Capetians (kəpē`shənz), royal house of France that ruled continuously from 987 to 1328; it takes its name from Hugh Capet Hugh Capet (kā`pĭt, kăp`ĭt), c.938–996, king of France (987–96), first of the Capetians .
..... Click the link for more information. . Related branches of the family (see Valois Valois (välwä`), royal house of France that ruled from 1328 to 1589.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Bourbon Bourbon (b
..... Click the link for more information. ) ruled France until the final deposition of the monarchy in the 19th cent. The first historical ancestor was Robert the Strong Robert the Strong, d. 866, French warrior, marquess of Neustria; father of the French kings Eudes and Robert I and ancestor of the Capetians. He joined the rebellious nobles against Charles II, Emperor of the West. They invited Louis the German to invade France (858).
..... Click the link for more information. , count of Anjou and of Blois. His son, Eudes Eudes (y

dz, Fr.
..... Click the link for more information. , count of Paris, was elected (888) king after the deposition of the Carolingian king Charles III (Charles the Fat). From 893 to 987 the crown passed back and forth between Carolingians Carolingians (kărəlĭn`jēənz), dynasty of Frankish rulers, founded in the 7th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. and descendants of Robert the Strong. Eudes's brother, Robert I Robert I, c.865–923, French king (922–23), son of Count Robert the Strong and younger brother of King Eudes . He inherited from Eudes the territory between the Seine and the Loire rivers.
..... Click the link for more information. , was chosen king in 922 but died in 923. The title, waived by his son, Hugh the Great Hugh the Great, d. 956, French duke; son of King Robert I and father of Hugh Capet . Excluded from the succession on his father's death by his brother-in-law Raoul , he supported the candidacy of Louis IV , the Carolingian heir, after Raoul's death (936).
..... Click the link for more information. , passed to Robert's son-in-law, Raoul Raoul (rä

l`), d. 936, duke of Burgundy, king of France (923–36).
..... Click the link for more information. , duke of Burgundy. In 987, Hugh's son, Hugh Capet, became king. His direct descendants remained on the throne until the death (1328) of Charles IV, when it passed to the related house of Valois. The successors of Hugh Capet were Robert II, Henry I, Philip I, Louis VI, Louis VII, Philip II, Louis VIII, Louis IX, Philip III, Philip IV, Louis X, John I, Philip V, and Charles IV. Their reign marked the expansion of royal authority, the revival of towns and commerce, and the beginning of the modern French state.

Bibliography

See R. Fawtier, The Capetian Kings of France (1941, tr. 1960); A. Lewis, Royal Succession in Capetian France (1982); R. McKitterick, The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians (1983); J. Dunbabin, France in the Making, 843–1180 (1985).

Capetians

or Capets

Ruling house of France (987–1328), who laid the foundation of the French state. Descended from Robert the Strong (died 866), they included Hugh Capet (r. 987–96), the first Capetian king; Philip II Augustus (r.1180–1223); and Louis IX (r.1226–70). Capetians also ruled as dukes of Burgundy and Brittany, emperors of Constantinople, counts of Artois and Provence, kings and queens of Naples, and kings of Hungary and Navarre.