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Odo ICount of Blois, Chartres and Tours from 978
Date of Birth: 01.01.0945
Country:  France |
Content:
- Early Life and Rise to Power
- Influence and Military Campaigns
- Relationship with the Carolingians
- Conflicts with Hugh Capet
- Legacy and Later Life
- Family and Children
Early Life and Rise to Power
Count Eudes I of Blois was born between 945 and 950. He became the Count of Blois, Chartres, and Tours in 978, and later acquired the titles of Count of Dreux in 990, and Count of Beauvais, Reims, Châteaudun, and Brie in 974. Through marriage and inheritance, he also became co-Count of Troyes, Meaux, and Provins in 983.
Influence and Military Campaigns
Eudes I was one of the most powerful feudal lords in France during the reign of Hugh Capet. He continued his father's dispute with the Archbishop of Reims and gained possession of the castle of Coucy in 965. In the 970s, he intervened in the conflict in the Duchy of Brittany, supporting Count Conan I of Rennes and strengthening his family's influence in the region.
Relationship with the Carolingians
As a vassal of the Carolingian king Lothair, Eudes I received the title of Palatine Count, which became hereditary in his family. Like his cousins, the Gerbertines, he initially supported the Carolingians against the Robertians. He helped Charles of Lorraine capture Laon in 988, but later defected and supported Hugh Capet.
Conflicts with Hugh Capet
In 991, Eudes I unsuccessfully besieged Melun, leading to an alliance against him formed by Hugh Capet, Richard I of Normandy, and Fulk III of Anjou. He was forced to withdraw and subsequently reconciled with Hugh Capet.
Legacy and Later Life
In 995, Eudes I began a war with Fulk III of Anjou and besieged the castle of Langeais in Touraine, constructing a stone keep that became one of the first fortifications of its kind. However, the siege was unsuccessful due to the intervention of Hugh Capet.
Eudes I fell ill and retired to the abbey of Marmoutier in 996, where he died on March 12, 996. His widow, Bertha of Burgundy, later married King Robert II of France.
Family and Children
Eudes I married Bertha of Burgundy in 982. Their children included:Robert (d. 989/995)
Theobald II of Blois (985-1004)
Eudes II of Blois (990-1037)
Roger of Blois, Bishop of Beauvais
Thierry (d. 1296/1101)
Landry (d. after 1007)
Agnes of Blois, wife of Geoffrey II, Viscount of Thouars
Bertha
