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DE BURGUNDY Henry (Henri)
Birth: ABT 1069 Dijon, Bourgogne, France
Death: 1 Nov 1112 Astorga, Galicia
Burial: Braga Cathedral
Notes
Crusader in Spain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry,_Count_of_Portugal
Henry (Portuguese: Henrique, French: Henri; 1066–1112), Count of Portugal, was the
first member of the Capetian House of Burgundy to rule Portugal and the father of the
country's first king, Afonso I.
Biographical sketch[edit]
Family relations[edit]
Born in 1066 in Dijon, Duchy of Burgundy, Count Henry was the youngest son of
Henry, the second son of Robert I, Duke of Burgundy.[1][2] His two older brothers,
Hugh I and Odo, inherited the duchy.[2] No contemporary record of his mother has
survived. She was once thought to have been named Sibylla based on an undated
obituary reporting the death of "Sibilla, mater ducus Burgundie" (Sibylla, mother of the
Duke of Burgundy), under the reasoning that she was not called duchess herself and
hence must have been the wife of Henry, the only father of a duke who never himself
held the ducal title, yet this was probably a reference to her daughter-in-law, Sibylla,
mother of the then-reigning Hugh II. Richard suggested that she might instead have
been called Clémence.[3] Whatever her name, her son Henry was kinsman
(congermanus) of his brother-in-law, Raymond of Burgundy, and this relationship may
have come through either, or both, of their mothers, who are both of undocumented
parentage. It has been suggested that Henry's mother may have been the daughter of
Reginald I, which would make her the maternal aunt of Raymond who would then be
Henry’s first cousin.[4] This solution is problematic, as Henry's brother Odo I, Duke of
Burgundy married Raymond's sister, Sibylla, and though marriages between close kin
sometimes took place through dispensation, the prohibition against first-cousin
marriages in church law makes it likely that the relationship between Odo and Sibylla,
and hence that between Henry and Raymond, was more distant.[5] Based on the
relationship between Henry and Raymond and the apparent introduction of the byname
Borel into the family of the Dukes of Burgundy through this marriage, genealogist
Szabolcs de Vajay suggested Henry's mother was daughter of Berenguer Ramon I,
Count of Barcelona, and his wife Guisla de Lluçà.[6][7][a]
One of his paternal aunts was Constance of Burgundy, the wife of Alfonso VI of León,
and one of his grand-uncles was Hugh, Abbot of Cluny, one of the most influential and
venerated personalities of his time.[1] Count Henry’s family was very powerful and
governed many cities in France such as Chalon, Auxerre, Autun, Nevers, Dijon, Mâcon
and Semur.[1]
Reconquista[edit]
After the defeat of the Christian troops in the Battle of Sagrajas in October 1086, in
the early months of the following year, King Alfonso VI appealed for aid from Christians
at the other side of the Pyrenees. Many French nobles and soldiers heeded the call,
including Raymond of Burgundy, Henry's brother, Duke Odo, and Raymond of St.
Gilles,[10] Not all of them arrived at the same time in the Iberian Peninsula and it is
most likely that Raymond of Burgundy came in 1091.[11][b] Although some authors
claim that Count Henry came with the expedition which arrived in 1087, even though
"documentary evidence here is much more slight",[13] his presence is confirmed only
as of 1096 when he appears confirming the fueros of Guimarães and Constantim de
Panoias.
Three of these French nobles married daughters of King Alfonso VI: Raymond of
Burgundy married infanta Urraca, later Queen Urraca of León; Raymond of St. Gilles
married Elvira; and Henry of Burgundy married Teresa of León, an illegitimate daughter
of the king and his mistress Jimena Muñoz.[14]
Pact with his cousin Raymond of Burgundy[edit]
Between the first quarter of 1096 and the end of 1097, count Raymond, seeing that
his influence in the Curia Regis was diminishing, reached an agreement with his
cousin Henry of Burgundy, who had not yet been appointed governor of Portugal. The
birth of King Alfonso's only son, Sancho Alfónsez, was also perceived as a threat by
the two cousins. They agreed to share power, the royal treasury, and to support each
other.[15] Under this agreement, which counted with the blessings of their relative,
the Abbot of Cluny,[c] Raymond "promised his cousin under oath to hand him over the
Kingdom of Toledo and one–third of the royal treasury upon the death of King Alfonso
VI". If he could not deliver Toledo, he would give him Galicia. Henry, in turn, promised
to help Raymond "obtain all the dominions of King Alfonso and two–thirds of the royal
treasury".[17][18] It seems that news of this pact reached the king who, in order to
counter the initiative of his two sons-in-law, appointed Henry governor of the region
extending a flumine mineo usque in tagum (from the Minho River to the banks of the
Tagus).[19] Until then, this region had been governed by count Raymond who saw his
power limited to just Galicia.[20][d]
Accordingly, both cousins instead of being allies, became rivals with conflicting
interests; the succession pact went up in smoke and, henceforth, each would try to
garner the favor of King Alfonso.[22]
Independence of the County of Portugal[edit]
After Raymond's death, Queen Urraca (Teresa's half-sister) married Alfonso I of
Aragon for political and strategic reasons. Henry took advantage of the family
conflicts and political unrest and declared the independence of the County of
Portugal.
Caught under siege in Astorga by the King of Aragon, then at war with Urraca, Henry
held the city with the help of his sister-in-law. Henry died on 22 May 1112,[23] from
wounds received during the siege.[24] His remains were transferred, following his
previous orders, to Braga where he was buried in a chapel at Braga Cathedral the
building of which he had promoted.[25] After his death, his widow governed the
county since their son Afonso was only three years old at that time.[26]
Legacy[edit]
Count Henry was the leader of a group of gentlemen, monks, and clerics of French
origin who exerted great influence in the Iberian Peninsula, promoted many reforms
and introduced several institutions from the other side of the Pyrenees, such as the
customs of Cluny and the Roman Rite. They occupied relevant ecclesiastical and
political positions which provoked a strong backlash during the last years of the reign
of King Alfonso VI.[27]
Marriage and issue[edit]
He married Teresa of León around 1095.[28] From Teresa, Henry had three sons and
three daughters of whom four survived to adulthood:
Urraca Henriques (c. 1095[29]–after 1169), the wife of Bermudo Pérez de Traba, son
of Pedro Fróilaz de Traba and his first wife Urraca Fróilaz, tenente in Trastámara,
Viseu, Seia, and Faro in A Coruña.[30]
Sancha Henriques (c. 1097[29]–1163), married the nobleman Sancho Nunes de
Celanova. On 15 July 1129, the abbess of the Monastery of San Salvador de Ferreira
de Pantón purchased from Mendo Núñez, his brother Sancho, and the wife of the
latter, Sancha Henriques, some properties in Estriz.[31] One of their daughters, María,
was the abbess at the Monastery of San Salvador de Sobrado de Trives. They were
also the parents of count Velasco, Gil, Fernando, and Teresa Sánchez.[32] After
becoming a widow, she married Fernando Méndez de Braganza, with no issue from this
second marriage.[33]
Afonso Henriques (1109[34]–1185). He was named after his maternal grandfather, King
Alfonso VI, perhaps "as a way of remembering that the blood of the Emperor of all
Hispania also ran through his veins". [35] Afonso became Count of Portugal in 1112
and King of Portugal in 1139.[36]
Pedro, abbot at the Monastery of Alcobaça where he was buried.[37]
Parents
OF BURGUNDY Henry (ABT 1035 - 27 Jan 1074)
OF BARCELONA Sibylle (Sybilla) (Sibil) (ABT 1035 - 6 Jul 1074)
Siblings
BOREL Eudes I (Odo I) (ABT 1064 - 23 Mar 1103)
DE BURGUNDY Henry (Henri) (ABT 1069 - 1 Nov 1112)
Marriage To DE CASTILE AND LEON Teresa Alfonso (ABT 1080 - 1 Nov 1130)
m. 1093
Notes
Parents
____ Alfonso VI "The Valiant" (BEF Jun 1040 - 1 Jul 1109)
NUNEZ DE GUZMAN Ximena (ABT 1048 - 1128)
Children by DE CASTILE AND LEON Teresa Alfonso ABT 1080 - 1 Nov 1130
HENRIQUEZ Urraca (1108 - )
HENRIQUEZ Afonso I "The Conqueror" (25 Jul 1110 - 6 Dec 1185)
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