The reign of Hugo Capet and his descendants became a bloody page in the history of all of Europe. A zealous defender of the Catholic Church, the new ruler began an active struggle with other religious movements, which led to numerous trials and public executions of all "infidels." In 1095, the abbot gathered a large army, which included representatives of the most noble French families, and organized the first-ever Crusade to Jerusalem, whose population was weakened by constant conflicts with Turkish soldiers.
Under the subsequent rulers of the Capetian dynasty, the scale of religious wars reached incredible proportions. The Second Crusade was undertaken in 1147, in which, in addition to the French knights, German troops also participated. However, despite the large army (according to some reports, more than 70,000 people took part in the campaign), the campaign ended in failure (the Germans, broken by the epidemic, were forced to return to their homeland, and the subjects of the French king were defeated near Honnes).
In July 1147, the joint forces of the crusaders for several days besieged Damascus, which was considered the richest and most fortified city of the Byzantine state, to no avail. Having failed to achieve victory and having lost most of his knights, the French king Louis was forced to return home. Despite a series of setbacks, popes and European monarchs did not soon abandon attempts to expand the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the expense of neighboring states.
The initiator of the Crusade was the Roman Pope Urban II, who turned to the French knights with a request to help in the liberation of the Holy Land (as Catholic priests called Jerusalem) from Muslims. The formal reason for the conflict was the refusal to issue sacred relics, but later a simple military campaign turned into a serious military campaign, into which most European countries were involved. In the course of prolonged hostilities, a number of Christian states were founded, including the Kingdom of Jerusalem (later this region became known as the Latin East).
The next Crusade was organized in the second half of the 12th century, led by such legendary commanders as Frederick Barbarossa and the English king Richard the Lionheart, but, like the last time, the European knights met fierce resistance (the leader of the Saracen army was Salah-ad- Dean, who had a reputation for being a talented and cunning commander). At first, everything went quite well, and French troops captured Sicily and even founded the Lusignan kingdom, but then Salah ad-Din's troops won a series of unexpected victories, and the feuds that began between the English and French feudal lords did not allow the military campaign to continue.
Subsequent campaigns (in 1202, 1217, 1239 and 1248) did not bring stable success to the Europeans, and the last (ninth and extremely unsuccessful) attempt to capture Palestine, undertaken by the crusaders in 1270, forever dashed the hopes of the European monarchs to conquer the eastern peoples.
While numerous detachments of the crusader troops stormed Muslim cities in vain, the first signs of feudal relations began to appear in France itself, and by the middle of the 10th century. the power of the French king did not extend to the entire territory of his own state, and even in his own duchy, he had to reckon with the interests of his rebellious vassals, whose loyalty primarily depended on the amount of monetary reward. For the money received from the king, vassals acquired feudas (neighboring duchies or plots of unoccupied territories), which they then presented to their relatives. The representatives of the Capetian dynasty themselves also actively acquired land, earning fabulous sums on the Crusades (initially, their immediate family ownership was only an insignificant plot located in the suburbs of Paris). As a result of these transactions by the end of the X century. they managed to increase the area of their family estate by 4 times.
Direct descendants of Hugo Capet were in power until 1328, the last of them, Hugo-Charles IV the Handsome, was succeeded on the throne by Philip VI, a representative of the late Capetian dynasty - Valois.
During the 30 years that elapsed between the death of Louis XI in 1483 and the accession of Francis I in 1515, the French Empire emerged from the Middle Ages. The initiator of these global transformations was a thirteen-year-old boy who ascended the French throne under the name of Charles VIII. From his royal ancestor, the most unloved by the people in the entire previous history of the French state, Charles received an economically and politically prosperous empire. A favorable environment on the external and internal political front facilitated the rapid implementation of the new political course. In addition to the beginning of a series of state reforms, which subsequently allowed the country to painlessly make the transition from the Middle Ages to the next stage of its development, the reign of the young Charles was also marked by two very important events that significantly changed the political map of Western Europe. The first of these was the marriage to the Duchess Anne of Breton, thanks to which the previously independent province of Brittany became part of the French Empire.
The new law allowed the French rulers to withdraw money from the state treasury without hindrance, while the Paris tax revenues were the guarantee of the return. Since then, large cities, primarily the capital, have become the largest source of replenishment of the state budget.
Another great achievement of the monarch was the annexation of Naples. Charles VIII died in 1498, and after him, under the name of Louis XI, the Duke of Orleans ascended the throne. Immediately after the coronation, the new ruler began organizing a military campaign against Italy, the main goal of which was Milan. The second major step of Louis was the adoption of a law introducing a royal loan, which allowed the monarchy to receive significant funds without resorting to the States General (the highest body of estate representation in France at that time). In addition, the new law made it possible to significantly slow down tax growth.
Gradually, on the basis of the law on the royal loan, a very stable banking system was formed, which made it possible to invest not only the monarch himself and the wealthy citizens of France, but also the bankers of neighboring countries, who, in addition to the main debt, were also required to pay interest. In modern terms, the law issued by Louis XI was the first model of a public credit system.
After the death of Louis XI, the throne passed to the Count of Angoulême, his relative, who inherited an unusually large and strong state. The new monarch named at the coronation of Francis I became a real symbol of the Renaissance, and the strong banking system of France, whose resources seemed endless, fully corresponded to the passions of the young king, who paid great attention to the cultural development of his subjects, and was also fond of painting and wrote poetry with pleasure. The influence of culture began to be felt in the appearance of the royal fortresses, which are gradually turning into beautiful palaces decorated with ornaments. Somewhat later, in the middle of the 15th century, book printing appeared in France, putting the empire among the most enlightened European states and giving a powerful impetus to the development of the French literary language.
The first French printing house was opened at the theological department of the University of Paris. The best German specialists were invited to install the equipment - Mikhail Friburger, Ulrich Goering and Martin Krantz. The first book printed was the complete collection of letters from Gasparin de Bergam (an authoritative Italian humanist). An equally important event in the development of French printing was the publication of the Bible (in 1476) and the Great French Chronicles (in the same year), and the Chronicles were published in full in French.
However, Francisc's foreign policy was nowhere near as successful, and his Italian campaigns did not bring the expected results. Despite the fact that the first French ruler of the Renaissance did not become a famous commander, he still went down in history as one of the greatest monarchs, thus standing on a par with the English king Henry VIII and the Roman emperor Charles V. The Count of Angoulême ruled French state from 1515 and died in 1547, leaving the throne to his eldest son, Henry II, who immediately undertook several brilliant military campaigns, recapturing Calais from the British and establishing power over the dioceses of Verdun, Metz and Toul, which were previously provinces Holy Roman Empire.
In 1553, Henry married a representative of the influential Italian Medici dynasty, whose head was a wealthy and successful banker. Among other things, Heinrich was a passionate lover of knightly tournaments and often took part in them. In 1559, at one of such competitions, he was seriously injured (the rival hit the king with a spear in the eye, and the sharp tip of the weapon damaged not only the bone, but also the brain), as a result of which he died.
Henry II had three sons, who were the legitimate heirs to the French throne. The eldest of them - Francis II, who ascended the throne in 1560, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, was a frail and sickly young man. In addition, the young king was under the strong influence of his relatives - the Duke of Guise and the Cardinal of Lorraine. The most significant event in Francisc's short life was his marriage to the heiress of the Scottish throne, Mary Stuart, with whom he was married by influential relatives. In all the surviving portraits of the young spouses, it is clearly visible that next to his wife, who has amazing external data, Francis II looked like a pale ghost. The cause of the painful thinness and physical weakness was a hereditary blood disease, with which the young prince fought since childhood. However, neither an isolated way of life (fearing injury, the young man practically did not leave his quarters), nor the efforts of the court doctors could save the king of France from death. A year after his coronation, Francis II passed away. The cause of his death was a common cold, which the weakened body could not cope with. After the death of her husband, Mary Stuart was forced to return to her homeland - to the Kingdom of Scotland.
Francisc had no children, and his ten-year-old brother, crowned under the name of Charles IX, was declared the legal heir. Since the ruler was still too young, all the threads of state power were concentrated in the hands of his mother, a proud and power-hungry woman. Catherine de Medici began a very aggressive domestic policy, primarily aimed at fighting the Protestants, which was started by Francis I. At the same time, in many cities of France, another religious trend was gaining strength - Calvinism, followed by wealthy citizens, as well as representatives of wealthy dynasties who have significant power at the royal court. Open confrontation between Catholics and Protestants led to the depletion of the state treasury. To remedy the situation, the monarchy had to increase taxes, which caused extreme discontent among the population.
The active spread of Calvinism and the unsuccessful attempts of the royal dynasty to overcome the economic and political crisis led to a tangible decline in the authority of not only the Medici, but also the French monarchy as a whole.
The tragic fate of Mary Stuart is worthy of a separate story, but her role in the development of the French state is insignificant. Mary was born in Scotland on December 8, 1542, and was the sole heir to the throne, as her two brothers died shortly before her birth. A few weeks after her birth, Mary became Queen of Scots, and at the age of six she was taken to France, where she was married to the heir to the throne, Prince Francis. However, the years spent in France did not bring Maria family happiness, and the royal mantle was not for long the subject of her dress. Throughout her later life, the former French queen was the center of conspiracies, scandals and palace intrigues.
The situation was aggravated by the extremely weak foreign policy of Charles IX and his mother. During the period of their joint reign, not a single major military conflict was noted, therefore, representatives of the nobility, deprived of the opportunity to fight abroad, constantly sought to get out of submission and, not meeting worthy resistance, conspired. Later, the ranks of the disgruntled nobility were joined by simple artisans, dissatisfied with the sharp increase in taxes. A wave of popular uprisings swept across the country.
Representatives of the Gizov dynasty (zealous supporters of the Catholic Church) preferred the advantageous position of the defenders of their faith and enjoyed the support of the pope.
The Huguenots and representatives of other religious groups formed another large camp, which included no less influential people (such as, for example, Mathieu de Montmorency, Louis de Condé and Gaspard de Coligny).
In 1562, bloody clashes broke out among the inhabitants of Paris, divided into two camps, which a year later engulfed the whole country. Periods of fierce struggle were occasionally interrupted by short-term peace negotiations, during which the parties tried to reach mutual understanding (in the course of attempts, it was decided to nevertheless grant the Huguenots the right to be in certain territories, but a document containing a list of restrictions that actually made the implementation of this right was attached to the agreement impossible). In the process of preparing the third formal agreement, a dispute arose that led to one of the bloodiest events in European history.
The essence of the conflict was religious contradictions: one of the prerequisites of the peace treaty was the marriage of King's sister Margaret with a young descendant of the Navarre kings, who, in fact, was the leader of the Huguenots. The dissatisfied king immediately ordered the arrest of the groom, which led to a terrible tragedy. On the eve of the holiday in honor of St. Bartholomew, the king's supporters organized a massive extermination of the Huguenots. According to numerous testimonies of contemporaries, which have come down to us in the form of diaries and letters, that night Paris literally drowned in the blood of innocent victims who were killed in their own homes, beaten and hung right on the streets of the city. Heinrich of Navarre miraculously managed to escape, but more than one thousand of his associates were killed on St. Bartholomew's Night.
The death of Charles IX a year after the tragedy in Paris only exacerbated the already bloody conflict. The legitimate heir to the childless king, no doubt, was his younger brother, but the unpopular royal relative was significantly inferior in leadership qualities to his relative Henry of Navarre. The accession of the duke to the throne was opposed by the leaders of the Catholics (speaking on the side of the majority of the country's population), who could not allow the accession of the main leader of the Huguenots and nominated their own candidate, Heinrich Giza.
French nobles and ordinary citizens perceived the religious differences of their rulers very emotionally, during which they became more and more convinced of the complete helplessness of the descendants of Francis I. Meanwhile, the French Empire was on the verge of collapse, and even the queen mother's desperate attempts to restore the authority of the royal family did not bring success. ... Catherine de 'Medici died the same year as Henry III, leaving her country behind a political and economic abyss.
After the death of most of his rivals, Henry of Navarre gained significant military superiority, and also secured the support of a very large group of moderate supporters of Catholicism. In 1594, Henry took the most unexpected step in his entire life. To end the constant religious conflicts, he renounced Protestantism, after which he was crowned in Chartres.
Realizing that the political preponderance was on the side of the representative of the Guise dynasty, Henry III ordered the murder of not only the duke himself, but also his brother, Cardinal of Lorraine, which caused a new wave of indignation among the French population. Popular anger forced the king to hastily side with Henry of Navarre. A few months later, the legitimate ruler of France, Henry III, died under very mysterious circumstances (later a zealous Catholic monk was accused of his death).
In 1598, the Edict of Nantes was signed, according to which the Huguenots were officially recognized as a political minority and received the right to self-defense and work. This document put an end to a long civil war that devastated the country and destroyed a significant part of the French population.
Henry of Navarre received the name of Henry IV and began a series of legislative reforms, the main goal of which was the economic stabilization of the situation. The right hand of the new king was the Duke of Sully, an intelligent and far-sighted man, through whose efforts well-being and order were achieved. Maximilien de Bethune, who went down in French history as the Duke of Sully, began his career as Minister of Finance, to which he was appointed in 1597. In 1599, he became the chief superintendent of communications, and a few years later received the post of chief chief of all artillery. as well as inspectors of all French fortresses.
The most notable achievements of the government of Henry IV were the decrees of 1595 and 1597, temporarily protecting the property of farmers from creditors and the administration and prohibiting the sale of property and tools taken away for debts. In the course of further agricultural reforms, the amount of tax paid by peasants was reduced, which made their life much easier. Thanks to these deliberate actions, the last years of Henry's reign passed peacefully and safely.
Contemporaries characterized Sully as a straightforward, very honest and thrifty person (apparently, it was these qualities that allowed the duke to hold on to such high positions, despite the numerous conspiracies of his rivals). Already being the French king, Henry, infinitely trusted Sully, constantly consulted with him and often followed his instructions.
At a time when all the events described above were taking place in the state, neighboring European countries gradually became involved in a grand conflict, the cause of which was all the same religious differences. Having begun as a clash between German Protestants and Catholics, the confrontation gradually developed into the largest pan-European clash, in which almost all countries became participants, with the exception of Switzerland and Turkey.
Despite the obvious religious orientation of the Thirty Years War, most historians believe that its main purpose was to undermine the authority of the powerful Habsburg dynasty. Gradually, France was also dragged into the whirlpool of the conflict. But in 1610, King Henry IV was killed while preparing for another military campaign. This tragic event prevented the country from prematurely participating in the Thirty Years' War.
After Henry's death, his nine-year-old son, crowned by Louis XIII, came to the throne. Queen Maria de Medici became regent under the minor monarch. A close friend and mentor of Mary was the Bishop of Luzon Armand Jean de Plessis, better known as Cardinal Richelieu. In 1624 he was appointed the official representative of the king and virtually ruled the country alone, earning a reputation as one of the greatest political figures in the history of France. Thanks to a large army of quartermasters (secret agents), Richelieu managed to restore the authority of royal power in noble circles, but his greatest achievement was the opening of the French Academy of Sciences, which the cardinal continued to patronize until his death.
But there was also a negative side in Richelieu's activities, for example, the network of agents organized by the cardinal significantly infringed the rights of noble families and practically deprived them of their independence, in addition, Richelieu continued to actively fight the Huguenots, forcing the king to pass a law on the seizure of all fortresses and castles from them. However, despite the obvious ambiguity of the political course pursued by Richelieu, most of his plans turned out to be very successful and brought benefit to the state. The death of the bishop in 1642 was a terrible blow for the royal family (most historians are inclined to conclude that Richelieu died a natural death, but some of them still believe that he was poisoned by the Huguenots). A year later, the ruler himself died, and although his heir, Louis XIV, at that time was barely 5 years old, the transfer of power went surprisingly calmly.
A huge role in this process was played by the protege and disciple of the late de Plusy, Cardinal Mazarin. Anna of Austria, his mother, was appointed the guardian of the little ruler, but the real power was concentrated in the hands of the cardinal. Throughout his life, Mazarin actively pursued royal policy within the country, but in the international arena he adhered to the course outlined by Richelieu. The Versailles and Iberian Peace Treaties became major foreign policy achievements of French diplomats.
By the time of Mazarin's death in 1661, Louis XIV had already reached his majority and was able to govern his state with his own hand. The young king withdrew from the policy of peace negotiations and began active hostilities. The key to the success of military campaigns was a large, well-trained army, skill and undoubted talent of commanders, among whom there were truly legendary personalities (Viscount de Turenne, Prince of Condé, etc.). After the death of Cardinal Mazarin, Jean Baptiste Colbert became the right hand of the French king.
Hired by the late cardinal in 1651, Colbert managed to make a truly dizzying career under Louis XIV: in 1661 he became a member of the Supreme Council, in 1664 he was appointed surintendant of state buildings and manufactures, in 1665 he became controller general finance, and in 1669 - the minister of the sea.
Colbert's economic policy was mainly aimed at raising funds to ensure the endless military campaigns of the French king, and his radical methods (such as an increase in the customs tariff in 1667, an increase in trade duties on the import of foreign goods, a sharp increase in indirect taxes) caused large peasants uprisings. Even during the life of Louis XIV, contemporaries accused him of an excessive and "extremely dangerous love of war" and more than once reproached the king that this addiction led to the invasion of French territory by enemy troops, to the complete depletion of the once rich state treasury. Indeed, in the last years of his life, the king got involved in the desperate War of the Spanish Succession, which ended in the complete defeat of the French army and almost led to a split in the state itself (only the lack of mutual understanding in the ranks of its opponents saved France from ruin). Louis XIV died in old age in 1715, and his young great-grandson, crowned under the name of Louis XV, ascended the throne. The self-appointed Duke of Orleans became regent under the minor ruler. The reign of Louis XV was like an unsuccessful parody of the reign of his predecessor.
In 1720, the king's ambitious regent became involved in a grand scandal that was caused by the failure of the Mississippi project, organized by John Lowe with the tacit consent of the Duke of Orleans. This project, in fact, was an unprecedented speculative scam, the purpose of which was to quickly replenish the state treasury.
Another, perhaps the most corrupt, industry was the sale of the right to collect taxes, which by that time was no longer bringing positive results. The well-trained army of Louis XIV, handed over to the hands of the aristocracy, turned into a gathering of demoralized, ragged and hungry soldiers, ready at any moment to revolt against their leaders. With the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756, Louis XV began to pay much more attention to his army.
The Seven Years War, which raged in Europe from 1756 to 1763, was one of the largest conflicts of the 18th century, in which most of the colonial powers of both the Old and New Worlds were drawn. The cause of the bloody conflict that broke out was the direct clash of interests of Great Britain, France and Spain in the struggle for the North American colonies. Later, the British politician Winston Churchill called the seven-year confrontation "the first world war."
French troops were forced to fight in the territories of Spain and Prussia (in the latter case, France participated in the War of the Austrian Succession). Constant participation in military conflicts greatly affected the economic and political state of the French Empire, which by the end of the Seven Years War had lost most of its colonies and was on the verge of a grandiose social crisis.
The difficult situation within the country, as well as its loss of international prestige, ultimately led to the revolution of 1789. In the course of numerous bloody clashes, the French people managed to get rid of both the feudal remnants of the era of medieval knighthood and the monarchy itself. However, at the beginning of the path of democratic development of the state, Napoleon came to power.
CAPETING
The third dynasty of French kings, representatives of the direct line of which ruled the state in 987-1328. These strange rulers were distinguished by fervent religiosity, but constantly came into conflict with the Roman pontiffs (due to the struggle for power and numerous remarriages), which is why they were often excommunicated from the church. Almost all representatives of the dynasty were crowned at a young age and almost all of them died from various infectious diseases or poisoning. The Valois and Bourbons, who replaced the Capetian on the throne of France, were descendants of the younger, lateral lines of the Hugo Capet family.
The Capetian history began in 987, when Count Hugo of Paris (938–996; reigned 987–996) was elected king of France and became the founder of a new ruling dynasty. It is believed that Capet is the nickname of the count, given to him for his love for a headdress of a certain style. In fact, Hugo came from a noble family of the Parisian Counts Robertine, whose representatives covered themselves with glory during the struggle against the Normans who invaded France. In fact, the Robertines have always threatened the reigning Carolingian dynasty, like a powder keg installed next to a burning hearth: they repeatedly proclaimed themselves kings and fought against the ruling monarchs. However, many of the Counts of Paris faithfully served France, occupying leading government positions. In this case, they actually became "shadow kings", concentrating in their hands the power equal to the monarchs.
When King Lothair unleashed a war with the rebellious feudal lords and attempted to seize Lorraine, Hugo Capet took the side of his monarch and became his active ally. Lothair, on the other hand, knew how to value loyalty and remember the good. Therefore, soon the duchy of Poitiers was granted to the count. For many years, Hugo Capet has demonstrated his talent as a politician and manager, taking part in solving important government issues. And since he did not give Lothair (as well as his enemies) even the slightest reason to doubt his loyalty to the crown, the monarch, dying, in 986 entrusted the care of a companion of his only son and heir, crowned soon under the name of Louis V. But the new ruler did not reign for long. had to. He passed away a little over a year later. Louis V had no children, so in 987 the feudal nobility gathered in Senlis in order to decide the fate of the country. Enlisting the support of the Archbishop of the Rhine, the aristocrats elected the new king of France, Hugo Capet, who had established himself as a reasonable and strong ruler.
True, not all feudal lords considered such a choice to be the only possible one. Immediately after the meeting in Senlis, Hugo had to start a war with another contender for the throne, dissatisfied with the result of the vote: Karl of Lorraine believed that the throne should belong to him, since he came from the Carolingian family. The aristocrats who voted against Capet (most of them had possessions south of the Loire), initially supported the "offended" candidate for the throne. Charles of Lorraine even managed to seize Lan (the capital of France under the Carolingians) and retain power in the city for quite a long time. But Capet reacted to this state of affairs in a very original and decisive manner: he once and for all moved the capital to Paris, which was his ancestral possession, and only then began the struggle against his rival.
After the founder of the new dynasty nevertheless defended his rights, he began to strengthen the royal power in the state and increase his own authority among the nobility. To begin with, the new king officially recognized the heredity of the feudal lords' fiefs. In practice, this custom actually existed, but was not legally enshrined. However, this step did not bring the expected results. The fact is that the royal domain of the Capetian was reduced only to Paris and Orleans, and therefore did not give Hugo the opportunity to influence large feudal lords in other regions of France. So the power of the monarch at that time in many respects continued to remain conditional.
After the death of the first representative of the Capetian dynasty, the throne passed to his son Robert II (ruled 996-1031). Then the following representatives of the direct line of the Capetian clan successively replaced each other on the throne: Henry I (ruled 1031-1060), Philip I (ruled 1060-1108), Louis VI (ruled 1108-1137). All of them were good rulers, but they did not leave a noticeable trace in history, since in many issues they were literally tied hand and foot by the nominal nature of the power vested in them during the coronation. On the large feudal lords, none of these descendants of Hugo Capet had any serious influence.
Louis VII (1120-1180; reigned 1137-1180) distinguished himself by becoming one of the leaders of the Second Crusade, which lasted from 1147 to 1149. And since Aquitaine for a long time remained the territory that the French kings only dreamed of, Louis VII married the Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. But this union was not very successful: in 1152, the king decided to divorce his wife, who was distinguished by a strong and explosive character. As a result of the "home battles" of the royal couple, France for some time lost Aquitaine. In addition, Eleanor did not miss being alone for long. Soon, the divorced ex-wife of Louis VII was led down the aisle by the king of England. This allowed the rulers of Foggy Albion to put forward claims to the possession of Aquitaine and led to numerous and protracted military conflicts.
Louis VII was replaced on the throne of lilies by the next representative of the Capetian dynasty - Philip II Augustus (1165–1223; ruled 1180–1223). He turned out to be a truly outstanding statesman, a genius who combined the talents of a politician and a military leader.
Interestingly, this Capetian became the last French sovereign to be crowned while his father was still alive: he was legally considered a monarch since November 1179, although he actually took power into his own hands only in 1180.
When Philip II Augustus ascended the throne, only Orleans, Ile-de-France and part of Berry were part of the actual royal domain. But besides this, there were a dozen more feudal possessions in the state! And they were only subject to the symbolic right of royal suzerainty. However, soon this balance of power began to change, since Philip Augustus devoted his reign to the correction of "historical injustice", not only significantly increasing his possessions, but also securing them to his heirs.
At the age of 14 (in April 1180), the young monarch married Isabella d'Eno, who brought her husband the rich and influential County of Artois as a dowry. In fact, the matter was decided not by the love of two teenagers (although they really loved each other), but by sober cold calculation. The fact is that the queen mother - Adele Champagne - wanted to decide the fate of the state for her son and at the same time was looking for leverage over Philip Augustus. The daughter-in-law was to become one of them. The uncle of the newlywed, Count of Flanders, who, taking advantage of his relationship with Isabella d'Eno, presented his claims to regency, also had an interest in this marriage. But the young king quickly dashed his relatives' hopes for gaining power. Philip Augustus was able to explain to his mother and her four brothers that from now on he intends to deal with the affairs of the state and to be freed from custody. Equally emphatically, he rejected the claims of his wife's uncle to regency. Naturally, after the "conversation" between the Count of Flanders and the young king, whom at first few people took seriously, a serious conflict broke out. The vengeful nobleman organized an opposition feudal coalition, which included the Counts of Hainaut, Blois, Chartres and the Duke of Burgundy. The aristocrats were alarmed by the first successes of the new monarch, who looked at the world with maturity beyond his years, had a strong will and was not going to become someone's puppet. Philip Augustus decided to rule in earnest, and not wait for his older relatives to use the state apparatus to carry out their plans. The confrontation between the king and the feudal lords dragged on, but in 1185 Philip Augustus literally drove the rebels into a corner and imposed peace on the Count of Flanders on his own terms. According to a document signed by the parties on November 7, 1185, Artois, Amienois and Vermandois became the property of the crown.
Following this, the king, inspired by such success, was closely tackling the main task of his reign and began to recapture the possessions of the Anjou dynasty, which at that time were three times larger than his own possessions in terms of area. Perhaps, in a different alignment of forces, such a grand campaign would be doomed to failure, but ... the king knew how to choose the moment most suitable for the implementation of his plans. Since in the mid-1180s, the English king Henry II openly feuded with his own sons, the Plantagenets could not organize a worthy rebuff to the monarch who encroached on their territory. As a result, on July 4, 1189, the French won the decisive battle at Azay-le-Rideau.
After the death of Henry II of England, Philip Augustus decided to make a knight's move and, in order to create the appearance of reconciliation, set off on the Third Crusade in 1190 with the second son of the deceased enemy, Richard the Lionheart. By the way, in medieval history this was the only case when the French and English kings, at least for a short time, fought under the same banners: usually, the heads of two enemy states were engaged only in the fact that they were happy to put a spoke in each other's wheels.
It quickly became clear that participation in the campaign for Philip Augustus was just a well-thought-out tactical maneuver. On July 13, 1291, after the fall of Accra, the French monarch went back to do business in France in Richard's absence. Naturally, the Englishman, having learned about this, decided to hastily go there in order to restore the status quo. However, the aristocrat, burning with righteous anger, was in for a severe disappointment: on the way he was captured by Duke Leopold V of Austria. Interestingly, Philip Augustus paid the latter, and regularly and regularly! The French king contributed considerable sums to the imperial treasury, if only the overly zealous rival remained in captivity for a longer time. It wasn't until 1194 that Richard managed to escape. Among the virtues of the Lionheart, gentleness and complaisance have never been listed, as well as the habit of forgiving offenders. So the former prisoner immediately after his release launched a military campaign against Philip Augustus. Luck invariably remained on the side of the British, but in 1199 Richard died without quenching his thirst for revenge.
The French monarch did not recognize the legality of the hereditary rights of the successor of Richard the Lionheart - his younger brother John. Philip Augustus managed to impose a treaty on the latter, signed in May 1200. According to this document, John became a vassal of the French king (this concerned possessions on the continent), lost Evreux, Auvergne, Berry and part of Normandy. In addition, John was forced to agree to the marriage of his niece Blanca of Castile with the heir to Philip Augustus (in the future, King Louis VIII). True, over Brittany and part of Normandy, the English king managed to maintain suzerainty. But, as it turned out, not for long.
In 1202, John committed a crime: he kidnapped the bride of the Comte de la Marche, Isabella of Angoulême, married her and took possession of her dowry. A year later, the English monarch got rid of the legitimate heir to the throne - his own nephew of Arthur of Breton: the "loving" uncle ordered him to be killed ... Naturally, relatives of both affected parties turned to Philip Augustus with a request to punish the villain. And the French king gladly did what he had long aspired to: through court he deprived John of Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Poitou and Touraine. After such a land "amputation", only Guyenne remained in the power of the English crown south of the English Channel. This led to the creation of another feudal coalition, which unleashed a military conflict. On July 27, 1214, the French managed to win a brilliant victory at Bouvin.
But the attempts of Prince Louis to conquer England were unsuccessful. The crusades against the Albigensians in Languedoc (1215 and 1219) did not bring the desired result either. Nevertheless, by the end of his life, Philip Augustus managed to annex quite a lot of lands to the royal domain.
Philip II and the Pope had major problems. After the wife of the monarch, Isabella d'Eno, died in 1190, he thought about a new marriage. Three years later, he married the sister of the Danish king, Ingeborg. The scandal erupted the next day when Philip announced ... an irresistible disgust for his wife! He never managed to find an official reason for divorce. However, the king soon married Agnes of Meran. The pope demanded that the monarch recognize Ingeborga's status, but the crowned obstinate did not agree. In 1200, the pontiff excommunicated Philip Augustus from the church. Together with the whole kingdom - apparently, just in case ... Only in 1213 the monarch decided to recognize Ingeborga as his legal wife: by that time Agnes had died, leaving her husband with two children. The Pope, replacing his anger with mercy, removed the interdict from France and its ruler and even legalized the children of the late de Meran.
Researchers emphasize the special role of Philip Augustus in strengthening the administrative structure of the state. For example, the king, around 1190, carried out a reform, dividing the country into districts (prevotes), each of which was under the control of an official chosen from the petty nobility or wealthy townspeople. The activities of these officials (bailies) were constantly monitored, which immediately reduced the number of local abuses.
The lands annexed by the king brought considerable income to the treasury. However, the endless military campaigns, the payment of mercenaries, the construction of fortifications consumed all income - the treasury often remained empty. The increase in old and the introduction of new taxes helped; in addition, Philip Augustus occasionally carried out the expulsion of the Jews with the confiscation of their property.
It was under this king that France finally found its real capital. In Paris, the main streets were paved, the fortress walls were erected (34 towers on the left bank of the river and 33 on the right), the Louvre donjon was built, where the royal archives were located. In addition, under Philip Augustus, the construction of Gothic cathedrals began in Reims, Rouen, Amiens, Berger. At the same time, a cathedral was erected in Lyon, Chartres Cathedral was rebuilt and the construction of Notre Dame Cathedral was practically completed.
Louis VIII (1187–1226; reigned 1223–1226), who succeeded his father on the throne, continued his line in foreign and domestic policy. He managed to win Poitou, Perigord and a number of other territories from the British.
The next king of this dynasty was Saint Louis IX (1214–1270; ruled 1226–1270). This man, who is usually called “one of the three great Capetian” (as such, besides him, Philip II Augustus and Philip IV the Handsome are considered), left a significant mark in history. During his life, he acquired the glory of a holy crusader king, an exemplary Christian knight, a ruler who managed to raise the prestige of royal power by transforming and developing the administrative structure of the state.
Louis IX, distinguished by a versatile education and especially successful in theology, was on the throne as a boy. Therefore, for eight years the country was ruled by his mother, Blanca of Castile - a reasonable and determined woman. When Louis grew up, his mother transferred the reins of government to her son, retaining her influence over him. Interestingly, Blanca was the only person whose advice the "Saint" king listened to.
The young monarch and his supporters immediately had to fight against a coalition of feudal lords led by the powerful Count Raymund VII of Toulouse. The English king was also among the opposition. However, the rebels received a serious rebuff; Count of Toulouse in 1229 imposed the Treaty of Paris, which put an end to the Albigensian Wars and approved a new system of government for the southern province of Languedoc. The count himself was forced to consent to the marriage of his only heiress with one of the king's brothers - Alphonse de Poitiers.
Louis IX was always successful in matters of foreign policy: by 1235 he not only successfully repelled the aggression of the eternal opponent of France - the English monarch, but also established peace with both Foggy Albion and his own barons, who sometimes turned out to be more dangerous opponents than an external enemy ... The last serious revolt that France had to endure during the time of Louis IX was the Cathar revolt in Languedoc (1240): after 1244, the south of the country no longer opposed the will of the authorities.
Following the reign of peace in the kingdom, Louis IX decided that it was time to officially announce the beginning of the Seventh Crusade. In the spring of 1248, after instructing his mother to rule the country, he set out on the road. Actually, by that time the crusader movement was perceptibly declining and no longer enjoyed much support. But the performance of Louis IX caused considerable enthusiasm among the French. All thanks to the special attitude of the inhabitants of the kingdom to their monarch - the embodiment of the ideal image of a Christian knight. After all, there were much more defeats in that campaign than successes. The French were haunted not only by military failures, but also by disease and famine. In addition, Louis himself and several thousand of his knights managed to get captured by the Muslims. Many of the captured aristocrats died, and the king's brother, Alphonse, had to be ransomed for four million francs. However, in 1254 France met Louis as a triumphant!
But to the monarch himself, the honors only hurt the emotional wound even more: earlier, Louis was already distinguished by his religiosity, and upon his return from captivity, he generally turned into an ascetic. After all, he, the king-knight, could not ransom all the Christian captives due to lack of funds!
And the monarch's income did fall. The fact is that Louis VIII left part of the royal domain to his younger sons: Alphonse received Poitou at his disposal, and Charles - Anjou. It should be noted that in this case we were talking about two very rich provinces. To make ends meet, Louis IX needed to carefully organize the work of administrative structures, improve the prevotte system (officials were also able to pass on their posts by inheritance), and also take care of suppressing abuses on the ground.
In 1263, Louis IX also reformed the monetary system: coins of the royal minting were circulated throughout France. Thus, through the efforts of this monarch, the royal power began to dominate the feudal rulers.
In domestic policy, the monarch tried to take into account, to the best of his ability, the interests of all segments of the population. In the late 50s of the XIII century, he resolved a number of difficult issues of the country's foreign policy. So, in 1258, the border was established between France and the possessions of the Aragonese king Jaime (it passed along the Iberian ridge). A year later, Louis finally made peace with Henry III. The English king agreed to abandon claims to Normandy, Maine, Poitou, Anjou and Touraine, and in return received back part of his possessions in Gascony and Guienne (even Henry himself was not sure that the English crown had good legal grounds to own these lands !).
Only one circumstance still prevented Louis IX from sleeping peacefully - an unsuccessful crusade. To correct this, in 1267 he started a crusade for the second time ... Both the knighthood and the clergy this time were categorically against the intentions of the monarch, but he managed to insist on his own. In the summer of 1270, Louis set out again, not to Palestine, but to North Africa.
The last campaign of the king-knight turned out to be inglorious: the French army was caught in Tunisia by a plague epidemic. On August 25, the organizer of the campaign himself died of a terrible illness. And in 1297, Louis IX was canonized by Pope Boniface VIII (the appearance of the saint among the Capetian, to the grandson of the knight king, Philip IV the Handsome, especially played into the hands).
Following Louis the Holy, his eldest son Philip III the Bold (reigned 1270-1285) was on the throne of France. He continued the policy of his brilliant predecessor, remaining in his shadow, which cannot be said about Philip IV the Handsome (1268-1314; reigned 1285-1314). The grandson of Louis Saint, an amazingly handsome and extremely impassive person, continued to expand the royal domain. He believed that the Guyenne had been given into the possession of the English kings in vain. Therefore, finding fault with formal violations of the suzerain rights of France, in 1295 he involved both countries in a new war, which lasted four years and did not bring any tangible results. Things were much more successful in Flanders: Philip managed to capture it in 1300. True, the French managed to finally establish themselves in the occupied territory only in 1305. The defeat of the French at Courtras in 1302 is not worth mentioning.
This amazing man became the third great representative of the Capetian family and the first of the so-called "damned kings". Philip, for the sake of implementing his policy, did not disdain anything: neither bribery, nor monstrous cruelty to enemies, nor slander, nor ... making a counterfeit coin. But all these actions were subordinated to one goal - the creation of a powerful state and the maximum strengthening of royal power.
At this time, Philip IV was in serious conflict with Pope Boniface VIII, who issued a bull forbidding the secular authorities to levy taxes from clerics. The latter, by the way, received the strictest order not to pay anything to the treasury. Philip, who was always in need of money and did not tolerate interference in the affairs of the king, such a decision of the pope forced him to act decisively. In 1300, he arrested a papal legate for making offensive remarks about him. The Pope responded by recalling that the clergy are not subject to royal court. Then Philip IV in April 1302 convened the first States General in the history of France, which supported him. Boniface VIII did not remain in debt: he proclaimed an indispensable condition for the salvation of the soul ... submission to the papal throne both in matters of faith and in matters of politics. And since Philip IV continued to ignore the bulls of the pontiff, the "most Christian king" was excommunicated! In response, the monarch arrested Boniface VIII. He could not stand the humiliation, went mad and died. And Philip achieved the subordination of the papacy of France and moved the residence of the pontiff from Rome to Avignon. This happened in 1307. This city was considered completely independent, but this was only a formality, since it was surrounded by French territory on all sides.
In 1308, Philip IV decided to get rid of the influential, wealthy and independent of the secular authorities of the knightly order of the Templars. The monarch wanted to seize their property and take revenge for refusing to accept him into the ranks of the Templars on the grounds that members of the order should keep a vow of celibacy and not belong to the ruling persons.
The Templars were tried on hastily fabricated charges of heresy, unnatural vices, and alliance with Muslims. The States General approved of the king's actions, and the pope in 1311 was forced to ban the order. Most of the funds of the Templars went to the treasury of Philip IV. And in March 1314, the highest dignitaries of the order (mostly old people) were burned at the stake. Among those executed was the Grand Master Jacques le Molay, who was Philip IV's godfather. Before his death, the old knight cursed the tormentor and his descendants and warned: all those guilty of the death of the order will soon meet with him at God's judgment.
In the same year, Philip IV was going to launch a new campaign against Flanders, but ... In November, the first of the "damned kings", distinguished by truly iron health, suddenly died. Apparently, the cause of the death of the monarch was a stroke or, which is not excluded, banal poisoning. However, the French immediately remembered the words of the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Templar, which sounded from the flame of the fire.
The death of Philip IV the Handsome did not cause much grief. Even people close to him were afraid of his rational cruelty, the feudal lords were outraged by the infringement of their rights, the inhabitants of the kingdom constantly grumbled about the increase in taxes, "spoilage" of coins (a decrease in their gold content while maintaining the denomination), which led to inflation. And the whole Christian world was outraged by the violence perpetrated by the French king over the pope.
Philip's heirs were forced to soften the policy of their predecessor. All of them, by the way, unwittingly confirmed the popular belief in the curse of Jacques le Molay. Louis X the Grumpy (reigned 1314-1316), John I the Posthumous (reigned 1316), Philip V the Long (reigned 1316-1322) and Charles IV the Handsome (reigned 1322-1328) died early under unclear circumstances, after which there was no male heir among the Capetian. Thus, the direct branch of the Capetian was interrupted, and the throne of the lilies passed to the Valois dynasty.
From the book Feudal Society author Block Mark2. New monarchy: Capetian The main sources of power - however, very relative, the Carolingian monarchy at the time of its heyday were the following principles: military service, which was demanded from each subject, the leading role of the royal court, the subordination of counts who
"Long-haired kings" - this was the name of the first dynasty of French kings, descended from the Salic Franks, an independent branch living in Tosandria (between the rivers Meuse and Scheldt) since 420, the leader of which was the founder of the Merovingian family - Faramond, according to many scientists, a mythical character ... From the 5th to the middle of the 8th centuries, the Merovingians ruled in the territories of modern France and Belgium.
Legends of ancient France
This semi-legendary dynasty of French kings is surrounded by mystery, myth and fiction. The Merovingians themselves called themselves "new mages".
They were considered miracle workers, seers and sorcerers, all of whose powerful strength lay in long hair. The figure of Faramond, the son of Markomir, as well as his descendants, including Merovey himself, is controversial. The existence of many of them, as well as the fact that they take their family directly from the Trojan king Priam, or, at worst, from his relative, the hero of the Trojan War, Aeneas, has not been documented in any way. As well as the fact that the Merovingians are descended from Jesus Christ. Some people call them the Northern Rus. In some articles it is said that the dynasty takes its kind from Merovey, therefore it is called that. Others argue that Merovei was generally 13th in this family.
Historical evidence
The first historical figure, many researchers consider only the son of Merovey - Childeric. Many, but not all. Most consider the true founder of the kingdom to be his son, that is, the grandson of Merovey - Clovis (481-511), who successfully ruled for 30 years and was buried in the Church of Peter and Paul, which he himself built in Paris (now the Church of St. Genevieve). This dynasty of French kings was glorified by Holdwig I. And not only because France converted to Catholicism under him, but his baptism was the birth of a new Roman Empire. Under him, the Frankish (translated as "free") state significantly increased in size, it is even compared with the "high civilization" of Byzantium. It flourished. The literacy of the population was five times higher than 500 years later.
Strong and weak representatives of the glorious dynasty
Merovingian kings were generally distinguished and highly educated. Wise and sometimes tough rulers, like, for example, Dagobert II (676-679), who ruled not long, but boldly. He concentrated all power in the hands of the monarch, which made the state strong, but did not like the aristocratic circles and the church. This king was martyred. According to one version, he was killed in a dream by his godson, who pierced his eye with a spear. The church, which condoned regicide, canonized him in 872. After that, we can say the last true representative of the Merovingians, the time of the reign of the mayord comes. Childeric III (743-751), the last of the Merovingian house, no longer possessed practical power. He was seated on the throne by mayordoms Pepin Korotkiy and Karloman after the throne had been empty for 7 years. Allegedly, he was the son of Chilperic II, but there is no confirmation of his belonging to the Merovingian family in general. Naturally, he was a toy in the hands of the dignitaries.
Carolingians and their best representative
The Carolingians are a dynasty of French kings that replaced the rulers from the Merovei clan. The first ruler was Pepin III the Short (751-768), who before his coronation was a mayord, that is, the highest dignitary at the Merovingian court. He is also famous for being the father of Charlemagne. Pepin, who seized power by force and by falsehood, imprisoned the last of the glorious Merovei dynasty - Childeric III.
The most striking personality not only in the Carolingian dynasty, which ruled from 751 to 987, but in the entire history of France, is Charles I the Great (768-814). His name gave the name of the dynasty. A successful warrior who made more than 50 campaigns, he immeasurably expanded the borders of France. In 800 in Rome, Charles was proclaimed emperor. His power became unlimited. By introducing tough laws, he concentrated power as much as possible in his own hands. For the slightest offense, everyone who violated the laws established by him faced the death penalty. Charles twice a year convened a council of secular and spiritual high nobility. Based on joint decisions, he issued laws. With his court, the emperor traveled throughout the country for the purpose of personal control. Of course, such a conduct of affairs, plus the reorganization of the army, could not fail to give positive results. France flourished. But the empire collapsed with his death. Not seeing a worthy heir, Karl distributed allotments to his sons, who were at enmity with each other. In the future, the crushing continued.
End of the empire created by Karl
A dynasty of French kings from the Carolingian clan ruled the country for more than two centuries, but there was not a single one among the representatives of this dynasty that even in the slightest degree resembled Charles I the Great. The last ruler in the rank of Emperor Berengar I died in 924. In 962, the Holy Roman Empire was founded by the German king Otto I the Great. She began to consider herself the successor of the Carolingian Empire. The last king of this dynasty was Louis V the Lazy, who was in power for one year - from 986 to 987. According to some versions, he was poisoned by his mother. Probably because he was lazy. And although he appointed his uncle as his heir, the clergy and authorities put Hugo Capet on the throne.
Third royal house of France
The dynasty of French kings, reigning since 987, was called the Robertines, later Capetian, as you might guess, by the name of the first to sit on the throne legally, Hugo Capet (reigned 987-996). More is known about the representatives of this dynasty, which ended with the death of the Handsome in 1328, if only because the trilogy of Maurice Druon "Cursed Kings", incredibly popular in the Soviet Union, is dedicated to the years of the reign of the last five kings from the Capetian dynasty, and the first two rulers from the dynasty Valois, a junior branch of the Capetian. Philip IV the Handsome and all his offspring were cursed by the Grand Master of the Templars at the time of his execution.
Branched and strong
Representatives of this royal family and under the Carolingians were proclaimed kings of France - two sons of the founder of the dynasty, Robert the Strong, Count of Anjou - the elder Ed in 888, and the younger Robert in 922. But the Carolingians remained the ruling royal family. And already Hugo Capet founded his legitimate dynasty, which, one might say, remained in power until 1848, because the subsequent ruling houses of Valois, Bourbons, Orleanids were the younger branches of the Capetian. The dynasty of French kings since 987 is famous not only for its ramification, but also for the fact that, having received a fragmented state from the Carolingians, in which the king's power extended only from Paris to Orleans, it turned France into a powerful monarchical power stretching from the shores of the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea ... This was done through the efforts of its best kings - Louis VI Tolstoy (1108-1137), Philip II Augustus Crooked (1179-1223), one of the brightest representatives of this house, Saint Louis IX (1226-1270), Philip III the Bold (1270- 1285), and, of course, Philip IV the Fair (1285-1314). He completely changed France, turning it into a power, somewhat reminiscent of our modern state.
A nickname left over the centuries
The dynasty of French kings, the name of which comes from the nickname, is also the Capetian. The addition to the name of the first monarch, Hugo the Great, was first mentioned only in the 11th century. According to some researchers, he received this nickname because he wore an abbey's cap (cappa). He was the secular abbot of such famous monasteries as Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Saint-Denis, and several others.
As noted above, the Capetian was the oldest branch of this vast clan, whose offspring founded other dynasties of French kings. The table below illustrates the above.
Capetian (987 - 1848) - third ruling dynasty of France |
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The Capetian proper (main branch) | The Valois dynasty | House of Orleans - |
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First ruler Hugo Capet (987-996) The last king Charles IV (1322-1328) | First ruler Philip VI (1328-1350) The last king Henry III (1574-1589) | First ruler Henry IV (1589-1610) The last king Louis XVI (1774-1792 executed) Restoration of the Bourbons (1814-1830) | The last king Louis Philippe (1830-1848) |
Smart, tough, very handsome
Philip the Beautiful had a very successful marriage, in which four children were born. Three boys were in turn kings of France - Louis X the Grumpy (1314-1316), Philip V the Long (1316-1322), Charles IV the Handsome (1322-1328). These weak kings were far from their illustrious father. In addition, they had no sons, except for John I the Posthumous, the son of Louis X the Grumpy, who died 5 days after baptism. The daughter of Philip the Fair married the English king Edward II, which gave their son Edward III of the Plantagenet family the right to challenge the rights to the French throne from the Valois branch, which took it after the death of Charles the Fair. This led to the start of the Hundred Years War.
The Valois branch
The dynasty of French kings, which began to rule since, was called (1328-1589), since its ancestor was Philip Valois, a cousin of the last Capetian monarch. Many misfortunes fell to the lot of this ruling house - a bloody war, loss of territories, an epidemic of plague, popular uprisings, the largest of which is Jacqueria (1358). Only in 1453, France, once again in its history, regains its former greatness and is restored to its former borders. And Jeanne d, Ark, or the Maid of Orleans, who drove out the English, "the grateful French" burned at the stake.
It also happened during the reign of this dynasty - August 24, 1572. And this royal house had its worthy representatives, such as During the years of his reign, France flourished during the Renaissance and the strengthening of the absolute power of the monarch. The last king of this house was the youngest and most beloved son of the scheming Catherine de Medici (the first were kings and Charles IX), Henry III. But he was stabbed with a stiletto by the fanatical Dominican monk Jacques Clement. Henry III was glorified by the novels of Alexandre Dumas "Queen Margot", "Countess de Monsoreau", "Forty-five". They had no sons, and the Valois dynasty ceases to be ruling.
Bourbons
The time comes for the French kings of the Bourbon dynasty, which was founded in Henry IV of Navarre (1589-1610). The founder of this junior branch of the Capetian was the son of Louis IX, Saint Robert (1256-1317) by the wife of Ser de Bourbon. Representatives of this dynasty in France occupied the throne from 1589 to 1792, and from 1814 to 1848, while in Spain, after several restorations, they finally left the scene only in 1931. In France, as a result of the 1792 revolution, the dynasty was deposed, and the king was executed in 1793. They were restored to the throne after the fall of Napoleon I in 1814, but not for long - before the revolution of 1848. The most famous French king of the Bourbon dynasty is undoubtedly Louis XIV or the Sun King.
He received such a nickname not only because he was in power for 72 years (he took the throne at the age of five in 1643, died in 1715), but because of the wonderful equestrian ballets, in which he participated in the image of a luminary or the Roman emperor holding holding a golden shield resembling the sun. The country could not boast of any particular successes during his reign. And the bloody revolutions that shook the country in the late 18th and mid-19th centuries indicate that the Bourbon rule did not suit the population of France.
French royal houses of the 19th century
What is famous for the dynasty of French kings of the 19th century? The fact that it was interrupted by revolutions, restored and interrupted again. In the 19th century, Emperor Napoleon I Bonaparte sat on the French throne from 1804 to 1815. After his overthrow, Louis XVIII (1814-1824), the 67th monarch of France, ascended the throne. He was the last French king who was not overthrown, the last two (Charles X 1824-1830, Louis Philippe - 1830-1848) were deprived of the throne by force. The nephew of Napoleon I, the first president of the French Republic, Louis Napoleon Bonoparte or Napoleon III was the last reigning person. In the rank of Emperor of France from 1854 to 1870, he was in power until his capture. There were still attempts to occupy the French throne, but in order to prevent this, in 1885 all the crowns of the French kings were sold, and the country was finally declared a republic. In the 19th century, the throne was occupied by dynasties of French kings, a table with the dates and sequence of their reign is given below.
Merovingians, Carolingians, Capetians (including Valois, Bourbons, Orleanids), Bonopartes - these are the ruling dynasties of the French.
In 58 BC. Julius Caesar conquered Gaul, which became part of the Roman Empire and became one of its provinces. Gauls became known as Gallo-Romans. They quickly adopted the highly developed culture of the Romans: they borrowed the Latin language, from which French subsequently developed, built the same houses and roads as those of the Romans, and the Gauls decorated their cities with exactly the same statues as in Rome.
But peace in the land of Gaul was restored for a short time. The invasions of numerous barbarian tribes from the east soon began. And for many, many years, the Gauls had to fight first with the Alamans, then with the Franks, then with the Visigoths. This era is called: "The era of the great invasions." The most terrible of them was the invasion of the Huns, who came from somewhere in the depths of Asia. The leader of the Huns, Attila was nicknamed "the scourge of God", and it was said that the grass no longer grew where he passed.
To drive out the Huns, and, somewhat later, the Alamans, the Gallo-Romans united with the Franks who lived in the territory of modern Belgium. It was thanks to the name of this people that the Frankish state appeared, which later became known as France. In 481, Clovis became the king of this state - one of the first Merovingians, who is considered the founder of France. The dynasty was named after the mythical king Merovey, who, allegedly, Clovis was a grandson. Clovis was a wise ruler and a brave warrior.
In addition, Clovis became the first king of the Frankish state to convert to Christianity. This is how it was. At that time, the Franks fought with the Alamans, but without much success. Once, during the decisive battle with the enemy, when the Alaman offensive was especially fierce, and it seemed that nothing could save the Franks from complete defeat, Clovis remembered how his wife Clotilde told him about the Savior, about the Christian faith ... On the battlefield, Clovis prayed: "Oh, merciful Jesus! I asked my gods for help, but they turned away from me. Now I think that they simply cannot help me. Now I ask you: help me to cope with my enemies!" I believe you!" As soon as he spoke the last words, the Franks hit the enemy with particular success, and the Alamans were thrown into a panicky retreat. Clovis's Christian conversion took place in Reims in 496. Since then, all the kings of France were baptized in this city.
Clovis left after his death a huge, at that time, state, which was three times larger than her "ancestor" - Gaul. According to the custom of the Franks, the kingdom was divided among the heirs of Clovis: Thierry, Clodomir, Sigebert and Clotar. Each of them chose their capital: Reims, Orleans, Paris and Soissons. However, the descendants of Clovis were never able to divide the kingdom in a kind way, and internecine wars shook the Merovingian state for another 250 years, weakening it. The former power was restored with the unification of the monarchy, which took place during the reign of kings Dagobert and Childeric II at the beginning of the 7th century.
The state is developing. Soon the kingdom of the Franks becomes the most powerful European power. The influence of the Christian church is growing. And most importantly, an aristocracy is emerging, which becomes a real chosen caste of warriors. The king can no longer reckon with the power of the aristocracy - he generously appeases the nobility, distributing vast lands to them. This is how the majordomo appeared - "mayors of palaces" - formerly ordinary courtiers, and now - the main advisers of the king. It was they who were the reason for the decline of the Merovingian era.
After the death of Childeric II, power actually passed into the hands of the majordomo, although the descendants of Merovey also sat on the throne. However, they were completely incapable of running the state, spending all their time in the palace and tired of entertainment. For this they were nicknamed "lazy kings". The last of the Merovingians was King Childeric III.
And the clever majordomo gradually strengthened their power, and one day Pepin the Short ascended the throne of the Frankish kingdom, laying the foundation for a new royal dynasty - the Carolingians.
Carolingians.
So, the "lazy kings" - the last descendants of the once great Merovingian clan, gradually, without a struggle, ceded power to their ministers - the majordomo. And so, on the throne of the Frankish state, a new king, Pepin the Short, appeared. It was in 751. Thus began a new era in the history of France - the era of the Carolingian reign. But even before the new dynasty came to power, one of the Carolingians did more for France than all the "lazy kings" put together. We are talking about the father of Pepin the Short - Karl Martell. He received his formidable nickname (and in translation Martell means "hammer") he received for the heroic battle with the Arabs at Poitiers in 732. It was he, being the commander of King Clotar VI, who led his soldiers into battle and won a brilliant victory. The Arabs fled, and their emir Abd-el-Raman was killed in the battle.
Karl Martell's son, Pepin, named the Short because of his height, was, like his father, a brave soldier, but many found that a man of such small stature could not be their king. One day Pepin ordered to bring a huge bull and a fierce lion. The lion grabbed the bull by the neck. Pepin said to those who laughed at him:
- Go and free the bull or kill the lion.
But no one dared even approach the fierce animals. And Pepin took out his sword, and with one blow cut off the heads of both the lion and the bull.
- Well, can I be your king and command you?
Hearing these words, those who mocked him fell to their knees. So Pepin became king, replacing the last of the Merovingians, Childeric III, on the throne.
Pepin was not only a real brave man, but also a skillful politician. He supported the Catholic Church in every possible way and readily responded to the Pope's requests if he asked for military assistance. In gratitude, the Pope blessed Pepin's ascension to the throne and, on pain of excommunication, forbade "to elect a king from any other clan." So the Carolingian dynasty grew stronger, relying on the support of the church.
However, the Carolingian dynasty does not owe its name to Pepin.
After the death of Pepin, according to the Frankish custom, his two sons - Karl and Carloman - divided the lands of the kingdom. However, Karloman dies, and Karl is taken over.
Charles was nicknamed the Great for a reason. From an early age he was accustomed to the royal life: he was engaged in physical exercises, horse riding, hunting, swimming. The learned monks told him Bible stories and taught him moral lessons from the gospel. Karl often had to go to church and attend liturgies. His father, Pepin the Short, from an early age taught the prince to politics, to govern the country and simply taught human relations. Karl was very curious. The best scholars and grammarians of that time were his teachers. In addition to his native language - the Germanic dialect, which was spoken by the Franks, Karl also knew both classical Latin and the vernacular, from which French subsequently took shape. He perfectly understood the importance of education for the development of the state, and therefore not only himself never stopped studying, but also did a lot to make knowledge available to everyone. So, in 789, Karl orders the opening of schools so that "children can learn to read." According to contemporaries, the king himself often sat in the classroom, trying to "print letters, but since he was no longer a child, the results were mediocre."
Charlemagne continued the unification of France. He created a real administrative system, dividing the country into regions and appointing his governors, who oversaw the execution of the will of the king. Under Charlemagne, France turned into a real empire, which included virtually the entire territory of Western Europe: in 774, at the invitation of the Pope, he occupies Lombardy and annexes it to his state, suppresses the Saxon uprising in the north and becomes a full-fledged master of this area, and in 796 he defeats the Avars - the descendants of the legendary Huns, which allows the state to expand to the east. In 800, Charles is proclaimed emperor.
He was succeeded by his eldest son Louis I the Pious. Thus, the Frankish custom, when the kingdom was divided among all the sons, was forgotten, and from that time on, the eldest son became king. The constant squabbles of Charlemagne's grandchildren in the struggle for the imperial crown weakened the empire, and, in the end, led to its collapse. The weakening of royal power in France was taken advantage of by the tribes of the Normans - the Vikings. On their small flat-bottomed boats - drakkars - they could successfully sail not only in the sea, but also in rivers. In 843 they climbed up the Seine and occupied Paris. Charles the Bald - the then king of France pays off the Vikings, and they leave France.
However, this was not the last Viking invasion. In 885, their 20,000-strong army again approached Paris in 700 drakkars. Earl Ed was the garrison commander of the city's defenders. The Vikings lifted the siege only a year later - they were never able to conquer Paris a second time. The nobility, dissatisfied with the rule of Karl Tolstoy, elects Ed as king. Who knew this brave earl would be the founder of a new royal dynasty? Yes, the Carolingian dynasty was shaken, but they still ruled until 987. The last of them was Louis V. And on July 3, the nobility elects a new king - Hugo Capet, who gave the name to the new dynasty of French kings - the Capetian.
Capetian.
After the death of the last of the Carolingians - Louis V, Abbot Hugo was chosen as king, who was nicknamed the Capet because he wore the mantle of a secular priest, which was called "cap". It was Hugo Capet who gave the name to the largest royal dynasty in France, whose descendants ruled the country for many centuries.
Under the Capetian, feudal relations began to take shape in France, and lords and vassals appeared. The vassal swore allegiance and loyalty to his liege.
Another innovation introduced by Hugo Capet was the succession of royalty. So, the place of the first Capetian was taken by his eldest son - Robert II. The tradition of inheriting royal power further contributed to the unification and strengthening of France.
But the arrival of a new dynasty was marked not only by reforms, but also by new wars. It was under the Capetian that for the first time in history, religious wars acquired an unprecedented scale. It all started with the First Crusade. In 1095, on November 26, Pope Urban II summoned the most influential representatives of the clergy and nobility in Clermont. He told that the Turks, who had ruled Jerusalem since 1078, oppressed the pilgrims. At that time, pilgrims were called knights errant. These were the children of wealthy lords who left their father's castles in search of God or just adventure. Urban II recalled that, in addition, the Holy Sepulcher is located in Jerusalem, and that it is not appropriate for this Christian shrine to be in the hands of Muslims. The Pope called to go on a campaign to Jerusalem and promised those who would save the Holy Sepulcher for the remission of all sins.
The pope’s appeal was instantly taken up. And now the first Europeans with large crosses embroidered on their clothes stretched towards Jerusalem. The first crusaders were ordinary townspeople. Armed with anything, they went to distant Jerusalem under the leadership of Pierre l "Hermit. However, they were utterly defeated by the Turks in 1096 on the Asian coast of the Bosphorus. They were followed by the lords - barons and counts. They were headed by the king's brother. After a fierce struggle, they occupied first Constantinople, then Antiochus, and finally, the road to Jerusalem was opened. The last passage was especially difficult - the wells were poisoned, and the crusaders were thirsty. On July 8, 1099, Jerusalem was besieged, and on July 15 at 3 pm the defense The city fell, the Holy Sepulcher was "saved" from the Gentiles, and in Jerusalem, Count of Lorraine Godefroy de Bouillon was appointed governor of the region.
After this Crusade, there were seven more - in the XII and XIII centuries. But the First Crusade was more than a simple military campaign. It fully embodied all the hopes and aspirations of itinerant knights - pilgrims, and the common people for the first time felt their involvement in the creation of History.
As for the history of France, then in the future it is closely connected with the descendants of Hugo Capet, who no longer yielded to royal power. From 987 to 1328, the direct heirs of the Capetian ruled - the last of them was Charles IV the Handsome, then they were replaced by the Capetian family of Valois (1328-1589) - from Philip VI to Henry III, and in 1589 the first of the Capetian family of Bourbons ascends to the throne - Henry IV. The Bourbons were the last kings in French history. The royal Capetian dynasty ends in 1848 at Louis Philippe. After that, France forever became a republic, and the palaces of kings - museums.
Dynasty material Merovingian, Carolingian and Capetian specially provided for the project
