the County of Sens reverted to the crown.{{sfn|Theis|1999|pp=152–154}}

As soon as the fight against the County of Sens ended, Robert II left for [[Dijon]] to complete the conquest of the Duchy of Burgundy. According to the ''Chronique de Saint-Bénigne'', Abbot [[Odilo of Cluny]] intervened and the King, moved by his pleas, decided not to attack Dijon.{{efn|The presence of Humbert de Mailly and Gui le Riche, two valued lieutenants of Hugh III of Beaumont, Count of Dijon, to whom the latter had handed over the guard of the ''castrum'' of Dijon were perhaps important factors in Robert II's decision to renounce the assault.{{sfn|Lévêque|1996}}}} Brunon of Roucy died on 30 January 1016, and a few days later, the royal troops returned to Dijon and Robert II installed [[Lambert I (bishop of Langres)|Lambert de Vignory]] as the new bishop of Langres; in exchange, the new bishop ceded Dijon and his county to the King.{{sfn|Lévêque|1996|p=139}}<ref>Jacques Flach, [https://books.google.com/books?id=H5JEd48VnpkC&dq=lambert+roi-Robert+%C3%A9v%C3%AAque-de-Langres&pg=PA282 ''Les origines de l'ancienne France''] (in French). Book III, chapter IV, p. 282.</ref> After fifteen years of military and diplomatic campaigns, Robert II finally entered into full possession of the Duchy of Burgundy.

The King's second son, [[Henry I of France|Henry]], received the ducal title but, given his young age, Robert II kept the government and went there regularly. The death in 1027 of [[Hugh of France (son of Robert II)|Hugh]], the elder brother of Henry, made the latter the heir to the throne; the duchy then passed to the King's third son [[Robert I, Duke of Burgundy|Robert]], whose descendants would rule until the middle of the 14th century. The overseas lands of the old Kingdom of Burgundy, called [[County of Burgundy|''Franche-Comté'']], would follow the destiny of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].{{sfn|Theis|1999|pp=124–126}}{{sfn|Menant|1999|p=40}}

When, on 9 January 1007, Bouchard I of Vendôme (the former faithful of Hugh Capet) died, the [[County of Paris]] he held was not inherited by his son, [[Renaud of Vendôme|Renaud]] but instead reverted to the crown, and when Renaud died in 1017, the King appropriated his [[Melun|Counties of Melun]] and [[County of Dreux|Dreux]], which also joined the [[royal demesne]]. Dagobert, Archbishop of Bourges died in 1012, and Robert II himself appointed his replacement, Gauzlin, former Abbot of Fleury; however, the viscount of the same city, Geoffrey, tried to intervene personally in the choice of Dagobert's successor and prevented the new archbishop from entering the city, and only through the intercession of [[Pope Benedict VIII]], Odilo of Cluny and Robert II himself could Gauzlin finally take possession of his seat.{{sfn|Theis|1999|pp=155–158}}