| Robertian dynasty Robertiens | |
|---|---|
| Royal house | |
| Country | Francia West Francia |
| Founded | ca. 800 (800) |
| Founder | Robert of Hesbaye |
| Final ruler | Hugh the Great |
| Titles | |
| Dissolution | 956 (956) |
| Cadet branches |
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TheRobertians (sometimes called theRobertines in modern scholarship) are the proposedFrankish family along with theKarlings which are ancestral to theCapetian dynasty, and thus to the royal families of France and of many other countries (currentlySpain andLuxembourg). The Capetians appear first in the records as powerful nobles serving under theCarolingian dynasty ofCharlemagne inWest Francia, which later becameFrance. 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 ofHugh Capet (ruled 987–996).
Hugh's paternal ancestral family, the Robertians, appear in documents that trace the family back to his great-grandfatherRobert the Strong (d. 866). His origins remain unclear, but medieval records hint at an origin inEast Francia, in present-dayGermany, an area then still also ruled by the Carolingians. In particular,Regino of Prüm (died 915) states that Robert the Strong's son Odo was said to be a relative (nepos) of a Count Meingaud, count of an area nearWorms, 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, includingRobert III of Worms (800–834),Robert the Strong (d. 866), andRobert I of France (866–923). For example, one proposed ancestor isRobert of Hesbaye (c. 800), about whom there are almost no records.
The Robertian family figured prominently amongst theCarolingian nobility and married into this royal family. Eventually, the Robertians themselves produced Frankish kings such as the brothersOdo (reigned 888–898) andRobert I (r. 922–923), thenHugh Capet (r. 987–996), who ruled from his seat in Paris as the first Capetian king of France.
AlthoughPhilip II Augustus (r. 1180–1223) was officially the last monarch ofFrance 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 theCapetians, the royal dynasty that ruled France until the revolution of theSecond French Republic in 1848—save during the interregnum of theFrench Revolution andNapoleonic Wars. Members of the family still reign in Europe today : both KingFelipe VI of Spain and Grand DukeHenri ofLuxembourg descend from this family through theBourbon cadet branch of the dynasty.
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The oldest known Robertians probably originated in the county ofHesbaye, aroundTongeren in modern-dayBelgium. The first certain ancestor isRobert the Strong count ofParis,[1] probably the son of Robert III of Worms, grandson of Robert of Hesbaye, and nephew ofErmengarde of Hesbaye, who was the daughter ofIngram, and wife ofLouis the Pious. Other related family includesCancor, founder of theLorsch Abbey, his sister Landrada and her sonSaint Chrodogang, archbishop ofMetz.
The sons of Robert the Strong wereOdo andRobert, who were both king ofWestern Francia and ruled during theCarolingian era. His daughter Richildis married a count ofTroyes. The family becameCounts of Paris under Odo and "Dukes of the Franks" under Robert, possessing large parts of the ancientNeustria. Although quarrels continued between Robert's sonHugh the Great andLouis IV of France, they were mended upon the ascension ofLothair I of France (954–986). Lothair greatly expanded the Robertian dominions when he granted HughAquitaine as well as much ofBurgundy,[2] both rich and influential territories, arguably two of the richest in France.
The Carolingian dynasty ceased to rule France upon the death ofLouis 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 ofWest Francia. Given the resurgence of theHoly Roman Empire title and dignities in theWest Francian kingdom, Europe was later believed to have entered a new age, so Hugh came to be known in historiography as the first king ofFrance, as western civilization was perceived to have entered theHigh Middle Ages period. Hugh was crowned atNoyon on July 3, 987 with the full support ofHoly Roman EmperorOtto III. With Hugh's coronation, a new era began for France, and his descendants came to be named, after him, theCapetians. They ruled France as the Capetians,Valois, andBourbons until theFrench Revolution.They returned after 1815 and ruled untilLouis Philippe was deposed in 1848.
However, they have continued to ruleSpain, with two republican interruptions, through the Bourbon Dynasty right down to the current kingFelipe VI.
The first two generations are speculative.
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