Editing Robert II of France (section)

====An exemplary education====
Hugh Capet quickly understood that his ascent could not be attained without the support of Archbishop Adalbero of Reims. Illiterate himself, not mastering Latin, he decided around 984 to send his son, not with the scholar [[Abbo of Fleury]], near Orléans, but to Archbishop Adalbero so he could train him in the basics of knowledge. Indeed, at the end of the 10th century, [[Reims]] had a reputation as the most prestigious school of all of West Christianity. The prelate willingly welcomed Robert, who was confided to his secretary, the famous [[Pope Sylvester II|Gerbert of Aurillac]], one of the most educated men of his time.{{sfn|Theis|1999|p=25}}

It is assumed that to follow Gerbert's teaching, the young Robert II had to acquire the basics of Latin. He thus enriched his knowledge by studying the ''trivium'' (grammar, rhetoric and dialectic) and the ''quadrivium'' (arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy). Robert II is one of the few laypeople of his time to enjoy the same worldview as contemporary clergy.{{efn|At that time, even wealthy nobles were illiterate. Culture was above all reserved for the Church and only served to understand the world from a religious point of view.{{sfn|Theis|1999|pp=28–29}}}} After about two years of study in Reims, he returned to Orléans. His intellectual level had also developed in the musical field, as recognized by another great scholar of his time, Richer de Reims.{{sfn|Menant|1999|p=34}} According to Helgaud de Fleury, at an age unknown in his adolescence, the young Robert II fell seriously ill, to such an extent that his parents feared for his life. It was then when they went to pray at the Sainte-Croix church in Orleans and offered a golden crucifix and a sumptuous 60-pound (30&nbsp;kg) vase as a votive offering. Robert II miraculously recovered.{{sfn|de Fleury|1824|pp=381–382}}

{{blockquote|author=Helgaud of Fleury, ''Epitoma vitæ regis Roberti pii'', ca 1033.{{sfn|de Fleury|1824|p=366}}|"His pious mother sent him to the schools of Reims and entrusted him to master Gerbert, to be brought up by him and sufficiently instructed in liberal doctrines."}}