noble_family robert ii of france
The ___MASK98___ , also known as the House of France , is a dynasty of Frankish origin , founded by Hugh Capet . It is among the largest and oldest European royal houses , consisting of Hugh Capet ' s male - line descendants . The senior line ruled in France as the House of Capet from the election of Hugh Capet in 987 until the death of Charles IV in 1328 . They were succeeded by cadet branches , the Houses of Valois and the Bourbon , which ruled until the French Revolution . The ___MASK38___ , or Robertines , was the Frankish predecessor family of origin to the ruling houses of France ; it emerged to prominence in the ancient Frankish kingdom of Austrasia as early as the eighth centuryin roughly the same region as present - day Belgiumand later emigrated to West Francia , between the Seine and the Loire rivers . The members were  forefathers  of the ___MASK98___ . With fealty ( sometimes mixed with rancor ) to the Carolingians they held the power of West Francia through the whole period of the Carolingian Empire ; and from 888 to 987 theirs was the last extant kingdom of that house until they were succeeded by their own ( Robertian ) lineage , the house of Capet . Hugh Capet ( c . 941  24 October 996 ) was the first King of the Franks of the ___MASK2___ from his election in 987 until his death . He succeeded the last Carolingian king , Louis V . The term ___MASK29___ refers to the members of the ___MASK98___ from which came the Kings of France since the election of Hugh Capet . In retrospect of the monarchy , the Merovingians and Carolingians were encompassed by the ___MASK29___ by French historians and jurists . The ___MASK29___ consists of a number of branches and their sub - branches . Some of its branches have acceded to the Crown , while others remained cadets . The ___MASK2___ or the Direct Capetians , also called the ___MASK29___ (" la maison de France "), or simply the Capets , ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328 . It was the most senior line of the ___MASK98___  itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians . Historians in the 19th century came to apply the name " Capetian " to both the ruling house of France and to the wider - spread male - line descendants of Hugh Capet . It was not a contemporary practice ( see ___MASK29___ ). They were sometimes called " the third race of kings ", the Merovingians being the first , and the Carolingians being the second . The name is derived from the nickname of Hugh , the first Capetian King , who was known as " Hugh Capet ". The direct succession of French kings , father to son , from 987 to 1316 , of thirteen generations in almost 330 years , was unparallelled in recorded history . Robert II ( 27 March 972 -- 20 July 1031 ) , called the Pious ( French : le Pieux ) or the Wise ( French : le Sage ) , was King of the Franks from 996 until his death . The second reigning member of the ___MASK2___ , he was born in Orléans to Hugh Capet and Adelaide of Aquitaine .