The Capetian House
The beginnings of the Capetian House :
The origin of the Capetians can be traced back to the Robertians, a family of Frankish origin who gave birth to Hugues Capet. The latter founded his own House: The House of Capet
It originated in 987. When Hugues Capet (founder of the House) was elected to the throne of the kingdom of West Francia (ancestor of the kingdom of France) at the expense of the Carolingian pretender Charles of Lower Lorraine. Despite his title, his reign was marked by the weakness of royal power in the face of the great lords. Hugues never intervened in the south of the kingdom. His authority was limited to the royal domain, which was still modest in size at the time.
The reigns of the Capetian descendants were a long series of feudal struggles, the aim of which was to increase the royal authority and the size of their domains
The Capetian House at the beginning of the campaign :
On 1 July 987, exasperated by the weakness of Charlemagne's last heirs, the main lords of West Francia elected Hugh Capet as their leader. Even though he was only elected because he represented a weak threat to the lords of the kingdom, by exercising the royal function, Hugues Capet associated his son (Robert II, known as Le Pieux) with his reign. By this action, Hugh Capet succeeded in installing his descendants on the throne and since then, the Capetians have been careful to have their eldest son elected and crowned during their lifetime.
In 1066, much had changed since Hugh Capet's time. Philip I (great-grandson of Hugh) had become king in his own right after a regency of six years. From then on, he had the firm intention of securing a real basis for royal power by consolidating his domain and by containing, or better, lowering the power of the great kingdoms that were his supposed vassals. He began by enlarging the royal domain, developing its administration, disposing of church property and selling off the ecclesiastical offices, thus alienating the pope.
It was 1080 and Philip now turned his attention to the north of the kingdom. Since 1066 and the Battle of Hastings, the man known as William the Bastard has become William the Conqueror. He is now the head of the Duchy of Normandy as well as the Kingdom of England (completely pacified since 1075). It is important that Philip reduces the power of his Norman vassal, otherwise the latter would have the ambition to unite the crown of France with that of England and thus erase the Capetian House from the history books...
Description of the faction :
- Faction Leader: Philippe I of France.
- Faction Heir: Louis VI the Fat of France.
- Diplomacy at the start of the campaign: Is allied with the House of Blois-Champagne and the House of Rethel.
- Battle cry: "Montjoie ! Saint-Denis !"
- Faction Location: In France and around Paris mainly.
- Strength(s): Has cities, already has an army, has allies at the beginning of the game and is not at war with anyone.
- Weakness(es): Powerful houses around, has few castles and partly scattered territory.
Composition of the House of Normandy (Character present from the beginning of the campaign) :
Direct family (present in the game's family tree) :
Philip I of France (28 years) married to Berthe of Holland (22 years). They have 2 children: Constance of France (2 years) and Louis VI the Fat (0 years).
Indirect family (brother(s) and/or sister(s) of the faction leader): Robert (26 years), Emma (25 years) and Hugues I of Vermandois (23 years).
Companion or generals of the faction leader : None found.
Thank you for reading the article to the end! I hope you enjoyed it! Please feel free to comment on the article, give your opinion and make objective remarks. If I have forgotten something, please let me know and I will correct the article.
Sources used for the article :
- Wikipedia articles: "Capetian dynasty", "Robertiens" and "Hugues Capet".
