The Capetian dynasty ( ; /ka.pe.sjɛ̃/), also known as the House of France (), is a dynasty of Frankish origin, and a branch of the Robertians agnatically, and the Carolingians through female lines. It is among the largest and oldest royal houses in Europe and the world, and consists of Hugh Capet, the founder of the dynasty, and his male-line descendants, who ruled in France without interruption from 987 to 1792, and again from 1814 to 1848. The senior line from the House of Capet ruled in France from the election of Hugh Capet in 987 until the death of Charles IV in 1328. That line was succeeded by cadet branches, first the House of Valois, and succeeding them the House of Bourbon, which ruled until the French Revolution abolished the monarchy in 1792 and tried and executed King Louis XVI in 1793. The Bourbons were restored in 1814 in the aftermath of Napoleon's defeat, but had to vacate the throne again in 1830 in favor of the last Capetian monarch of France, Louis Philippe I, who belonged to the House of Orléans, a cadet branch of the Bourbons. Cadet branches of the Capetian House of Bourbon are still reigning over Spain and Luxembourg.
The dynasty had a crucial role in the formation of the French state. From a power base initially confined to their own demesne, the Île-de-France, the Capetian kings slowly but steadily increased their power and influence until it grew to cover the entirety of their realm. For a detailed narration on the growth of French royal power, see Crown lands of France. Members of the dynasty were traditionally Catholic, and the early Capetians had an alliance with the Church. The French were also the most active participants in the Crusades, culminating in a series of five Crusader kings – Louis VII, Philip Augustus, Louis VIII, Louis IX, and Philip III. The Capetian alliance with the papacy suffered a severe blow after the disaster of the Aragonese Crusade. Philip III's son and successor, Philip IV, arrested Pope Boniface VIII and brought the papacy under French control. The later Valois, starting with Francis I, ignored religious differences and allied with the Ottoman Empire to counter the growing power of the House of Habsburg. Henry IV was a Protestant at the time of his accession, but realized the necessity of conversion after four years of religious warfare.
The Capetians generally enjoyed a harmonious family relationship. By tradition, younger sons and brothers of the king of France were given appanages for them to maintain their rank and to dissuade them from claiming the French crown itself. When Capetian cadets did aspire for kingship, their ambitions were directed not at the French throne, but at foreign thrones. As a result, the Capetians have reigned at different times in the kingdoms of Portugal, Sicily and Naples, Navarre, Hungary and Croatia, Poland, Spain and Sardinia, grand dukedoms of Lithuania and Luxembourg, and in the Latin and Brazilian empires. In modern times, King Felipe VI of Spain is a member of this family, while Grand Duke Guillaume V of Luxembourg is related to the family by agnatic kinship; both through the Bourbon branch of the dynasty. Along with the House of Habsburg, arguably its greatest historic rival, it was one of the two oldest European royal dynasties. It was also one of the most powerful royal families in European history, having played a major role in its politics for much of its existence. According to Oxford University, 75% of all royal families in European history are related to the Capetian dynasty.
Name origins and usage The name of the dynasty derives from its founder, King 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 indicate it might be connected to the Latin word caput ("head"), and explain it as meaning "chief" or "head".
Historians in the 19th century (see House of France) came to apply the name "Capetian" to both the ruling house of France and to the wider-spread male-line descendants of Hugh Capet. It was not a contemporary practice. The name "Capet" has also been used as a surname for French royalty, 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 and a direct male-line descendant of Hugh Capet) was referred to as Citizen Capet at his trial. His wife, Queen Marie Antoinette (a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine) were referred to as "Antoinette Capet" (the Queen being addressed as "the Widow Capet" after the execution of her husband).
Capetian miracle
The Capetian miracle () refers to the dynasty's ability to attain and hold onto the French crown.
In 987, Hugh Capet was elected to succeed Louis V of the Carolingian dynasty that had ruled France for over three centuries. By a process of associating elder sons with them in the kingship, the early Capetians established the hereditary succession in their family and transformed a theoretically electoral kingship into a sacral one. By the time of Philip II Augustus, who became king in 1180, the Capetian hold on power was so strong that the practice of associate kingship was dropped. While the Capetian monarchy began as one of the weakest in Europe, drastically eclipsed by the new Anglo-Norman realm in England (who, as dukes of Normandy, were technically their vassals) and even other great lords of France, the political value of orderly succession in the Middle Ages cannot be overstated. The orderly succession of power from father to son over such a long period of time meant that the French monarchs, who originally were essentially just the direct rulers of the Île-de-France, were able to preserve and extend their power, while over the course of centuries the great peers of the realm would eventually lose their power in one succession crisis or another.
By comparison, the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem was constantly beset with internal succession disputes because each generation only produced female heirs who tended to die young. Even the English monarchy encountered severe succession crises, such as the Anarchy of the 1120s between Stephen and Matilda, and the murder of Arthur I, Duke of Brittany, who by primogeniture was the heir of Richard I of England. The latter case would deal a severe blow to the prestige of King John, leading to the eventual destruction of the Angevin hegemony in France. In contrast, the French kings were able to maintain uncontested father-to-son succession from the time of Hugh Capet until the succession crisis which began the Hundred Years' War of the 14th century.
Capetians through history
Over the succeeding centuries, Capetians spread throughout Europe, ruling every form of feudal unit, from kingdoms to manors.
Salic law Salic law, re-established during the Hundred Years' War from an ancient Frankish 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 John I, the crown would have passed to his half-sister, Joan (later Joan II of Navarre). However, Joan's paternity was suspect due to her mother's adultery in the Tour de Nesle Affair; the French magnates adopted Salic law to avoid the succession of a possible bastard.
In 1328, King Charles IV of France died without male heirs, as his brothers did before him. Philip of Valois, the late king's first cousin, acted as regent, pending the birth of the King's posthumous child, which proved to be a girl. Isabella of France, sister of Charles IV, claimed the throne for her son, Edward III of England. The English king did not find support among the French lords, who made Philip of Valois their king. From then on the French succession not only excluded females but also rejected claims based on the female line of descent.
Thus 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 II, Duke of Orléans, of the Orléans branch of the Valois, who became Louis XII, then to Francis, Duke of Valois, Count of Angoulème, who became Francis I of France, and his descendants, of the Orléans-Angoulème, then to Henry III of Navarre, who became Henry IV of France, of the House of Bourbon, a cadet branch 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 and designating their royal French progenitor, although some sub-branches are not shown.
Hugh Capet Robert II of France Henry I of France Philip I of France Louis VI of France Louis VII of France Philip II of France Louis VIII of France Louis IX of France Philip III of France Philip IV of France House of Valois House of Évreux House of Bourbon House of Artois House of Anjou House of Dreux House of Courtenay House of Vermandois House of Burgundy
Descendants of Philip III of France
House of Valois (1293–1498) House of Valois-Orléans (1392–1515) House of Orléans-Angoulême (1407–1589) House of Valois-Anjou (1356–1481) House of Valois-Burgundy (1364–1477) House of Burgundy-Brabant (1404–1430) House of Burgundy-Nevers (1404–1491) House of Valois-Alençon (1325–1525) House of Évreux (1303–1400) House of Évreux-Navarre (1328–1425)
Descendants of Louis IX of France
House of Bourbon (1268–1503) House of Bourbon-Montpensier, counts (1443–1527) House of Bourbon-La Marche (1356–1438) House of Bourbon-Vendôme (became Royal House of France in 1589) House of Artois (1775–1883) House of Bourbon, Spanish branch (1700–present) Carlists (1819–1936) Alfonsines (1819–present) House of Bourbon-Anjou (1933–present) House of Bourbon, Spanish royal family (1933–present) House of Bourbon-Seville (1823–present) House of Bourbon-Seville, dukes of Santa Elena (1878–present) House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1751–present) House of Bourbon-Braganza (1752–1979) House of Bourbon-Parma (1748–present) Parma-Luxembourg, called House of Nassau-Weilburg (1919–present) House of Orléans (1661–present) Orléans-Nemours, then (1891) House of Orléans-Braganza (1864–present) Orléans-Alençon (1844–1970) Orléans-Aumale (1822–1872) Orléans-Montpensier, then House of Orléans-Galliera (1824–present) House of Bourbon-Condé (1557–1830) House of Bourbon-Conti (1629–1814) House of Bourbon-Soissons (1569–1641) House of Bourbon-Montpensier, dukes (1477–1608) House of Bourbon-Carency (1393–1520) House of Bourbon-Duisant (1457–1530) House of Bourbon-Preaux (1385–1429)
Descendants of Louis VIII of France
House of Artois (1237–1472) House of Anjou (initially ruling house of Sicily, then of Naples, became ruling house of Hungary) (1247–1382) House of Anjou-Naples (1309–1343) House of Anjou–Taranto (1294–1374) House of Anjou–Durazzo (1309–1414)
Descendants of Louis VI of France
House of Dreux (1137–1345) Breton House of Dreux (1213–1341) House of Montfort (1322–1488) Capetian House of Courtenay (1150–1727) Capetian House of Courtenay – Latin emperors of Constantinople (1217–1283)
Descendants of Henry I of France
Capetian House of Vermandois (1085–1212)
Descendants of Robert II of France
House of Burgundy (1032–1361) Portuguese House of Burgundy (1109–1383) House of Aviz (1385–1580) – illegitimate male-line descent from Burgundy