Hugh Capet (938?-996), king of France, and founder of the Capetian dynasty, son of Hugh the Great, count of Paris, whom he succeeded in 956. His lordship over many fiefs around Paris and Orléans made him the virtual ruler of France, and when King Louis V of France, the last of the Carolingian line, died without an heir in 987, Hugh's numerous vassals enabled him to win the election to the throne, defeating the Carolingian candidate, Charles, duke of Lorraine. Charles and many other great nobles of the realm attempted to resist his authority but, through force of arms and by judicious purchasing of allegiance, as well as through the support of the church, of which he was a devout member, Hugh established a measure of order within his kingdom. He had his son, Robert the Pious (later Robert II), elected and crowned his associate and successor in 988, thereby confirming the house of Capet, which ruled France until 1328. See also Capet.
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