| Name | 'Robert II' "the Pious" "King of France" |
| Birth | 27 Mar 0972, Orleans, FRANCE |
| Death | 20 Jul 1031, Melun, FRANCE Age: 59 |
| Burial | St. Denis Basilica |
| Occupation | Royalty |
| Father | Hugh CAPET "King of France" (0938-0996) |
| Mother | Adelaide de POITOU "Princess of Aquitaine" (0945-1004) |
| 1 | Susanna (Rosala) "Princess of Italy" |
| Birth | abt 0966 |
| Death | 26 Jan 1003 Age: 37 |
| Marriage | abt 0988 |
| Divorce | abt 0995 |
| 2 | Willa |
| 3 | Bertha "Princess of Burgundy" |
| Birth | 0952 |
| Death | 1035 Age: 83 |
| Occupation | Royalty |
| Marriage | abt 0995 |
| Annulment | abt 1000 |
| 4 | Constance TAILLEFER d'ARLES |
| Birth | 0973, Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, FRANCE |
| Death | 25 Jul 1032, Meulan, FRANCE Age: 59 |
| Father | 'Guillaume III' Taillefer de TOULOUSE "Count de Toulouse" (0943-1037) |
| Mother | Arsinde Blanche d'ANJOU (~0973-1032) |
| Marriage | 1001 |
| Children | Adaele (1003-1079) |
| Hugh (1007-1025) | |
| 'Henry I' (1008-1060) | |
| Adelaide Havoise (1009-1063) | |
| 'Robert I' "the Old" (1011-1076) | |
| Eudo (Odes) (1013-1056) | |
| Constance (1014-) |
Robert II, the Pious (March 27 972 - July 20 1031) was King of France from 996 to 1031. A member of the Capetian Dynasty, Robert II was born on March 27, 972 in Orleans, France, the son of King Hugh Capet (938-996) and Adelaide of Aquitaine (952-1004).
In 987, Robert's father had the nobles crown him as successor at Orléans on December 30th, thereby confirming the house of Capet as rulers of France. After Robert became king he did as his father and crowned his eldest son Hugh as his successor. But, due to Prince Hugh's death, another son, Henri, became king. Robert, despite marital problems that saw him temporarily excommunicated by Pope Gregory V, was a very devout Roman Catholic, hence the name Robert the Pious. He was very musically inclined and was a composer, a chorister, and a poet, making his palace a place of religious seclusion, where he conducted the matins and vespers in his royal robes. Part of Robert's piety at the time, was because he did not tolerate heretics and harshly punished them. The kingdom Robert inherited was not large, and in an effort to increase his power, he vigorously pursued his claim to any of the feudal lands as they became vacant which action usually resulted in war with a counter-claimant. In 1003, his invasion of Burgundy was thwarted and it would not be until 1016 that he was finally able to get the support of the Church and be recognized as the Duke of Burgundy. The pious King Robert II made few friends and many enemies, including his own sons Henri and Robert. They turned against their father, in a civil war for power and property. King Robert's army was beaten and he retreated to Beaugency outside Paris. He died in the middle of the war with his sons on July 20, 1031 at Melun, France. He was interred with his third wife, Constance d'Arles (973-July 25, 1032) in Saint Denis Basilica. He was succeeded by his and Constance's second son, Henri I.
Robert II married:
• c. 988, 1) Susanne (Rosala), Princess of Italy. The marriage was arranged by Robert's father and ended in divorce.
• c. 996, 2) Bertha, Princess of Burgundy. Because she was his cousin, Pope Gregory V would not sanction the marriage and Robert was excommunicated. However, after long negotiations with the new Pope Silvester II the marriage was annulled.
• In 1001, 3) Constance Taillefer d'Arles - [1]
King Hugh Capet died in 996, and he was succeeded by his son Robert II. Although he had studied under Gerbert at Rheims, Robert had caused scandal by divorcing his wives Suzanne, daughter of Berengar II, and Willa. Robert wanted to marry his cousin Bertha, widow of Chartres count Odo, and he did so after he became king; but Gerbert refused to sanction the marriage, because Robert was also godfather to a child of Bertha. In 997 the German Pope Gregory V, who had been driven out of Rome by Crescentius II, convened a synod at Pavia with no one from France that suspended all bishops who had deposed Arnulf, and he also summoned Robert to account for his incestuous marriage or face excommunication. Unable to function as Rheims archbishop, Gerbert went to Otto III, who made him his secretary. King Robert was excommunicated in 998 and hoped Bertha would bear him a son; finally he regained papal approval by dismissing Bertha and contracting a marriage with Constance, daughter of the Toulouse count. At the change of the millennium religious fears that the world might end were soon transformed into joy in the new era, and the Gothic style of Christian art began to develop. Duke William of Guienne at the Poitiers council he summoned in 1000 proposed that those who refused to settle disputes by means of justice instead of arms should be excommunicated. France's Robert made this the rule in his kingdom. - [2]
[1] - http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/robert_ii_of_france
[2] - http://www.san.beck.org/AB17-FeudalEurope.html