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Capetian dynasty

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For the "Direct Capetians", who ruled France from 987 to 1328, see House of Capet.
Capetian Dynasty
Parent houseRobertian Dynasty
CountryFrance
Founded987
FounderHugh Capet
TitlesKing of France, Duke of Orléans, King of Spain, King of Navarre, Duke of Burgundy, King of Naples, King of Sicily, King of the Two Sicilies, Duke of Parma, Duke of Lucca, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, King of Portugal
Estate(s)France
Cadet branchesHouse of Burgundy

House of Valois
House of Bourbon

The Capetian dynasty is the largest and oldest European royal house, consisting of the descendants of Hugh Capet of France in the male line. King Juan Carlos of Spain and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg are members of this family, both through the Bourbon branch of the dynasty.

Name origins and usage

The name of the dynasty derives from its founder, Hugh, who was known as "Hugh Capet". The meaning of "Capet" (a nickname rather than a surname of the modern sort) is unknown. While folk etymology identifies it with "cape", other suggestions suggest it to be connected to the Latin word caput ("head"), and thus explain it as meaning "chief" or "big head". {{citation}}: Empty citation (help)

The name "Capetian" came to be applied to both the ruling house of France, and to the wider-spread male-line descendants of Hugh Capet, by historians. It was not a contemporary practice. The name "Capet" has also been used as a surname for French royals, particularly but not exclusively those of the House of Capet – one notable use was during the French Revolution, when the dethroned King Louis XVI (a member of the House of Bourbon, though a direct male-line descendant of Hugh Capet) and Queen Marie Antoinette (a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine) were referred to as "Louis and Antoinette Capet" (the Queen being addressed as "the Widow Capet" after the death of her husband).

The Robertians and before

Capetian dynasty Cadets
Main article: Robertians

The dynastic surname now used to decribe Hugh Capet's family prior to his election as King of France is "Robertians" or "Robertines." The name is derived from the family's first certain ancestor, Robert the Strong (b. 820), the count of Paris. Robert was probably son of Robert of Worms (b. 800) and grandson of Robert of Hesbaye (b. 770). The Robertians probably originated in the county Hesbaye, around Tongeren in modern-day Belgium.

The sons of Robert the Strong were Odo and Robert, who both ruled as king of Western Francia. The family became Counts of Paris under Odo and Dukes of the Franks under Robert, possessing large parts of Neustria.

The Carolingian dynasty ceased to rule France upon the death of Louis V. After the death of Louis V, the son of Hugh the Great, Hugh Capet, was elected by the nobility as king of France. Hugh was crowned at Noyon on July 3, 987 with the full support from Holy Roman Emperor Otto III. With Hugh's coronation, a new era began for France, and his descendants came to be named the Capetians, with the Capetian dynasty ruling France for more than eight hundred years (987-1848).

Robertians (Robertiner) Family Branches

Capetians through history

Over the succeeding centuries, Capetians spread throughout Europe, ruling every form of provincial unit from kingdoms to manors.

Salic Law

Salic Law, reestablished during the Hundred Years' War from an ancient Salic Frank tradition, caused the French monarchy to permit only male agnatic descendants of Hugh to succeed to the throne of France.

Without Salic Law, upon the death of Charles IV, the crown would have passed to Isabella of France, the last surviving child of Philip IV of France, and her heir, Edward III of England.

Thus instead of the above succession, the French crown passed from the House of Capet after the death of Charles IV to Philip VI of France of the House of Valois, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty,

  • then to Louis XII of Valois-Orléans, a cadet line of the Valois,
  • then to Francis of Angoulème (who became Francis I), belonging to a cadet line of the Valois-Orléans,
  • then to Henry of Navarre (who became Henry IV of France), from the House of Bourbon, a cadet line of the Capetian Dynasty.

This did not affect monarchies not under that law such as Portugal, Spain, Navarre, and various smaller duchies and counties. Therefore, many royal families appear and disappear in the French succession or become cadet branches upon marriage. A complete list of the senior-most line of Capetians is available below.

Capetian Cadet Branches

The Capetian Dynasty has been broken many times into (sometimes rival) cadet branches. A cadet branch is a line of descent from another line than the senior-most. This list of cadet branches shows most of the Capetian cadet lines, although some sub-branches are not shown:

  • House of Burgundy (1032-1361)
    • Afonsine House of Burgundy (1109–1383)
  • House of Vermandois (1085–1212)
  • House of Dreux (1137–1345)
    • Dukes of Brittany (1213–1341)
  • House of Courtenay (1150-1727)
    • House of Courtenay - Latin Emperors of Constantinople (1217–1283)
  • House of Artois (1237–1472)
  • Elder House of Anjou (initially ruling house of Sicily, then of Naples, became ruling house of Hungary) (1247–1382)
    • Elder House of Anjou - Naples branch (1309–1343)
    • Elder House of Anjou - Taranto branch (1294–1374)
    • Elder House of Anjou - Durazzo branch (1309–1414)
  • House of Bourbon (1268–1503)
    • House of Bourbon - La Marche branch (became Vendôme branch) (1356-1836)
      • House of Bourbon - Preaux branch (1385–1429)
      • House of Bourbon - La Carency branch (1393–1515)
      • House of Bourbon-Montpensier (1477–1608)
      • House of Bourbon - Condé branch (1557–1830)
        • House of Bourbon - Conti branch (1629–1814)
        • House of Bourbon - Soissons branch (1569–1641)
      • House of Bourbon - Anjou or Spanish branch (1700–present)
      • House of Bourbon - Artois branch (1775–1883)
      • House of Bourbon-Orléans (1661-)
        • Orléans-Nemours, then (1891) House of Orléans-Braganza (1814–present)
          • Orléans-Alençon (1844–1970)
        • Orléans-Aumale (1822–1872)
        • Orléans-Montpensier, then Orléans-Galliera (1824–present)
    • House of Bourbon - Montpensier branch (1443–1527)
  • House of Valois (1293–1498)
    • House of Valois - Alençon branch (1325–1525)
    • Younger House of Anjou (1356–1481)
    • House of Valois-Burgundy (1364–1477)
      • House of Valois-Burgundy - Brabantine branch (1404–1430)
      • House of Valois-Burgundy - Nevers branch (1404–1491)
    • House of Valois - Orléans branch (1392–1515)
      • House of Valois - Orléans-Angoulême branch (1407–1589)
  • House of Évreux (1303–1400)
    • House of Évreux - Navarre branch (1328–1425)

Capetians and their domains

Senior Capets

Throughout most of history, the Senior Capet and the King of France were synonymous terms. Only in the time before Hugh Capet took the crown for himself and after the reign of Charles X is the term necessary to identify which. However, since the Salic Law provided for the succession of the French throne for most of French history, here is a list of all the predecessors of the French monarchy, all the French kings from Hugh until Charles, and all the Legitimist pretenders thereafter. All dates are for seniority, not reign. It is important to note that historians class the predecessors of Hugh Capet as Robertians, not Capetians.

Noblemen in Neustria and their descendants (dates uncertain):

Count in the Upper Rhine Valley and Wormgau:

King of France:

Count of Paris:

King of France:

Count of Marnes:

Count of Chambord:

Count of Montizón:

Duke of Madrid:

Duke of Anjou and Madrid:

Duke of San Jaime:

King of Spain:

Duke of Anjou and Segovia:

Duke of Anjou and Cádiz:

Duke of Anjou:

The Capetian dynasty today

Many years have passed since the Capetian monarchs ruled a large part of Europe; however, they still remain as kings, as well as other titles. Currently two Capetian monarchs still rule in Spain and Luxembourg. In addition, seven pretenders represent exiled dynastic monarchies in Brazil, France, Spain, Portugal, Parma and Two Sicilies. The current legitimate senior family member is Louis Alfonso, the Duke of Anjou, who also holds the Legitimist claim to the French throne. Overall, dozens of branches of the Capetian dynasty still exist throughout Europe.

Except for the House of Braganza (founded by an illegitimate son of King John I, who was himself illegitimate), all current major Capetian branches are of the Bourbon cadet branch. Within the House of Bourbon, many of these lines are themselves well-defined cadet lines of the House.

Current Capetian rulers

Current Capetian pretenders

Further reading

  • Ingmar Krause: Konflikt und Ritual im Herrschaftsbereich der frühen Capetinger – Untersuchungen zur Darstellung und Funktion symbolischen Verhaltens. Rhema-Verlag, Münster 2006, ISBN 978-3-930454-62-4
  • Fawtier, Robert. The Capetian Kings of France: Monarchy & Nation (987–1328). Macmillan, 1960. (translated from French edition of 1941)
  • Hallam, Elizabeth M. Capetian France 987-1328. Longman, 1980.
  • Le Hête, Thierry. Les Capetiens: Le Livre du Millenaire. Editions Christian, 1987.
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