| Hugh the Great | |
|---|---|
| Duke of the Franks | |
 Hugh as depicted in a 14th centuryfamily tree of theRobertians | |
| Count of Paris | |
| Reign | 923–956 |
| Predecessor | Robert I of France |
| Successor | Hugh Capet |
| Born | c. 898 Paris |
| Died | 16 June 956 Dourdan |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Judith Eadhild Hedwig of Saxony |
| Issue | Beatrice of France Hugh Capet Emma of Paris, Duchess of Normandy Otto, Duke of Burgundy Henry I, Duke of Burgundy |
| House | Robertians |
| Father | Robert I of France |
| Mother | Beatrice of Vermandois |
Hugh the Great (c. 898[1] – 16 June 956) was theduke of the Franks andcount of Paris. He was the most powerful magnate in France. Son of KingRobert I of France, Hugh was Margrave of Neustria. He played an active role in bringing KingLouis IV of France back from England in 936. Seeking an alliance with the Holy Roman EmperorOtto the Great, he married Otto's younger sisterHedwig of Saxony in 937. They were the parents ofHugh Capet. Hedwig's sister,Gerberga of Saxony, was Louis' wife. Although he often fought against Louis, he supported the accession of Louis and Gerberga's son,Lothair of France.
Hugh was the son of King Robert I of France andBéatrice of Vermandois,[2] a descendant ofCharlemagne. He was born inParis,Île-de-France,France. His eldest son wasHugh Capet who becameKing of France in 987.[3] His family is known as theRobertians.[4]
In 922, the barons ofWestern Francia, after revolting against theCarolingian KingCharles the Simple (who fled his kingdom under their onslaught), elected Robert I, Hugh's father, as king of Western Francia.[5] At the death of Robert I, in battle atSoissons in 923, Hugh refused the crown and it went to his brother-in-lawRudolph.[5] Charles sought help in regaining his crown from Hugh's cousin CountHerbert II of Vermandois, who instead of helping the king imprisoned him.[5] Herbert then used his prisoner as an advantage in pressing his own ambitions, using the threat of releasing the king up until Charles' death in 929.[6] From then on Herbert II of Vermandois struggled with King Rudolph and Duke Hugh.[5] Finally Rudolph and Herbert II came to an agreement in 935.[5]
At the death of Rudolph in 936, Hugh was in possession of nearly all of the region between theLoire and theSeine, corresponding to the ancientNeustria, with the exceptions of Anjou and of the territory ceded to theNormans in 911.[7] He took a very active part in bringing KingLouis IV (d'Outremer) from theKingdom of England in 936.[8] Historians have wondered why the powerful Hugh the Great called the young Louis to throne instead of taking it himself, as his father had done fifteen years earlier. In the first place, he had many rivals, especiallyHugh, Duke of Burgundy (King Rudolph's brother), andHerbert II, Count of Vermandois, who probably would have challenged his election. But above all, it seems that he was shocked by the early death of his father.Richerus explains that Hugh the Great remembered his father who had died for his "pretentions" and this was the cause of his short and turbulent reign.[9]
In 937, Hugh's second wife, Eadhild, died. Later that year, he marriedHedwige of Saxony, a daughter of KingHenry the Fowler of Germany andMatilda. Soon after this, his third marriage, he was drawn into a prolonged quarrel with Louis IV.[10][11] In 938, King Louis IV began attacking fortresses and lands formerly held by members of his family, some held by Herbert II of Vermandois.[12] In 939, King Louis attacked Hugh the Great and DukeWilliam Longsword of Normandy, after which a truce was concluded, lasting until June.[13] That same year, Hugh, along with Count Herbert II of Vermandois, CountArnulf I of Flanders and Duke William Longsword paid homage to theEmperorOtto the Great, and supported him in his struggle against Louis.[14]
When Louis fell into the hands of theNormans in 945, he was handed over to Hugh in exchange for their young duke Richard.[15] Hugh released Louis IV in 946 on condition that he should surrender the fortress ofLaon.[16] In 948 at a church council atIngelheim the bishops, all but two being from Germany, condemned and excommunicated Hughin absentia, and returned ArchbishopArtauld to his See at Reims.[17] Hugh's response was to attack Soissons and Reims while the excommunication was repeated by a council atTrier.[17] In 953 Hugh finally relented and made peace with Louis IV, the church and his brother-in-law Otto the Great.[17]
On the death of Louis IV, Hugh was one of the first to recognizeLothair as his successor, and, at the intervention of Lothair's mother,Gerberga of Saxony, was instrumental in having him crowned.[17] In recognition of this service Hugh was invested by the new king with the duchies ofBurgundy andAquitaine.[18] In the same year, however, DukeGilbert of Burgundy acknowledged himself his vassal and betrothed his daughter to Hugh's sonOtto-Henry.[10][18] At Giselbert's death on 8 April 956, Hugh became effective master of the duchy;[10] Hugh died inDourdan on 16 June.[2]
Hugh married first, in 922, Judith, daughter ofRoger, Count of Maine, and his wifeRothilde, a daughter of EmperorCharles the Bald.[2] She died childless in 925.[2] Hugh's second wife wasEadhild, daughter ofEdward the Elder, king of the Anglo-Saxons, and half-sister of KingÆthelstan.[2] They married in 926 and she died in 937, childless.[2] Hugh's married his third wife,Hedwig of Saxony, daughter ofHenry the Fowler andMatilda, in 937. She and Hugh had:
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hugh".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 857–858.| International | |
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