Rudolph I (c. 859 – 25 October 912) was King of Upper Burgundy from his election in 888 until his death.
A member of the elder Welf family, Rudolph was the son of Conrad, Count of Auxerre and Waldrada of Worms.
[1] From his father he inherited the lay abbacy of Saint-Maurice d'Agaune,[2] making him the most powerful magnate in Upper Burgundy - present-day Western Switzerland and Franche-Comté.
After the deposition and death of Charles the Fat in 888, the nobles and leading clergy of Upper Burgundy met at Saint-Maurice and elected Rudolph as king.
[3] Apparently on the basis of this election, Rudolph claimed the whole of Lotharingia, taking much of modern Lorraine and Alsace - but his claim was contested by Arnulf of Carinthia, the new king of East Francia, who rapidly forced Rudolph to abandon Lotharingia in return for recognition as king of Upper Burgundy.