Editing Robert II of France (section)

====Robert II, the ideal prince====
[[File:Sens Châsse.jpg|280px|thumb|right|Merovingian holy reliquary from the 6th century on which Robert II probably had to pray. Currently displayed in the Museum of Sens.]]
On the death of Robert II, the canons of Saint-Aignan asked a monk from Fleury who had worked with the sovereign and had access to the library of the Loire Abbey, to compose the biography of the second ruler of the [[Capetian dynasty]].

{{blockquote|author=Helgaud of Fleury, ''Epitoma vitæ regis Roberti pii'', ca. 1033.{{sfn|Theis|1999|p=88}}|"The very good and very pious Robert, King of the Franks, son of Hugh, whose piety and goodness resounded by everyone, has with all his power enriched cherished and honored this saint [Aignan] by whose permission we have wanted to write the life of this very excellent king."}}

In his biography, [[Helgaud]] strives to demonstrate the holiness of this king since he does not intend to relate the facts relating to warlike functions. This work seems to have been inspired by the life of [[Gerald of Aurillac]], another lay saint told by Odilo of Cluny. The life of Robert II is a series of ''exempla'', intended to show that the behavior of the king was that of a humble prince who possessed all the qualities: gentleness, charity, accessible to all, forgiving everything. This hagiography is different from the traditional royal ideology, since the king seems to follow in the footsteps of Christ. Sin allows kings to recognize themselves as mere mortals and thus lay a solid foundation for the new dynasty.{{sfn|Sassier|2000|p=213}}

The [[Abbey of Fleury]], since the reign of Hugh Capet, has taken care of deeply legitimizing the Capetian monarchy by creating a new royal ideology. According to Helgaud, Robert II is since his coronation, ''particeps Dei regni'' (participant in the Kingship of God). Indeed, the young sovereign received in 987 the anointing of oil at the same time temporal and spiritual, "desiring to fulfill his power and his will with the gift of the holy blessing". All the clerics for whom we have the works, submit to the royal person: for Helgaud, Robert holds the place of God on earth (''princeps Dei''), [[Fulbert of Chartres]] calls him "holy father" or " your Holiness", for [[Adémar de Chabannes]] it is the "Father of the poor" and finally according to Ascelin of Laon, he received from God the true wisdom giving him access to the knowledge of "the celestial and unchanging universe".{{sfn|Sassier|2000|p=210}} Another great scholar of his time, Rodulfus Glaber, relates the meeting between [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor]] and Robert II in the city of [[Ivois]] in August 1023. They endeavored to define together the principles of a peace common to all Christendom. According to the theorists of the 11th century, Robert II was at the level of the Emperor by his mother since she has Roman ancestry, the ''Francorum imperator''.{{sfn|Sassier|2000|p=192}}

Secret of their success with the church hierarchy, the first Capetians (and in the first place Robert II) are famous for having carried out many religious foundations. [[Hugh the Great]] and [[Hugh Capet]] in their time had founded the monastery of Saint-Magloire on the right bank in Paris. Queen [[Adelaide of Aquitaine|Adelaide]], mother of Robert II, reputed to be very pious, ordered the construction of the monastery of Saint-Frambourg in [[Senlis]] and especially the one dedicated to Saint Marie in [[Argenteuil]]. According to Helgaud of Fleury:

{{blockquote|author=Helgaud of Fleury, ''Epitoma vitæ regis Roberti pii'', ca. 1033.<ref>Xavier Barral i Altet, ''Le paysage architectural de l'an Mil'' (in French). ''La France de l'an Mil'', Seuil, Paris, 1990, p. 172.</ref>|"She [Queen Adelaide] also built in Parisis, at a place called Argenteuil, a monastery where she brought together a considerable number of servants of the Lord, living according to the rule of Saint Benedict."}}

Robert II is in the forefront in the defense of the saints who, according to him, guarantee the effectiveness of divine grace and "thus contribute to the purification of society by blocking the forces of evil". Several crypts were built or renovated for the occasion: Saint-Cassien in [[Autun]], Sainte-Marie in [[Melun]], [[Rieul of Senlis|Saint-Rieul de Senlis]] in Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois. The sovereign goes further by offering pieces of relics to certain monks (a fragment of the chasuble of Saint Denis to Helgaud of Fleury). We also know that around 1015–1018, at the request of his wife Constance, Robert II ordered the making of a reliquary for Saint Savinien for the altar of the relics of the [[Abbey of Saint-Pierre-le-Vif]] near [[Sens]]. According to legend, Saint Savinian would have protected the integrity of the royal marriage when Robert II had gone to Rome with his former wife Bertha before leaving her definitively. The order is made from one of the best monk-silversmiths in the kingdom, [[Odorannus]]. In total, the sacred object is composed of 900 grams of gold and 5 kilograms of silver. In total, the inventory is impressive: during his reign Robert II offers a quantity of copes, priestly vestments, tablecloths, vases, chalices, crosses and censers. One of the gifts that most marks the contemporaries is probably the ''Évangéliaire dits de Gaignières'', produced by Nivardus, a Lombard artist, on behalf of the Abbey of Fleury (beginning of the 11th century).<ref>Xavier Barral i Altet, ''Reliques, trésors d'églises et création artistique'' (in French). ''La France de l'an Mil'', Seuil, Paris, 1990, p. 194.</ref>{{sfn|Theis|1999|pp=221–223}}