Wore his Crown Only Once

Capet (pronounced cap-a), the name given Hugues or Hugh, the founder of the third dynasty of French kings, called the Capetian, was only a nickname. Some say that he was so called on account of his big head (Latin, capito); others, on account of the monk's hood which he wore (Latin, cappetus), for he was an abbot, as well as Count of Paris, when he was elected king. Be that as it may, the Capetian line of kings began with Hugh Capet and is one of the most ancient of any now existing in Europe. It has a direct male succession for eight centuries, which for three and a half centuries was uninterruptedly from father to son. Louis Philippe, driven from the throne in 1848, was its last crowned representative; the present Count of Paris is now an exile from France.

The election of Hugh Capet to the throne of France (987) marks a distinct era in the history of that country; it not only substituted the Capetian for the Carlovingian dynasty, but it was the substitution of a feudal kingdom in place of the constitutional monarchy established by Charlemagne. King Hugh was the greatest feudal chieftain of his times. He was Duke of France and Count of the city of Paris, and was unanimously elected by the nobles to succeed Louis V., the Sluggard.

But the very nobles who elected him did not hesitate to assert very soon their independence of him. It is asserted that a certain nobleman, Adelbert, who had taken part in the royal election, fell into an altercation with the king, and hot words passed between them. "Who made thee count?" demanded the king. "Who made thee king?" replied his vassal. This illustrates the fact that feudal insubordination had already triumphed over monarchial prerogative in France. King Hugh entered upon his reign with wisdom and moderation; knowing that he had been raised to the throne by his fellow nobles and could be as easily deposed by them, he was very cautious about interfering in their affairs. The country was distracted by innumerable struggles among the great barons, in which he took no part, but strengthened himself by devotion to the Church. It is said that he only wore the crown at his coronation, and that he continued during his brief reign of nine years to wear the cape of an abbot. In 996 Hugh Capet died, and was quietly succeeded by his son Robert, the Pious, who had been made King-elect of France at the time of his father's coronation.