The Robertians (sometimes called the Robertines in modern scholarship) are the proposed Frankish family which was ancestral to the Capetian dynasty , and thus to the royal families of France and of many other countries (currently Spain and Luxembourg ). The Capetians appear first in the records as powerful nobles serving under the Carolingian dynasty of Charlemagne in West Francia , which later became France . As their power increased, they came into conflict with the older royal family and attained the crown several times before the eventual start of the continuous rule of the descendants of Hugh Capet (ruled 987–996).
77-630: Hugh's paternal ancestral family, the Robertians, appear in documents that trace the family back to his great-grandfather Robert the Strong (d. 866). His origins remain unclear, but medieval records hint at an origin in East Francia , in present-day Germany , an area then still also ruled by the Carolingians. In particular, Regino of Prüm (died 915) states that Robert the Strong's son Odo
154-637: A Mediterranean expedition. Salomon hired the Mediterranean fleet to ravage the Loire valley in Neustria. Robert captured twelve of their ships, killing all on board save a few who fled. He then hired the former Seine Vikings to attack Salomon's realm for 6,000 pounds silver. Robert's apparent purpose was to prevent the Vikings from serving Salomon. He presumably collected a large amount in taxes for
231-538: A (non- tributary ) Danegeld to pay for keeping the Vikings out of Neustria. But peace between the Franks and the Vikings did not last long: in 863 Salomon made his peace, but the Vikings, now deprived of enemy lands to loot, proceeded to ravage Neustria. Charles now made Robert Lay abbot of the influential abbey St. Martin at Tours . Robert warred with Pepin II in his later years. In 863 he again defended Autun from Louis
308-581: A character in Purgatorio , the second canticle of the Divine Comedy . The pilgrim meets Capet on the fifth terrace of Mount Purgatory among souls performing penitence for avarice ( Purgatorio 20). In this portrayal, Capet acknowledges himself as the "root of the obnoxious plant / that shadows all the Christian lands" ( Purg. 20.43-44). The metaphor of the root of the plant is reminiscent of
385-634: A domestic tribunal, and convoked a synod at Reims in June 991. There, Gerbert testified against Arnulf, which led to the archbishop's deposition and Gerbert being chosen as replacement. Pope John XV rejected this procedure and wished to convene a new council in Aachen , but the French bishops refused and confirmed their decision in Chelles (winter 993–994). The pope then called them to Rome, but they protested that
462-525: A family tree. Dante thus condemns Hugh as a main source of the evil that has pervaded and corrupted the French monarchy. Dante's personal resentment towards Hugh's legacy likely stemmed from the fact that his exile had been caused by interference in Florentine politics by the French crown and Pope Boniface VIII in the early fourteenth century. In this way, the "obnoxious plant" of the Capetians casts
539-402: A great gamble, but Hugh made it anyway, and chose him as archbishop instead of Gerbert, in order to appease Carolingian sympathizers and the local populace. Following the customs of those times, he was made to invoke a curse upon himself if he should break his oath of fidelity to Hugh. Arnulf was duly installed, and was confirmed by the pope. Yet to Arnulf the ties of blood with his uncle Charles
616-671: A new era began for France, and his descendants came to be named, after him, the Capetians . They ruled France as the Capetians, Valois , and Bourbons until the French Revolution . They returned after 1815 and ruled until Louis Philippe was deposed in 1848. However, they have continued to rule Spain , with two republican interruptions, through the Bourbon Dynasty right down to the current king Felipe VI . The first two generations are speculative. Robert
693-617: A principality at Hugh's expense and that of the Bretons . The royal diplomas of the 960s show that the nobles were faithful not only to the Duke of the Franks, as in the days of Hugh the Great, but also to King Lothair. Indeed, some in the royal armies fought against the Duchy of Normandy on behalf of Lothair. Finally, even Hugh's position as second man in the kingdom seemed to slip. Two charters of
770-476: A shadow over both the papacy and the chance for an emperor that might bring order to Italy, Dante's "two suns." The myth of Capet's humble origins is another crucial component of Dante's representation of this historical figure in Purgatorio . Though the notion that Capet was the son of a butcher is rightfully reported by critics to be untrue—he was the son of a duke—situating Capet in a lower social position
847-445: A war against Otto . In August 978, accompanied by the nobles of the kingdom, Lothair surprised and plundered Aachen , residence of Otto II, forcing the imperial family to flee. After occupying Aachen for five days, Lothair returned to France after symbolically disgracing the city. In September 978, Otto II retaliated against Lothair by invading France with the aid of Charles. He met with little resistance on French territory, devastating
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#1732771745878924-583: Is Robert of Hesbaye (c. 800), about whom there are almost no records. The Robertian family figured prominently amongst the Carolingian nobility and married into this royal family. Eventually, the Robertians themselves produced Frankish kings such as the brothers Odo (reigned 888–898) and Robert I (r. 922–923), then Hugh Capet (r. 987–996), who ruled from his seat in Paris as the first Capetian king of France. Although Philip II Augustus (r. 1180–1223)
1001-459: The Capetians . The parentage of Robert the Strong is obscure. While very little is known about the beginnings of the Robertian family, speculative proposals have been made. According to one proposal, Robert was a son of Robert III of Worms . Far more speculatively, mainly based on the use of the name Robert, or similar names, it has been proposed for example that his family had its origins in
1078-401: The Carolingian era. His daughter Richildis married a count of Troyes . The family became Counts of Paris under Odo and "Dukes of the Franks" under Robert, possessing large parts of the ancient Neustria . Although quarrels continued between Robert's son Hugh the Great and Louis IV of France , they were mended upon the ascension of Lothair I of France (954–986). Lothair greatly expanded
1155-515: The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars . Members of the family still reign in Europe today : both King Felipe VI of Spain and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg descend from this family through the Bourbon cadet branch of the dynasty. The oldest known Robertians probably originated in the county of Hesbaye , around Tongeren in modern-day Belgium . The first certain ancestor is Robert
1232-646: The Hesbaye region in present-day eastern Belgium, or perhaps descended from the family of Chrodegang of Metz . However, these proposals are unproven. According to the Worms proposal, during the reign of Louis the German in East Francia , the Robertian family emigrated from East Francia to West Francia . After their arrival in his realm Charles the Bald rewarded the family defecting from his enemy by assigning to Robert
1309-723: The Holy Roman Empire , were ruled by the Ottonian dynasty, represented by Hugh's first cousin Otto II and then by Otto's son, Otto III . The lands south of the river Loire had largely ceased to be part of the West Francia kingdom in the years after Charles the Simple was deposed in 922. Both the Duchy of Normandy and the Duchy of Burgundy were largely independent, and Brittany entirely so—although from 956 Burgundy
1386-618: The House of Capet , ruled France from 987 to 1328; thereafter, the Kingdom was ruled by cadet branches of the dynasty. All French kings through Louis Philippe , and all royals since then, have belonged to the dynasty. Furthermore, cadet branches of the House continue to reign in Spain and Luxembourg . All monarchs of the Kingdom of France from Hugh Capet to Philip II of France were titled 'King of
1463-578: The Montier-en-Der Abbey (968 and 980) refer to Herbert III, Count of Vermandois , while Count of Chateau-Thierry, Vitry and lay abbot of Saint-Médard of Soissons, bearing the title of "Count of the Franks" and even "count of the palace" in a charter of Lothair. For his part, Lothair also lost power with the ascendance of the Ottonian monarchy. It waned by participating in the gathering of relatives and vassals of Otto I in 965. However, from
1540-480: The Moorish armies harassing Borrel II, Count of Barcelona (a vassal of the French crown), and that the stability of the country necessitated two kings should he die while on expedition. Ralph Glaber , however, attributes Hugh's request to his old age and inability to control the nobility. Modern scholarship has largely imputed to Hugh the motive of establishing a dynasty against the pretension of electoral power on
1617-473: The lay abbacy of Marmoutier in 852. And in 853 he granted the position of missus dominicus in the provinces of Maine , Anjou , and Touraine to Robert, giving him de facto control of the ancient ducatus Cenomannicus , a large duchy centred on Le Mans and corresponding to the ancient realm of regnum Neustriae . Robert's rise came at the expense of the established family of the Rorigonids and
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#17327717458781694-418: The Île-de-France . His grandfather had been King Robert I . King Odo was his granduncle and Emma of France , the wife of King Rudolph , was his aunt. Hugh's paternal grandmother Beatrice of Vermandois was a patrilineal descendant of Charlemagne. After the end of the ninth century, the descendants of Robert the Strong became indispensable in carrying out royal policies. As Carolingian power failed,
1771-592: The Carolingian cause. Charles took Laon, the seat of Carolingian royalty. Hugh Capet and his son Robert besieged the city twice, but were compelled to withdraw each time. Hugh decided to make an alliance with Theophano (regent for her son Otto III ), but she never replied. When Adalberon, Archbishop of Reims, died, the archbishopric was contested by his right-hand man, Gerbert of Aurillac, and Arnulf, illegitimate son of King Lothair of France (and nephew of Charles of Lorraine). Choosing Arnulf to replace Adalberon seemed
1848-433: The Franks'. Documents during Philip II's reign began using the title 'King of France' as dawn of the intimate unification of medieval French population even though Latin was the main language. Hugh Capet married Adelaide , daughter of William Towhead , Count of Poitou . Their children are as follows: A number of other daughters are less reliably attested. According to tradition, sometime in 981, Hugh Capet recovered
1925-558: The German; he campaigned in Neustria in 865 and again in 866, shortly before his death, dealing with Bretons and Vikings ravaging the environs of Le Mans. On 2 July 866, Robert was killed at the Battle of Brissarthe while defending Francia against a joint Breton-Viking raiding party led by Salomon, King of Brittany and the Viking chieftain Hastein . During the battle the Viking commander
2002-466: The Ottonians. The Archbishop was assisted by one of the most advanced minds of his time, the schoolmaster and future Pope Sylvester II Gerbert of Aurillac. Adalberon and Gerbert worked for the restoration of a single dominant empire in Europe. King Lothair, 13 years old, was under the tutelage of his uncle Otto I. But upon reaching his majority, he became independent, which defeated their plans to bring
2079-455: The Robertian dominions when he granted Hugh Aquitaine as well as much of Burgundy , both rich and influential territories, arguably two of the richest in France. The Carolingian dynasty ceased to rule France upon the death of Louis V (d. 987). After the death of Louis, the son of Hugh the Great, Hugh Capet was chosen as king of the Franks, nominally the last ruler of West Francia . Given
2156-512: The Simple , from his exile at the court of Athelstan of England to become king as Louis IV. This maneuver allowed Hugh to become the most powerful person in France in the first half of the tenth century. Once in power, Louis IV granted him the title of dux Francorum ("Duke of the Franks"). Louis also (perhaps under pressure) officially declared Hugh "the second after us in all our kingdoms". Hugh also gained power when Herbert II of Vermandois died in 943, because Herbert's powerful principality
2233-520: The Stammerer from Le Mans in 858. Later that year, Louis the German reached Orléans and received delegations from the Breton and Neustrian leaders, as well as from Pepin II of Aquitaine . In 861, Charles made peace with Robert and appointed him Count of Anjou . Thereafter, Robert successfully defended the northern coast against a Viking invasion. In 862 Charles granted Louis the Stammerer, his son,
2310-523: The Strong Robert the Strong ( French : Robert le Fort ; c. 830 – 866) was the father of two kings of West Francia: Odo (or Eudes) and Robert I of France . His family is named after him and called the Robertians . In 853, he was named missus dominicus by Charles the Bald , King of West Francia . Robert the Strong was the great-grandfather of Hugh Capet and thus the ancestor of all
2387-576: The Strong count of Paris , probably the son of Robert III of Worms, grandson of Robert of Hesbaye, and nephew of Ermengarde of Hesbaye , who was the daughter of Ingram , and wife of Louis the Pious . Other related family includes Cancor , founder of the Lorsch Abbey , his sister Landrada and her son Saint Chrodogang , archbishop of Metz . The sons of Robert the Strong were Odo and Robert , who were both king of Western Francia and ruled during
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2464-540: The abbeys while other contenders continued to distribute church revenues to their own partisans. Such conduct could only appeal to Reims, who was very close to the Cluniac movement . With the support of Adalberon of Reims , Hugh became the new leader of the kingdom. Gerbert d'Aurillac stated that "Lothair is king of France in name alone; Hugh is, however, not in name but in effect and deed." In 979, Lothair sought to ensure his succession by associating his eldest son with
2541-412: The age of 13. In 954, Otto I appointed his brother Bruno, Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lorraine , as guardian of Lothair and regent of the kingdom of France. In 956, Otto gave him the same role over Hugh and the Robertian principality. With these young princes under his control, Otto aimed to maintain the balance between Robertians, Carolingians, and Ottonians. In 960, Lothair agreed to grant to Hugh
2618-606: The archbishop claimed the primacy of Gaul and the privilege to crown kings and direct their chancery. Therefore, the Archbishop of Reims traditionally had supported the ruling family and had long been central to the royal policy. But the episcopal city was headed by Adalberon of Rheims, nephew of Adalberon of Metz (a faithful prelate to the Carolingians), elected by the King Lothair in 969, but who had family ties to
2695-431: The claim of a Carolingian. By 987, however, times had changed. For ten years, Hugh Capet had been openly competing against his king, and appeared to have subjected the great vassals. And his opponent Charles of Lorraine was accused of all evils: he wanted to usurp the crown (978), had allied himself with the emperor against his brother, and had defamed Queen Emma of Italy , his brother's wife. The archbishop of Reims convened
2772-545: The death of Judas." That night the bishop seized Charles and Arnulf in their sleep, and delivered them to Hugh. Charles was imprisoned in Orléans until his death. His sons, born in prison, were released. After the loss of Reims by the betrayal of Arnulf, Hugh demanded his deposition by Pope John XV . But the pope was then embroiled in a conflict with the Roman aristocracy. After the capture of Charles and Arnulf, Hugh resorted to
2849-402: The death of the emperor in 973, Lothair wanted to revive the policy of his grandfather to recover Lorraine. Otto's son and successor, Otto II, appointed his cousin, Charles , brother of Lothair, as Duke of Lower Lorraine. This infuriated both Lothair and Hugh, whose sister, Beatrice was the regent for the young Duke Theodoric I of Upper Lorraine . In 978, Hugh thus supported Lothair in opening
2926-427: The exertions of the legate, the deposition of Arnulf was finally pronounced illegal. To avoid excommunication of the bishops who sat in the council of St. Basle , and thus a schism, Gerbert decided to let go. He abandoned the archdiocese and went to Italy. After Hugh's death, Arnulf was released from his imprisonment and soon restored to all his dignities. Under the auspices of the emperor, Gerbert eventually succeeded to
3003-413: The fact that no one was punished illustrates how tenuous was his hold on power. Beyond his power base, in the rest of France, there were still as many codes of law as there were fiefdoms. Uniting all this into one cohesive unit was a formidable task and a constant struggle between those who wore the crown of France and its feudal lords. Therefore, Hugh Capet's reign was marked by numerous power struggles with
3080-580: The goodness of his soul. Hugh was crowned rex Francorum on 1 June, in Noyon , and again on 3 July 987, in Paris . Immediately after his coronation, Hugh began to push for the coronation of his son Robert . The archbishop, wary of establishing hereditary kingship in the Capetian line, answered that two kings could not be created in the same year. Hugh claimed, however, that he was planning an expedition against
3157-612: The great families of that time. The West was dominated by Otto I, who had defeated the Magyars in 955 , and in 962 assumed the restored imperial title. The new emperor increased his power over Western Francia with special attention to certain bishoprics on his border; although elected by Lothair, Adalberon, Archbishop of Reims , had imperial sympathies. Disappointed, King Lothair relied on other dioceses ( Langres , Chalons , Noyon ) and on Arnulf I, Count of Flanders . In 956, Hugh inherited his father's estates, in theory making him one of
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3234-399: The great nobles of West Francia began to assert that the monarchy was elective, not hereditary, and twice chose Robertians ( Odo I (888–898) and Robert I (922–923)) as kings, instead of Carolingians. Robert I, Hugh the Great's father, was succeeded as King of the Franks by his son-in-law, Rudolph of Burgundy . When Rudolph died in 936, Hugh the Great had to decide whether he ought to claim
3311-544: The greatest lords of France at Senlis and denounced Charles of Lorraine for not maintaining his dignity, having made himself a vassal of the Emperor Otto II and marrying a woman from a lower class of nobility. Then he promoted the candidacy of Hugh Capet: Crown the Duke. He is most illustrious by his exploits, his nobility, his forces. The throne is not acquired by hereditary right; no one should be raised to it unless distinguished not only for nobility of birth, but for
3388-459: The growing power of Hugh, decided to reconcile with the Emperor Otto II by agreeing to renounce Lorraine . But Hugh did not want the king and the emperor reconciled, so he quickly took the fortress of Montreuil , and then went to Rome. There he met the emperor and the pope, with his confidants Burchard I of Vendôme and Arnulf of Orléans . Tension mounted between Lothair and Hugh. The king married his 15-year-old son Louis to Adelaide of Anjou , who
3465-537: The investment of Charles' son, Louis the Stammerer , with the regnum Neustriae , all which significantly curtailed the powers of both Salomon and Robert. Charles had given Robert the counties of Autun and Nevers in Burgundy ; and in 856 Robert had defended Autun from Louis the German. But following Erispoe's assassination in November 857, he and Salomon rebelled against Charles. Robert's Neustrians chased Louis
3542-515: The journey back to Germany, Otto's rearguard, unable to cross the Aisne in flood at Soissons , was completely wiped out, "and more died by that wave than by the sword." This victory allowed Hugh Capet to regain his position as the first noble of the Frankish kingdom. Until the end of the tenth century, Reims was the most important of the archiepiscopal seats of France. Situated in Carolingian lands,
3619-406: The land around Rheims, Soissons , and Laon . Otto II then had Charles crowned as King of France by Theodoric I , Bishop of Metz . Lothair then fled to the French capital of Paris where he was besieged by Otto II and Charles. Sickness among his troops brought on by winter, and a French relief army under Hugh Capet, forced Otto II and Charles to lift the siege on 30 November and return to Germany. On
3696-452: The lay abbacy of Saint Martin of Tours —a worthy benefice but small in comparison with the kingdom he had received in 856, and lost in 858. The young Louis rebelled and, befriended by Salomon who supplied him with troops, mounted war against Robert. In 862 two Viking fleets converged on Brittany; one had recently been forced out of the Seine by Charles the Bald, the other was returning from
3773-426: The legacy of his father, the margraviate of Neustria and the title of Duke of the Franks. But in return, Hugh had to accept the new independence gained by the counts of Neustria during Hugh's minority. Hugh's brother, Otto received only the duchy of Burgundy (by marriage). Andrew W. Lewis has sought to show that Hugh the Great had prepared a succession policy to ensure his eldest son much of his legacy, as did all
3850-477: The literal interpretation, Capetian kingship would thus have ended with Philip Augustus , the seventh king of his line. Figuratively, seven meant completeness, and would mean that the Capetians would be kings for ever. In fact, Capetian kingship lasted until 1848 in France, although the current King of Spain and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg are Capetians. Italian poet Dante Alighieri features Hugh Capet as
3927-403: The most powerful nobles in the much-reduced kingdom of West Francia . As he was not yet an adult, his mother acted as his guardian, and young Hugh's neighbours took advantage. Theobald I of Blois , a former vassal of Hugh's father, took the counties of Chartres and Châteaudun . Farther south, on the border of the kingdom, Fulk II of Anjou , another former client of Hugh the Great, carved out
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#17327717458784004-576: The new king wished to launch an offensive against Reims and Laon because of their rapprochement with the empire. Sources are vague on Hugh's role at this time, but it would be his interest to limit the king's excessive pretensions. Louis summoned the archbishop of Reims at his palace at Compiègne to answer for his actions. But while hunting in the forest of Senlis, Louis was killed in a riding accident on 22 May 987. In May 987, chroniclers, including Richerus and Gerbert of Aurillac , wrote that in Senlis "died
4081-406: The papacy as Pope Sylvester II , the first French pope. Hugh Capet possessed minor properties near Chartres and Angers . Between Paris and Orléans he possessed towns and estates amounting to approximately 400 square miles (1,000 km ). A plot in 993, masterminded by Adalberon, Bishop of Laon and Odo I of Blois , was to deliver Hugh Capet into the custody of Otto III. The plot failed, but
4158-481: The part of the aristocracy, but this is not the typical view of contemporaries and even some modern scholars have been less skeptical of Hugh's "plan" to campaign in Spain. Robert was eventually crowned on 25 December that same year. Charles of Lorraine, the Carolingian heir, contested the succession. He drew support from the Count of Vermandois, a cadet of the Carolingian dynasty; and from the Count of Flanders, loyal to
4235-435: The race of Charles ". However, even if Louis died childless, there remained a Carolingian who could ascend the throne: Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine , brother of Lothair, uncle of Louis V, first cousin of Hugh Capet through their mothers. This was nothing extraordinary; it was not the first time that a Robertian would be competing with a Carolingian. In the time of Hugh the Great, the Robertians found it expedient to support
4312-461: The relics of St. Valery , which had been stolen by the Flemings, and restored them to their proper resting place. The saint appeared to the duke in a dream, and said: "For what you have done, you and your descendants shall be kings unto the seventh generation". When he became king, Hugh refused to wear the insignia of royalty, hoping that it would extend his descendants' reign by one generation. By
4389-558: The resurgence of the Holy Roman Empire title and dignities in the West Francian kingdom, Europe was later believed to have entered a new age, so Hugh came to be known in historiography as the first king of France , as western civilization was perceived to have entered the High Middle Ages period. Hugh was crowned at Noyon on July 3, 987 with the full support of Holy Roman Emperor Otto III . With Hugh's coronation,
4466-431: The royal houses of France and Germany. Through his mother, Hugh was the nephew of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor ; Henry I, Duke of Bavaria ; Bruno the Great , Archbishop of Cologne; and finally, Gerberga of Saxony , Queen of France. Gerberga was the wife of Louis IV, King of France and mother of Lothair of France and Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine . His paternal family, the Robertians , were powerful landowners in
4543-540: The senior line, and until 1848 via cadet branches (with an interruption from 1792 to 1814 and briefly in 1815 ). Hugh was the son of Hugh the Great , Duke of the Franks , and Hedwige of Saxony , daughter of the German king Henry the Fowler . His birth date is not given by any source, but modern scholars often date his birth between 938 and 941. He was born into a well-connected and powerful family with many ties to
4620-477: The throne for himself. To claim the throne would require him to risk an election, which he would have to contest with the powerful Herbert II, Count of Vermandois , father of Hugh, Archbishop of Reims , and allied to Henry the Fowler , King of Germany; and with Hugh the Black, Duke of Burgundy , brother of the late king. To block his rivals, Hugh the Great brought Louis d'Outremer , the dispossessed son of Charles
4697-414: The throne. Hugh Capet supported him and summoned the great nobles of the kingdom. The ceremony took place at Compiègne , in the presence of the king, of Arnulf (an illegitimate son of the king), and of Archbishop Adalberon, under Hugh's blessing. The congregation acclaimed Louis V , following the Carolingian custom, and the archbishop anointed the new king of the Franks. The following year, Lothair, seeing
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#17327717458784774-476: The unsettled conditions en route and in Rome made that impossible. The Pope then sent a legate with instructions to call a council of French and German bishops at Mousson , where only the German bishops appeared, the French being stopped on the way by Hugh and Robert. Gerbert, supported by other bishops, advocates for the independence of the churches vis-à-vis Rome (which is controlled by the German emperors). Through
4851-532: The vassals on the borders of the Seine and the Loire. While Hugh Capet's military power was limited and he had to seek military aid from Richard I of Normandy , his unanimous election as king gave him great moral authority and influence. Adémar de Chabannes records, probably apocryphally, that during an argument with the Count of Auvergne , Hugh demanded of him: "Who made you count?" The count riposted: "Who made you king?". Hugh Capet died on 24 October 996, and
4928-414: The whole of Europe under a single crown. Therefore, they turned their support from Lothair to Hugh Capet. Indeed, for the Ottonian to make France a vassal state of the empire, it was imperative that the Frankish king was not of the Carolingian dynasty, and not powerful enough to break the Ottonian tutelage. Hugh Capet was for them the ideal candidate, especially since he actively supported monastic reform in
5005-452: Was careful not to join this expedition. When the king took Verdun and imprisoned Godfrey (brother of the Archbishop of Reims), Adalberon and Gerbert sought the aid of the duke of the Franks. But Lothair's enterprises came to naught when he died in March 986. Louis V, following Louis IV and Lothair, declared that he would take the counsels of the duke of the Franks for his policies. It seems
5082-531: Was designed to curb their regional power and to defend Neustria from Viking and Breton raids. In 858 Robert joined a rebellion against Charles the Bald. With the Bretons under Salomon he led the Frankish nobles of Neustria and invited Louis the German to invade West Francia and receive their homage. The revolt had been sparked by a marriage alliance between Charles and Erispoe , King of Brittany , and by
5159-686: Was entrapped in a nearby church. Robert removed his armour to start to besiege the church; the Vikings then launched a surprise attack and Robert died in the subsequent melee. He left behind a nine-year-old son, Odo (who would later be King of France), as his heir. His heroic successes against the Vikings led to his characterization as "a second Maccabaeus " in the Annales Fuldenses . Robert married Adelaide of Tours , daughter of Hugh of Tours . They had: Hugh Capet Hugh Capet ( / ˈ k æ p eɪ / ; French : Hugues Capet [yɡ kapɛ] ; c. 940 – 24 October 996)
5236-556: Was interred in the Basilica of Saint-Denis . His son Robert continued to reign. Most historians regard the beginnings of modern France as having initiated with the coronation of Hugh Capet. This is because, as Count of Paris , he made the city his power centre. The monarch began a long process of exerting control of the rest of the country from there. He is regarded as the founder of the Capetian dynasty . The direct Capetians, or
5313-505: Was not used by his successors until the time of his descendant Philip II . Kings ruled as rex Francorum ("King of the Franks "), the title remaining in use until 1190 (but note the use of FRANCORUM REX by Louis XII in 1499, by Francis I in 1515, and by Henry II about 1550, and on French coins up to the eighteenth century.) The lands they ruled comprised only a small part of the former Carolingian Empire . The eastern Frankish lands ,
5390-478: Was officially the last monarch of France with the title "King of the Franks" ( rex Francorum ) and the first to style himself "King of France" ( roi de France ), in (systematic application of) historiography , Hugh Capet holds this distinction. He founded the Capetians , the royal dynasty that ruled France until the revolution of the Second French Republic in 1848—save during the interregnum of
5467-413: Was ruled by Hugh's brothers Otto and Henry . In 956, when his father Hugh the Great died, Hugh, the eldest son, was then about fifteen years old and had two younger brothers. Otto I, King of Germany , intended to bring western Francia under his control, which was possible since he was the maternal uncle of Hugh Capet and Lothair of France , the new king of the Franks, who succeeded Louis IV in 954, at
5544-469: Was said to be a relative ( nepos ) of a Count Meingaud, count of an area near Worms , who died in 892, and there are indications that Maingaud's family used the names Robert and Odo. Modern proposals about their ancestry further back are based on the idea that there was one family which frequently named its sons Robert, including Robert III of Worms (800–834), Robert the Strong (d. 866), and Robert I of France (866–923). For example, one proposed ancestor
5621-541: Was the King of the Franks from 987 to 996. He is the founder of and first king from the House of Capet . The son of the powerful duke Hugh the Great and his wife Hedwige of Saxony , he was elected as the successor of the last Carolingian king, Louis V . Hugh was descended from Charlemagne 's son Pepin of Italy through his paternal grandmother , and was also a nephew of Otto the Great . The dynasty he founded ruled France for nearly nine centuries: from 987 to 1328 in
5698-503: Was the predicament of Hugh, and he began doubting whether he could win the contest by force. Adalberon, bishop of Laon , whom Charles expelled when he took the city, had sought the protection of Hugh Capet. The bishop made overtures to Arnulf and Charles, to mediate a peace between them and Hugh Capet. Adalberon was received by Charles favorably, but was made to swear oaths that would bring curses upon himself if broken. Adalberon swore to them all, "I will observe my oaths, and if not, may I die
5775-442: Was the stronger than the oath he had given Hugh. Gathering the nobles in his castle, Arnulf sent one of his agents and opened the gates of the city to Charles. Arnulf acted as if terrified, and took the nobles with him to a tower, which he had emptied out of supplies beforehand. Thus was the city of Reims compelled to surrender; to keep up appearances, Arnulf and Charles denounced each other, until Arnulf swore fealty to Charles. Great
5852-449: Was then divided among his four sons. Hugh the Great came to dominate a wide swath of central France, from Orléans and Senlis to Auxerre and Sens , while the king was rather confined to the area northeast of Paris ( Compiègne , Laon , Soissons ). The realm in which Hugh grew up, and of which he would one day be king, bore little resemblance to modern France. Hugh's predecessors did not call themselves kings of France, and that title
5929-400: Was then more than 40 years old. She brought with her Auvergne and the county of Toulouse , enough to pincer the Robertian territories from the south. However, the marriage failed and the couple separated two years later. At the death of Otto II in 983, Lothair took advantage of the minority of Otto III and, after making an alliance with the Duke of Bavaria , decided to attack Lorraine. Hugh
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