CHAPTER X THE DEVELOPMENT OF FRANCE I. THE ELECTION OF HUGH CAPET (987) Louis V, the last of the direct descendants from Char- lemagne, died in 98 7. l Many of the great feudal lords assembled to attend his funeral; before they dispersed they held a meeting, at which Duke Hugh (Capet) pre- sided, to consider the general situation. The archbishop of Rheims, Adalbero, urgently recommended that the all- important matter of choosing a king should be postponed until all the great barons could be brought together. He moved that all those present should pledge them- selves by an oath to the "great duke " (Hugh) that they would take no steps in the matter until the proposed meeting should be held. This plan was adopted. Charles of Lorraine, the uncle of the late king, was, however, unwilling to wait for the decision of the barons, and attempted to induce Adalbero to secure the throne for him. The archbishop put him off on the ground that his companions and supporters were evil men, and that in any case nothing could be done without the consent of the great lords. Meanwhile the nobles of Gaul who had taken the oath came together at the appointed time at Senlis ; when they had all taken their places in the assembly, the duke, having made a sign to the archbishop of Rheims, the latter expressed himself as follows : " King Louis, of divine memory, left no 1 See History of Western Europe, pp. 1 20 sqq. 194
