HUGH CAPET
938 - 996
 

Hugh was the first of the Capetian family to become ruler and king of France 987 - 996.

Hugh's nickname Capet meant Cape in English. So you know what kind of garb the man preferred. Flashy. But not too much so.

Hugh's dad was Hugh the Great, a duke under Carolingian rule. When Hugh Jr inherited in 956, he was ready to topple king Lothar. But he waited until Lothar died and his son Louis V started his term. Luckily, Louis V died childless. The nobles elected Hugh Capet king.

A little problem arose when Charles I of Lower Lorraine claimed to be the rightful heir and got himself imprisoned for that very reason in 991.

The year? 970. The occasion? Hugh's wedding. The bride? Adelaide, daughter of William III, duke of Aquitaine.

When Hugh died in 996, his son Robert succeeded to the throne.