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==Medieval France==
==Medieval France==
See [[Franks]]
See [[Franks]]
===Feudal Era: 987-1328===
For nearly 1,000 years, the house of Capet furnished France with kings—first through the Capetian line then two of its branches, the Valois and [[Bourbon]] lines of hereditary kings. The line was interrupted 1792-1814 by the [[French Revolution]], but then resumed.
Between [[Hugh Capet]]'s coronation in 987 and the start of the [[Hundred Years' War]] with England in 1338, the feudal system became established and dominated the rural areas. Paris and a few other cities emerged, along with numerous small towns. Businessmen (called “bourgeois”) traded farm products for craft products. Religion was increasingly important, with great cathedrals built in the cities, and great monasteries controlling large amounts for good land. France actively participated in [[The Crusades]] after 1000, engaging kings, counts, clergy, and commoners.
The Normans (originally Vikings) had a semi-independent dukedom in Normandy; they conquered England in 1066, and wars with England became common for the next 750 years/
France was a rural country that depended on farming and thus on ownership of the land. Most of the land was distributed by Charlemagne to his commanders. [[Feudalism]] slowly emerged as a special relationship between the king and the nobles, and between the nobles and their retainers. The nobles were warriors for the king, and were required to give military service at their own cost, bringing along their own soldiers (who were farmers on their estates). The nobles had to provide weapons, uniforms and supplies for their own soldiers. Usually military service was only a matter of a few weeks every so often. The Nobles were given hereditary title to the best lands—even as large as an entire province—together with the right to tax, oversee, and judge their inhabitants. The lords protected their men, and in turn received loyalty, rents (in the form of farm products), fees, and military service when on call. Loyalty to the Catholic Church was a given, and talented young nobles became priests, abbots and bishops, all of whom were celibate. The Monasteries grew wealthy from inheritances and donations, and abbots became as powerful as the secular nobles.
One danger that feudalism avoided was constant warfare between nobles. They realized they needed a king to prevent this and so in 987 the nobles selected Hugh Capet as their first king. Previously his family had been counts of Anjou and Blois; his supporters included the duke of Normandy. The kings owned some royal lands directly, especially in the area around Paris called the Ile de France. The king had to negotiate with the powerful dukes, especially those of Normandy, Aquitaine, Burgundy and Flanders. The English Norman kings extended their French holdings beyond Normandy when Eleanor of Aquitaine, after the annulment of her marriage to the King Louis VII, in 1152 married the future King Henry II of England.
The middle class was small but controlled the flow of gold, and the kings formed alliances with them. Nevertheless there was a major cultural gap between the business orientation of the middle class and the nobles’ roles of warrior, landowner, and bishop. The king gained support from bishops and abbots with his patronage for cathedrals, schools, and crusades.
France supported higher education, with the foundation of the world’s first university at Paris. In monasteries and universities, monks and scholars studied, discussed, and debated theological tracts, Greek and Latin works. From the courtiers there emerged a French language literature.
==Old Regime==
==Old Regime==