(d. 956). Duke of Francia, son of Robert I (r. 922-23) and nephew of King Eudes, Hugues played a major role in the French kingdom from 923 to his death.
In spite of his father’s death in the Battle of Soissons (June 15, 923), Hugues rallied his army and routed that of the Carolingian king Charles III the Simple (r. 898-922). He was, however, passed over by the rebel magnates who elected his brother-in-law, Duke Raoul of Burgundy, to succeed Robert as their candidate for the throne. Hugues remained loyal to Raoul throughout his reign (923-36), all the while consolidating his position in his father’s lands between the Seine and the Loire.
He supported the election of Charles’s son, Louis IV (r. 936-54), but soon fell out with the young king. Open warfare between the two in the 940s resulted in the intervention of their joint brother-in-law, Otto I of Germany. Condemned and excommunicated by the Council of Ingelheim (June 948), Hugues finally submitted to
Louis in 950. Although friction between the two continued until Louis’s death, Hugues supported the succession of Louis’s young son, Lothair.
From the accession of Lothair (954) to his own death in 956, Hugues virtually ruled France. To his title of duke of the Franks he added those of duke of Burgundy and of Aquitaine. He left three minor sons: Hugh Capet, duke of Francia and future king, and Otto and Eudes-Henri, successively dukes of Burgundy.
R. Thomas McDonald
[See also: LOTHAIR I (941-986)]
Flodoard. Les annales, ed. P. Lauer. Paris: Picard, 1906.
Richer. Histoire de France, ed. R. Latouche. 2 vols. Paris: Champion, 1930, Vol. 1; Les Belles Lettres, 1937, Vol. 2.
Lauer, Philippe. Le regne de Louis IVd’Outremer. Paris: Bouillon, 1900.
World History
