| Notes |
One of the founders of the power of the Capetian house in France. Hugh ' s f i r s t wife was Eadhild, a sister of the English king, Athelstan. At t h e d e a t h of Rudolph, duke of Burgundy, in 936 , Hugh was in possession o f n e a r l y all the region between the Loire and the Seine, corresponding t o t h e a n c ient Neustria, with the exception of the territory ceded to th e N o r m a ns in 911. He took a very active part in bringing Louis IV (d'Ou tr e m e r ) f rom England in 936, but in the same year Hugh married Hedwige , s i s t e r of the emperor Otto the Great, and soon quarrelled with Louis.
Hugh even paid homage to Otto, and supported him in his struggle agains t L o u i s . When Louis fell into the hands of the Normans in 945, he was h an d e d o v er to Hugh, who released him in 946 only on condition that he s h o u l d s urrender the fortress of Laon. At the council of Ingelheim (948) H u g h w a s c ondemned, under pain of excommunication, to make reparation to L o u i s . I t was not, however, until 950 that the powerful vassal became re c o n c i led with his suzerain and restored Laon. But new difficul ti es ar o s e , a n d peace was not finally concluded until 953.
On the death of Louis IV, Hugh was one of the first to recognize Lothai r a s h i s s u ccessor, and, at the intervention of Queen Gerberga, was ins tr um e n t al in having him crowned. In recognition of this service Hugh wa s i n v e s ted by the new king with t h e duchies of Burgundy (his suzerain ty o v e r w h ich had already been nominally recognized by Louis IV) and Aq uit a i n e . But his expedition in 955 to take possession of Aquitaine was u n s u c c essful. In the same year, however, Giselbert, duke of Burgund y , a c k n o w ledged himself his vassal and betrothed his daughter to Hugh's son O t t o . A t G iselbert's death (April 8, 956) Hugh became effective master o f t h e d u c hy, but died soon afterwards, on the 16th or 17th of June 956.
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898 - 956 (57 years)
