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     King William I (?) The Conqueror William I (c. 1027–September 9, 1087), was King of England. Known alternatively as William of Normandy, William the Conqueror and William the Bastard, he was the illegitimate son of Robert the Magnificent, Duke of Normandy, and Herleva, the daughter of a tanner. Born in Falaise, Normandy, now in France, William succeeded to the throne of England by right of conquest by winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066 in what has become known as the Norman Conquest.

No authentic portrait of William exists. In the patriotic print he is wearing plate armor that was invented generations after his death.

Early life
William was born the grandnephew of Queen Emma, wife of King Ethelred the Unready and later of King Canute.

William succeeded to his father’s Duchy of Normandy at the young age of 7 in 1035 and was known as Duke William II of Normandy. He lost three guardians to plots to usurp his place. King Henry I of France knighted him at the age of 15. By the time he turned 19 he was himself successfully dealing with threats of rebellion and invasion. With the assistance of King Henry, William finally secured control of Normandy by defeating the rebel Norman barons at Caen in the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes in 1047.

He married Matilda of Flanders in 1050 or 1051 at the Cathedral of Notre Dame at Eu, Normandy (now in Seine-Maritime). He was 23, she was 21. Their marriage produced four sons and six daughters (see list below).

His half-brothers Odo of Bayeux and Robert, Count of Mortain played significant rôles in his life.

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Conquest of England
Upon the death of William's cousin King Edward the Confessor of England (January 1066), William claimed the throne of England, asserting that the childless Edward had named him his heir during a visit by William (probably in 1052) and that Harold Godwinson, England's foremost magnate, had reportedly pledged his support while shipwrecked in Normandy (c. 1064). Harold made this pledge while in captivity and was reportedly tricked into swearing on a saint's bones that he would give the throne to William. Even if this story is true, however, Harold made the promise under duress and may so have felt free to break it.

The assembly of England’s leading notables known as the Witenagemot approved Harold Godwinson’s coronation which took place on January 5, 1066 making him King Harold II of England. In order to pursue his own claim, William assembled an invasion fleet of around 600 ships and an army of 7000 men. He landed at Pevensey Sussex on September 28, 1066 and assembled a prefabricated wooden castle near Hastings as a base. King Harold Godwinson marched an army of similar size 250 miles to challenge William and the crucial battle of Senla, which later became known as the Battle of Hastings took place on October 14, 1066. According to some accounts, perhaps based on an interpretation of the Bayeux Tapestry commemorating the Norman victory, Harold was killed by an arrow through the eye, and the Anglo Saxon forces fled giving William victory.

This was the defining moment of what is now known as the Norman Conquest. The remaining Saxon noblemen surrendered to William at Berkhamsted , Hertfordshire and he was acclaimed King of England there. William was then crowned on December 25, 1066 in Westminster Abbey.

Although the south of England submitted quickly to Norman rule, resistance continued, especially in the North, for six more years until 1072. Harold's sons attempted an invasion of the south-west peninsular. Risings occurred in the Welsh Marches and at Stafford. Most seriously William faced separate attempts at invasion by the Danes and the Scotts. William's defeat of these led to what became known as the harrowing of the North in which Northumbria was laid waste to deny his enemies its resources.

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William's reign
William initiated many major changes, amongst them a fundamental review of the prevailing Anglo-Saxon legal system, the "common law", which he fused with Norman law. In 1085, in order to ascertain the extent of his dominion, William commissioned the compilation of the Domesday Book, a survey of England's productive capacity similar to a modern census. He also ordered the building of a number of castles, among them the Tower of London. His conquest also led to Norman French replacing English as the language of the ruling classes, for nearly 300 years.


The signatures of William I and Matilda ( beside the first two large Xs ) on the Accord of Winchester from 1072.
He died aged 60 at the Convent of St. Gervais, near Rouen, France, on September 9, 1087 from abdominal injuries received from his saddle pommel when he fell off a horse at the Siege of Mantes. He was buried in St. Stephen's Church, Caen, Normandy. In a most unregal postmortem, William's corpulent body would not fit in a too-small stone sarcophagus, and, after some unsuccessful prodding by the assembled bishops, exploded, mephitizing the chapel and dispersing the mourners.[1] (http://historyhouse.com/in_history/william/)

William was succeeded in 1087 as King of England by his younger son William II and as Duke of Normandy by his elder son Robert Curthose. This lead to the Rebellion of 1088. His youngest son Henry also became King of England later, after William II died without any child to succeed him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I_of_England. He was born circa 1027 at Falaise, Calvados, Normandy, France. He was the son of Robert I "the Devil" (?) Duke of Normandy and Herleve (Harlette) de Falaise (?).¹ King William I (?) The Conqueror married Matilda (?), daughter of Baldwin V (?) Count of Flanders, in 1050 at Cathedral of Notre Dame, Eu, Normandy, France. King William I (?) The Conqueror was crowned King of England on 25 December 1066 at Westminster Abbey, London, England. He died on 9 September 1087 at Convent of St. Gervais, Rouen, France; from abdominal injuries received from his saddle pommel when he fell off a horse at the Siege of Mantes. He was buried at St. Stephen's Church, Caen, Normandy, France.

     Matilda (?) was born in 1079 at Dunfermline. She was the daughter of Malcolm III "Caenmoor" (?) King of Scots and Saint Margaret of Scotland (?). Matilda (?) married King Henry I Beauclerc (?) King of England, son of King William I (?) The Conqueror and Matilda (?), on 11 November 1110 at Westminster Abbey, London, England. Matilda (?) was buried at Westminster Abbey. She died on 1 May 1118 at Westminster Palace.

     Malcolm III "Caenmoor" (?) King of Scots King Malcolm III of Scotland, (1031? - November 13, 1093) also known as Malcolm Canmore (Malcolm with the large head), was the eldest son of King Duncan I of Scotland and first king of the House of Dunkeld.

In 1040 his father was killed in battle by his cousin Macbeth I of Scotland who became the new king. Malcolm found refuge in England under the protection of King Hardicanute of Denmark and England. In 1042 Hardicanute died and was succeeded to the throne of England by his cousin King Edward the Confessor. In 1053 Edward finally agreed to help Malcolm gain the throne of Scotland by offering him an army. Malcolm's invasion of Scotland started in the same year. Malcolm found support from the nobles of Southern Scotland. He managed to kill first Macbeth in 1057 and then his successor King Lulach I of Scotland in 1058. He then succeeded Lulach as king. He was crowned at Scone Abbey, Perthshire, on April 25, 1058.

He agreed on an alliance with England, sealed by his (second) marriage to Saint Margaret, Edgar Atheling's sister. Malcolm had several sons by Margaret - these became known as the Margaretsons. Margaret herself promoted the Romish (or Catholic) Church in Scotland throughout Malcolm's reign. At that time, Christianity did exist in Scotland in the form of the Celtic Church, but it took the form of converted sun-worship pagan rituals.

During his reign Scotland fell under the influence of England. The Lowlands of Scotland started speaking an early Scots dialect and adopting Anglo-Saxon habits. Malcolm unsuccessfully tried to stop this influence by having wars with the Norman kings of England after 1066. In 1072 he was forced to give on oath of subservience to William I of England.

His war against William II of England in 1093 only led to the loss of Scottish territory to England. Malcolm died on November of the same year in an ambush during a battle against William's army. His eldest Margaretson son, Edward, also died in that ambush. Malcolm was succeeded by his brother Donald III of Scotland.

Malcolm established the Dunkeld dynasty which ruled Scotland from 1058 until 1286. Four of his sons (Duncan II, Edgar, Alexander I, and David I) later became kings of Scotland, whilst a fifth (Edmund) ruled as co-ruler of Scotland with his uncle Donald III. His daughter Edith married Henry I of England in 1100. She became known as Matilda after her marriage

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_III_of_Scotland. He was born circa 1031. He was the son of Duncan I (?) King of the Scots. Malcolm III "Caenmoor" (?) King of Scots was crowned on 17 March 1057. He married Saint Margaret of Scotland (?), daughter of Edward "The Exile" (?) and Agatha Arpad , Princess of Hungary. Malcolm III "Caenmoor" (?) King of Scots died on 13 November 1093.

     Matilda (?) is the daughter of Baldwin V (?) Count of Flanders. Matilda (?) married King William I (?) The Conqueror, son of Robert I "the Devil" (?) Duke of Normandy and Herleve (Harlette) de Falaise (?), in 1050 at Cathedral of Notre Dame, Eu, Normandy, France.

     Robert I "the Devil" (?) Duke of Normandy Robert I (or Robert the Magnificent) (b. circa 1000 - d. July 22, 1035) was a Duke of Normandy (1027 – 1035) and the father of William the Conqueror. He is often identified with the legendary Robert the Devil. He aided King Henry I of France against Henry's rebellious brother and mother, and for his help he was given the territory of the Vexin. He also intervened in the affairs of Flanders, supported Edward the Confessor, then in exile at Robert's court, and sponsored monastic reform in Normandy. After making his illegitimate son William his heir, he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and died at Nicaea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Magnificent.

He married Herleve (Harlette) de Falaise (?), daughter of Fulbert de Falaise (?) and Doda de Falaise (?).¹ Robert I "the Devil" (?) Duke of Normandy was born circa 1000.¹ He was the son of Richard II " the Good" (?) Duke of Normandy and Judith of Brittany (?). Robert I "the Devil" (?) Duke of Normandy died on 22 July 1035 at Nicaea, Bithynia, Turkey.¹

     Richard II " the Good" (?) Duke of Normandy was born at Normandy, France. He Richard II of Normandy, also known as Richard The Good, and French Richard Le Bonduke of Normandy (c963–1027), was the son of Richard I the Fearless.

Richard II held his own against a peasant insurrection, helped Robert II of France against the duchy of Burgundy, and repelled an English attack on the Cotentin Peninsula that was led by the Anglo-Saxon King Ethelred II the Unready. He also pursued a reform of the Norman monasteries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_II_of_Normandy. He was the son of Richard I "the Fearless" (?) Duke of Normandy and Gunnora de Crepon (?). Richard II " the Good" (?) Duke of Normandy married Judith of Brittany (?), daughter of Conan I "the Crooked" (?) Duke of Brittany, circa 1000.¹ Richard II " the Good" (?) Duke of Normandy died on 28 August 1027 at Fecamp, France.¹

     Richard I "the Fearless" (?) Duke of Normandy was born circa 932 at Fecamp, France.² He was the son of William I "Longsword" (?) Duke of Normandy and Sprote de Bretagne (?).¹ Richard I "the Fearless" (?) Duke of Normandy married Gunnora de Crepon (?) circa 978.² Richard I "the Fearless" (?) Duke of Normandy died on 20 November 996 at Fecamp, France.²

     William I "Longsword" (?) Duke of Normandy William Longsword (died December 17, 942) was jarl (ruler) of Normandy.

Little is known about his early years. He may have been born before his father Rollo settled in northern France, and succeeded Rollo sometime around 928. It appears that he faced a rebellion early in his reign, from Normans who felt he had become too Frankified. The following years are obscure. In 939 William became involved in a war with Arnulf I of Flanders, which soon became intertwined with the other conflicts of the reign of Louis IV of France. He was killed by followers of Arnulf while at a meeting to settle their conflict. His son Richard I of Normandy succeeded him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Longsword. He married Sprote de Bretagne (?).¹ William I "Longsword" (?) Duke of Normandy was born in 900 at Normandy, France.¹ He was the son of Rolf (Rollo) "Ganger" (?) 1st Duke of Normandy and Poppa de Bayeux (?). William I "Longsword" (?) Duke of Normandy died on 17 December 943 at France; murdered.¹

     Hubert I (?) Count of Senlis was born circa 850. He was the son of Pepin II (?) Count of Peronne. Hubert I (?) Count of Senlis died in 900.

     William X (?) Duke of Aquitaine William X of Aquitaine (1099 – April 9, 1137), nicknamed the Saint was Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitiers between 1126 and 1137.

William was born in Toulouse. He was the son of William, the Troubador by his repudiated wife, Philippa of Toulouse. His younger brother was Raymond of Poitiers, ruler of the principality of Antioch, a crusader state. He married (Aenor) Eleanor of Châtellerault, daughter of his father's mistress, in 1121 and from her had three children: William Aigret, who died young; the heiress Eleanor of Aquitaine; and Petronilla of Aquitaine, who married Raoul I of Vermandois.

As his father before him, William X was a patron of troubadors, music and literature. He was an educated man and strived to give his two daughters an excellent education, in a time when Europe's rulers where hardly literate. When Eleanor succeeded him as Duchess, she continued William's tradition and transformed the Aquitanian court in of Europe's centre of knowledge.

Despite his love of the arts, William was not a peaceful man, and was frequently involved in conflicts with the neighbouring Normandy (which he raided in 1136) and France. Even inside his borders, William faced an alliance of the Lusignans and the Parthenays against him, an issue resolved with total destruction of the enemies. In international politics, William X initially supported antipope Anacletus II in the schism of 1130, opposite to Pope Innocent II, against the will of his own bishops. In 1134 Saint Bernard of Clairvaux convinced William to drop his support to Anacletus and join Innocent.

In 1137 William joined the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, but died of food poisoning during the trip. On his deathbed, he expressed his wish to see king Louis VII of France as protector of his fifteen year old daughter Eleanor. Louis VII accepted this wish and married the heiress of Aquitaine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_X_of_Aquitaine. He married Aenor Aimery, daughter of Aimeric I (?) Vicomte of Chatellerault. William X (?) Duke of Aquitaine was born in 1099 at Toulouse, France. He was the son of William IX the Troubador (?) Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitiers and Philippa of Toulouse (?). William X (?) Duke of Aquitaine died on 9 April 1137.

     Aenor Aimery is the daughter of Aimeric I (?) Vicomte of Chatellerault. Aenor Aimery married William X (?) Duke of Aquitaine, son of William IX the Troubador (?) Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitiers and Philippa of Toulouse (?).

     William IX the Troubador (?) Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitiers William IX of Aquitaine (October 22, 1071 - February 10, 1126, also Guillaume d'Aquitaine), nicknamed the Troubador was Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitiers between 1086 and 1126. He was also one of the leaders of the First Crusade and one of the first vernacular poets and troubadors.

Family
William was the son of William VIII of Aquitaine by his wife Hildegard of Burgundy. He was briefly married to Ermengarde of Anjou, before taking as wife Philippa of Toulouse. From Philippa William had:

Agnes of Poitiers, who married to king Ramiro II of Aragon

William, count of Valentinois

Henry, abbot of Cluny

Raymond of Poitiers, ruler of the principality of Antioch, a crusader state

William X of Aquitaine, his heir.

William is also known for his affair with Dangerosa, the wife of his vassal Aimery I de Rochefoucauld, Viscount of Châtellerault. It was Dangerosa's daughter by Aimery, Aenor, who would eventually marry William's son, William X of Aquitaine, and give birth to Eleanor of Aquitaine.


Military life
William of Aquitaine joined the first Crusade led by Godfrey of Bouillon, Robert of Normandy and Raymond of Toulouse only after the fall of Jerusalem in 1099. He arrived in the Holy land in 1101 and stayed there until the following year. His record as a general is not very impressive. William fought mostly skirmishes in Anatolia and was frequently defeated. His recklessness had his army ambushed on several occasions, with great losses to his own side. Later on in his life, William joined forces with the kingdoms of Castile (an old ally and his younger sister Beatrice had been the last of the wives of Alfonso VI of Castile) and Léon. Between 1120 and 1123, Aquitanian troops fought side by side with queen Urraca of Castile, in an effort to conquer the Moors of Cordoba and complete the Reconquista. William IX also provided troops to Philip I of France in his war against William the Conqueror.


Poetry
William's greatest legacy to history was not as a warrior but as a man of the arts. He was one of the first European lyric poets and used vernacular language in his songs and poems. His artistic name was Guilhem de Peitieus, and he was one of the most important troubadours of the Middle Age's Provençal literature. The topics of these were very diverse, but the majority is about sex, love and women and often about his own sexual prowesses. This choice of subject in a world used to music only for the praise of God and heroes caused scandal and admiration at the same time. In the next few years, troubadors and vernacular poetry would be fashionable and the most important artistic movement of the Middle Ages. William was a man that loved scandal and with no doubt enjoyed shocking his audiences. In the return from the crusade, he repudiated his wife in favour of a married woman, known as Dangereuse from his poems, and faced the risk of excommunication for the deed. He also fancied the idea of constructing a convent in his lands, where the nuns would be picked among the most beautiful women in the region. The fake nunnery project was abandoned and William ended by giving enormous donations to the church, perhaps to regain the pope's favour. He also constructed the palace of Poitou.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_IX_of_Aquitaine. He married Philippa of Toulouse (?). William IX the Troubador (?) Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitiers was born on 22 October 1071. He was the son of William VIII of Aquitaine (?) and Hildegard of Burgundy (?). William IX the Troubador (?) Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitiers died on 10 February 1126 at age 54.

     Philippa of Toulouse (?) married William IX the Troubador (?) Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitiers, son of William VIII of Aquitaine (?) and Hildegard of Burgundy (?).

     William VIII of Aquitaine (?) married Hildegard of Burgundy (?), daughter of Robert I Capet (?) Duke of Burgundy and Blanche of Anjou (?). William VIII of Aquitaine (?) was born in 1025. He died on 25 September 1086.

     Hildegard of Burgundy (?) is the daughter of Robert I Capet (?) Duke of Burgundy and Blanche of Anjou (?). Hildegard of Burgundy (?) married William VIII of Aquitaine (?).

     Robert I Capet (?) Duke of Burgundy married Blanche of Anjou (?). Robert I Capet (?) Duke of Burgundy was born in 1011. He was the son of Robert II The Pious (?) King of France and Constance Taillefer d'Arles (?). Robert I Capet (?) Duke of Burgundy died on 21 March 1076.

     Blanche of Anjou (?) married Robert I Capet (?) Duke of Burgundy, son of Robert II The Pious (?) King of France and Constance Taillefer d'Arles (?).

     Robert II The Pious (?) King of France Robert II, the Pious (March 27, 972 - July 20, 1031) was King of France from 996 to 1031. A member of the Capetian Dynasty, Robert II was born on March 27, 972 in Orléans, France, the son of King Hugh Capet (938-996) and Adelaide of Aquitaine (952-1004).


In 987, Robert?s father had the nobles crown him as successor at Orléans on December 30th, thereby confirming the house of Capet as rulers of France. After Robert became king he did as his father and crowned his eldest son Hugh as his successor. But, due to Prince Hugh's death, another son, Henri, became king.

Robert, despite marital problems that saw him temporarily excommunicated by Pope Gregory V, was a very devout Roman Catholic, hence the name Robert the Pious. He was very musically inclined and was a composer, a chorister, and a poet, making his palace a place of religious seclusion, where he conducted the matins and vespers in his royal robes. Part of Robert's piety at the time, was because he did not tolerate heretics and harshly punished them.

The kingdom Robert inherited was not large, and in an effort to increase his power, he vigorously pursued his claim to any of the feudal lands as they became vacant which action usually resulted in war with a counter-claimant. In 1003, his invasion of Burgundy was thwarted and it would not be until 1016 that he was finally able to get the support of the Church and be recognized as the Duke of Burgundy.

The pious King Robert II made few friends and many enemies, including his own sons Henri and Robert. They turned against their father, in a civil war for power and property. King Robert?s army was beaten and he retreated to Beaugency outside Paris.

He died in the middle of the war with his sons on July 20, 1031 at Melun, France. He was interred with his third wife, Constance d'Arles (973-July 25, 1032) in Saint Denis Basilica.

He was succeeded by his and Constance's second son, Henri I.

Robert II married:

c. 988, 1) Susanne (Rosala),(c.945 - January 26, 1003). Princess of Italy Widow of Arnold II, Count of Flanders. The marriage was arranged by Robert?s father, she was much older than Robert, and ended in divorce a year later in 989.
c. 996, 2) Bertha, Princess of Burgundy (952-1035). Because she was his cousin, Pope Gregory V would not sanction the marriage and Robert was excommunicated. However, after long negotiations with the new Pope Silvester II the marriage was annulled.
In 1001, 3) Constance Taillefer d'Arles (973-July 25, 1032) Daughter of a certain Count William, an intriguing and ambitious woman, who made life miserable for her husband.
Issue (3):

Adáele (Alix) - (1003 - January 8, 1079)
Hugh - (1007-September 17, 1025)
Henry I - (May 4, 1008 - August 4, 1060)
Adelaide Havoise - (1009-June 5, 1063)
Robert - (1011 - March 21, 1076)
Eudo (Odes) - (1013-1056)
Constance - (1014 - unknown)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_II_of_France. He was born on 27 March 972 at Orleans, France. He was the son of Hugh Capet (?) King of France and Adelaide of Aquitaine (?). Robert II The Pious (?) King of France married Constance Taillefer d'Arles (?), daughter of Count William (?), in 1001. Robert II The Pious (?) King of France died on 20 July 1031 at age 59.

     Constance Taillefer d'Arles (?) was born in 973. She was the daughter of Count William (?). Constance Taillefer d'Arles (?) married Robert II The Pious (?) King of France, son of Hugh Capet (?) King of France and Adelaide of Aquitaine (?), in 1001. Constance Taillefer d'Arles (?) died on 25 July 1032.

     Hugh Capet (?) King of France was buried at Saint Denis Basilica, Saint Denis, France. He Hugh Capet (French Hugues Capet) (938 - October 24, 996) was King of France from 987 to 996. Capet is a nickname for "wearing a cape".

Born in 938, in Paris, France, from a wealthy and powerful family, the eldest son of Hugh the Great and Hedwige of Saxony (c.910-c.965). Hugh Capet wanted to become a lay abbot, and in 980 arranged to move the relics of St. Valery to Amiens Cathedral. He inherited his father's vast estates and became the most powerful noble of his time. From 978 to 986, Hugh allied himself with the German emperors Otto II and Otto III and with archbishop Adalbero of Reims to dominate the weak Carolingian king, Lothair. By 985, he was king in all but name. After Lothair and his son died in early 987, the archbishop of Reims convinced an assembly of nobles to elect Hugh Capet as their king. He was crowned King of France at Noyon, Picardie on July 3, 987, the first of the Capetian dynasty to rule France.

King Hugh possessed minor properties near Chartres and Anjou. Between Paris and Orléans he possessed towns and estates amounting to approximately 400 square miles (1,000 km²). His authority ended there and if he dared travel outside his small area, he risked being ransomed or even murdered. Indeed, there was a plot in 993 masterminded by the Bishop of Laon and Eudes I of Blois to deliver Hugh into the custody of Otto III. The plot failed, but the fact that no one was punished illustrates how tenuous his hold on power was. Beyond his power base, in the rest of France, there were still as many codes of law as there were fiefdoms. The country operated with 150 different forms of currency and at least a dozen languages. Uniting all this into one cohesive unit was a formidable task and a constant struggle between those who wore the crown of France and its feudal lords. As such, Hugh Capet's reign was marked by numerous power struggles with the vassals on the borders of the Seine and the Loire. Beyond his realm, the investiture and then deposition of Arnulf, nephew of the duke of Lorraine, as archbishop of Reims involved the king and bishops in conflict with Pope John XV that was not yet resolved with Hugh's death in 996.

While King Hugh's military power was limited, and he had to seek military aid from the Duke of Normandy, his unanimous election as king gave him great moral authority and influence.

Hugh Capet married Adelaide of Aquitaine (952-1004), daughter of duke William III of Aquitaine. Their children were:

Avoise (970-1013)
Robert II (March 27, 972 - July 20, 1031)
Alice (974-1079)
Gilette (c.976 - ukn)
Gisele (c.978 - ukn)
King Hugh Capet died on October 24, 996 in Paris, and was interred in the Saint Denis Basilica. He was succeeded by his son, Robert II.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Capet. He married Adelaide of Aquitaine (?), daughter of William III of Aquitaine (?) and Adele of Normandy (?). Hugh Capet (?) King of France was born in 938 at Paris, France. He was the son of Hugh The Great (?) and Hedwige of Saxony (?). Hugh Capet (?) King of France died on 24 October 996 at Paris, France.

     Adelaide of Aquitaine (?) married Hugh Capet (?) King of France, son of Hugh The Great (?) and Hedwige of Saxony (?). Adelaide of Aquitaine (?) was born in 952. She was the daughter of William III of Aquitaine (?) and Adele of Normandy (?). Adelaide of Aquitaine (?) died in 1004.

     William III of Aquitaine (?) married Adele of Normandy (?). William III of Aquitaine (?) was born in 915. He was the son of Ebalus of Aquitaine (?). William III of Aquitaine (?) died on 3 April 963.

     Ebalus of Aquitaine (?) Ebalus of Aquitaine or Ebles Manzer (ca.870-935) was Count of Poitiers between 901 and 935 and two times Duke of Aquitaine, first between 890 and 893, second from 927 to his death. In the interval, Aquitaine was ruled by Dukes of the house of Auvergne. Ebalus was an illegitimate son of Ranulf II of Poitiers by, possibly, a Jewish woman. He married an Emiliene and by her had two sons, Ebalus (Ebles) bishop of Limoges, and William III of Aquitaine. Ebalus was established as Comté de Poitiers in 892 by his father Ranulf II, in the presence of Aymar of Poitiers, and supported by Eudes I of France. Ebles gained the favor of Guillaume 'the Pious', Comté d'Auvergne, who placed Aquitaine under his authority. In 902, Ebles launched the conquest of his county with an army lent by the Comté d'Auvergne Guillaume the Pious, a distant relative. He took Poitiers in the absence of Aymar and established control of the county. He was investitured as Comté de Poitou by Charles III 'the Simple', with whom Ebles was raised. Comté de Poitou was the only title in which he ever had legitimate investiture. Ebles alloted the Abbey of Saint-Maixent to Viscomte Savary de Thouars who had been his constant supporter. He restructured Poitou by creating new vicomtés in Aulnay and Melle and dissolved the title and position of Viscomte de Poitou upon the death of its holder, Maingaud, in 925. In 904 he conquered the Limousin. In 911 Ebles was in Chartres with an army that opposed Rollon. In 927,Guillaume 'the Younger', heir to Guillaume 'the Pious', and then his successor, his brother Acfred, died in the space of one year. Acfred, having made Ebles his heir, Ebles thus found himself Duc d'Aquitaine, Comté du Berry, d'Auvergne and du Velay. In 929, King Raoul tries to reduce the power of Ebles Manzer. He withdraws from him access to Berry, then in 932 he transfers the titles of Duc d'Aquitaine and Comté d'Auvergne to the Comté de Toulouse Raymond-Pons. Moreover the territory of March which was under the control of the Seigneur de Charroux, vassal of Ebles, is transformed into an independent county.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebalus_of_Aquitaine. He was born circa 870. He was the son of Ranulf II of Poitiers (?). Ebalus of Aquitaine (?) died in 935.

     Ranulf II of Poitiers (?) was born in 850. He was the son of Ranulf I of Poitiers (?). Ranulf II of Poitiers (?) died on 5 August 890.

     Hugh The Great (?) was the son of Robert I (?) King of France. Hugh The Great (?) Hugh, The Great (d. 956), duke of the Franks and count of Paris, son of King Robert I of France and nephew of King Odo or Eudes, was one of the founders of the power of the Capetian house in France.

Hugh's first wife was Eadhild, a sister of the English king, Athelstan. At the death of Rudolph, duke of Burgundy, in 936, Hugh was in possession of nearly all the region between the Loire and the Seine, corresponding to the ancient Neustria, with the exception of the territory ceded to the Normans in 911. He took a very active part in bringing Louis IV (d'Outremer) from England in 936, but in the same year Hugh married Hedwige, sister of the emperor Otto the Great, and soon quarrelled with Louis.

Hugh even paid homage to Otto, and supported him in his struggle against Louis. When Louis fell into the hands of the Normans in 945, he was handed over to Hugh, who released him in 946 only on condition that he should surrender the fortress of Laon. At the council of Ingelheim (948) Hugh was condemned, under pain of excommunication, to make reparation to Louis. It was not, however, until 950 that the powerful vassal became reconciled with his suzerain and restored Laon. But new difficulties arose, and peace was not finally concluded until 953.

On the death of Louis IV, Hugh was one of the first to recognize Lothair as his successor, and, at the intervention of Queen Gerberga, was instrumental in having him crowned. In recognition of this service Hugh was invested by the new king with the duchies of Burgundy (his suzerainty over which had already been nominally recognized by Louis IV) and Aquitaine. But his expedition in 955 to take possession of Aquitaine was unsuccessful. In the same year, however, Giselbert, duke of Burgundy, acknowledged himself his vassal and betrothed his daughter to Hugh's son Otto. At Giselbert's death (April 8, 956) Hugh became effective master of the duchy, but died soon afterwards, on the 16th or 17th of June 956.

This entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

He married Hedwige of Saxony (?), daughter of Henry I, the Fowler (?) Duke of Saxony and Matilda of Ringelheim (?), in 936. Hugh The Great (?) died in 956.

     Robert I (?) King of France Robert I (c. 865 - June 15, 923), king of France, or king of the Franks, was the younger son of Robert the Strong, count of Anjou, and the brother of Odo, or Eudes, who became king of the western Franks in 888.

Appointed by Odo ruler of several counties, including the county of Paris, and abbot in commendam of many abbeys, Robert also secured the office of duke of the Franks, a military dignity of high importance. He did not claim the crown of France when his brother died in 898; but recognizing the supremacy of the Carolingian king, Charles III, the Simple, he was confirmed in his offices and possessions, after which he continued to defend northern France from the attacks of the Normans.

The peace between the king and his powerful vassal was not seriously disturbed until about 921. The rule of Charles, and especially his partiality for a certain Hagano, had aroused some irritation; and, supported by many of the clergy and by some of the most powerful of the Frankish nobles, Robert took up arms, drove Charles into Lorraine, and was himself crowned king of the Franks at Reims on June 29, 922. Collecting an army, Charles marched against the usurper, and on June 15 923, in a stubborn and sanguinary battle near Soissons, Robert was killed, according to one tradition in single combat with his rival.

Robert left a son, Hugh the Great, duke of the Franks, and his grandson was Hugh Capet, king of France.

1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. He was born circa 865. He was the son of Robert the Strong (?) Count of Tours. Robert I (?) King of France died on 15 June 923.