CAPETIAN FRANCE (987-1314)

Carolingian monarchs have difficulty producing male heirs that live to see adulthood.
Viking attacks continue to increase, as many Viking tribes see the Franks as the true heirs
to Charlemagne’s Empire. The fact that this was also the most agriculturally productive
area also played a factor.

Important/Notable Personalities:

Hugh Capet (987-996)

Heir to the Duke of Paris. First of the Capetian line of French kings. First to start
crowning his son with a “lesser title” to indicate true lineage to the throne. Nominated
(and obvious) successor allows for greater consolidation of power and stability over time.

Robert II (996-1031)
Practices “royal touch” ceremony to cure people of scrofula.

Louis VII (1137-1180)

Starts tradition of “grand tour of the realm” to allow people to see the grandeur of the
royal court, and strengthen royal authority in the provinces.

Louis IX (1226-1270)
Becomes “Saint Louis” after successful campaigns in southern France that wipe out the
Albigensian heresy.

General Information:
Capetian kings do not control much outside of the region surrounding Paris for most of
the tenth and eleventh centuries. To gain influence, the kings
promoted/supported/controlled the shrine of St. Denis, the legendary first bishop of Paris
as a “national shrine” for the French people. The intermingling of church and state, along
with control of key resources and the use of bribes, allowed the kings to lure more and
more of the most powerful men in France to the city to, among other things, take an oath
of loyalty to the Capetians. Purely ceremonial at first, this sets a precedent for the
eventual consolidation of royal authority. Although the Capetians controlled roughly 24
bishoprics and 50 monasteries in northern France, the kings for the most part avoided
Papal controversy during this time period.

Effective control of territory in France begins in earnest with Louis VI (1108-1137)

wiped out competition from other powerful families in the Ile de France (surrounding
Paris) and systematically created a bureaucracy that was efficient and loyal only to the
king.
 Anjou
th th
Between the 11 and 12 centuries, the counts of Anjou controlled a large section of
western France through marriage, diplomacy, assassination, and intimidation. Geoffrey
of Anjou married the heiress of the duchy of Normandy whose father was William the
Conqueror, tying the counts to not only Normandy, but also England (through conquest),
and Aquitaine (through previous marriages in the 10th century). To further claim to
Aquitaine, Geoffrey’s son married Duchess Eleanor of Aquitane, the divorced
wife/widow of Louis VII of France. Considerable manipulation later, Henry of Anjou
becomes Henry II, king of England, in 1154. The “Angevin Empire” formed a direct
threat to the heirs of the Capetian Dynasty.

Trouble with England:

Henry on Anjou has four sons who vie for power. One of Henry’s sons, King John,
“borrowed” the fiancée of a vassal of Philip II, king of France. Philip II summons his
“vassal” to court in France to answer for his actions, and John refuses. War breaks out
between England and France in 1202, and will continue in spurts for centuries. Biggest
victory for the French is at the battle of Bouvines in 1214, in which a combination
English and German army is defeated, giving the French access to invade English held
lands throughout the west.

Other:
Southern France is the center of the “Albigensian Heresy” during the last part of the 12th
century. Local church and Catholic Church officials begged the French monarchs for
intervention, and the French, under Louis VIII and Louis IX did invade, adding
considerable territory to the Capetian dynasty’s power. The later sainting of Louis IX
gives the descendants considerable religious clout, which will culminate in King Philip
IV (1285-1314) and Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303).