User:Daniel Phantom/Hugh Capet

Hugh Capet in literature
Hugh Capet is encountered in the Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri (c.1265-1321); the poet places him on the fifth terrace of Mount Purgatory (Purgatorio, Canto XX) among souls performing penitence for avarice. In this portrayal, Hugh readily acknowledges himself as the "root of the obnoxious plant / that shadows all the Christian lands" (20.43-44). The metaphor of the root of the plant is reminiscent of a family tree. Dante thus condemns Hugh as a main source of the evil that has pervaded the French monarchy and corrupted its empire. In their commentary, Hollander and Hollander note that part of Dante's personal resentment towards Hugh's legacy stems from the fact that his exile had been caused by interference in Florentine politics by the French crown and Pope Boniface VIII in the early fourteenth century. In this way, the "obnoxious plant" of the Capetians casts a shadow over both the papacy and the chance for an emperor that might bring order to Italy, Dante's "two suns."

The Dante scholar Moleta highlights another vital component to Dante's depiction of Hugh Capet: the humble origins myth. Though the notion that Hugh Capet was the son of a butcher is rightfully reported by critics to be untrue—he was the son of a duke—situating Hugh Capet in a lower social position is vital for Dante. This framing draws the Frankish king closer to Dante's own experience as a low level noble, and makes Hugh Capet's rise to power feel more extreme. In penance for grasping so high above himself in life, Hugh Capet and the other avaricious souls of this terrace must lie face down into the rock. The souls inch slowly up the mountain where they lay, acting in moderation in purgatory, when on earth they moved through life guided by greed.