Rethinking rebellion in early Capetian Burgundy (1002–1016)

Abstract This article examines the civil conflict which took place in Burgundy after the death of Duke Henry (r. 965–1002), normally understood as a struggle for succession to the duchy between Henry’s nephew King Robert the Pious and his adopted son Count Otto-William of Mâcon. I argue that such a reading goes against the grain of our sources, and that the fighting is better understood as a series of individual conflicts attempting to take advantage of a moment of transition to better elites’ local positions. Understood in this way, the course of the Burgundian rebellions from 1002 to 1006 and 1015 to 16 offer insights into why and how local elites rebelled, the primacy of local politics and the limitations and potential of early Capetian kingship.