General Notes

REFN: 3937AN
REFN: P3938
Capet, Hugh, King of France
Born: ABT 938
Acceded: 987
Died: 24 AUG 996, Paris, France
Interred: St. Denis,France
Father: Capet, Hugh the Gr eat of Neustria, Count of Paris, b. CIR 895
Mother: , Edhilda
Married ABT 969 to , AdelaiDe of Poitou
Child 1: Capet, Robert II the Pious of France, King o f France, b. 27 MAR
972
Hugh Capet (French: Hugues Capet) (938 – October 24, 996) was King of Fran
ce from 987 to 996. Capet is a nickname meaning "wearing a cape", b
ut it is uncertain where Hugh got this moniker.
Born in 938 in Paris, he came from a powerful and influential family of t
he Germanic aristocracy of France, two members of which had already been e
lected King of France in the ninth and tenth centuries. He was born to Hu
gh the Great and Hedwige of Saxony.
His paternal grandparents were Robert I of France and Beatrix of Vermandoi
s, daughter of Herbert I of Vermandois. His maternal grandparents were Hen
ry the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim.
In 956, Hugh inherited his father's vast estates and became the most power
ful noble of his time.
From 978 to 986, Hugh Capet allied himself with the German emperors Ot
to II and Otto III and with archbishop Adalberon of Reims to dominate t
he weak Carolingian king, Lothair. By 985, he was king in all but name. Af
ter Lothair and his son died in early 987, the archbishop of Reims convinc
ed an assembly of nobles to elect Hugh Capet as their king. He was crown
ed King of France at Noyon, Picardie on July 3, 987, the first of the Cape
tian dynasty to rule France.
Hugh Capet possessed minor properties near Chartres and Anjou. Between Par
is and Orléans he possessed towns and estates amounting to approximately 4
00 square miles (1,000 km²). His authority ended there, and if he dared tr
avel outside his small area, he risked being captured and held for rans
om or even murdered. Indeed, there was a plot in 993 masterminded by the B
ishop of Laon and Odo I of Blois to deliver Hugh Capet into the custo
dy of Otto III. The plot failed, but the fact that no one was punished ill
ustrates how tenuous his hold on power was. Beyond his power base, in t
he rest of France, there were still as many codes of law as there were fie
fdoms. The country operated with 150 different forms of currency and at le
ast a dozen languages. Uniting all this into one cohesive unit was a formi
dable task and a constant struggle between those who wore the crown of Fra
nce and its feudal lords. As such, Hugh Capet's reign was marked by numero
us power struggles with the vassals on the borders of the Seine and the Lo
ire. Beyond his realm, the investiture and then deposition of Arnulf, neph
ew of the duke of Lorraine, as archbishop of Reims involved the king and b
ishops in conflict with Pope John XV that was not yet resolved at Hugh Cap
et's death in 996.
While Hugh Capet's military power was limited and he had to seek milita
ry aid from Richard I of Normandy, his unanimous election as king gave h
im great moral authority and influence.
Hugh Capet died on October 24, 996 in Paris, and was interred in the Sai
nt Denis Basilica. He was succeeded by his son, Robert II.
Hugh Capet married Adelaide of Aquitaine (952-1004), daughter of Duke Will
iam III of Aquitaine. Their children were:
Avoise (or Hedwidge, or Hadevide) (969-1013), who married Reginar IV, Cou
nt of Mons.
Robert II (March 27, 972 – July 20, 1031)
Gisele (born c.970), married Hugh I of Ponthieu
Adelaide (born c.973, married Renauld I, Count of Nevers
Alice (974–1079) (not included in some sources)
Gilette (born c.976) (not included in some sources).