The history of France in the Middle Ages is of great interest, helping to understand how this state developed. The beginning of this period dates back to 476. Its end is considered the establishment of an absolute monarchy in the country, which took place in 1643. In this article, we will talk about the main events that took place during this millennium, the rulers, the standard of living and the development of culture.
Frankish State
The history of France in the Middle Ages begins in the second half of the 5th century, when one of the Germanic tribes (Franks) develops statehood.
The Merovingians, who ruled from the end of the 5th century until 751, are considered the first royal dynasty. The dynasty got its name from the founder of the Merovei family, who was a semi-legendary figure. One of its most famous representatives was King Clovis I, who ruled from 481 to 511. He begins the conquest of Gaul. In 496, Clovis accepts Christianity, which allows him to receivefinal authority over the Gallo-Roman population of the conquered provinces. In addition, he managed to enlist the support of the clergy. The king distributed his warriors throughout the territory of Gaul, giving them the opportunity to collect tribute from the locals. This is how the feudal class was born.
By the 6th century, almost the entire territory of Gaul was under the rule of the Franks. Since 561, the Merovingian capital has been located in Metz. The last representative of the dynasty was Childeric III, who died in 754. Three years earlier, power had passed to the Carolingian dynasty. Their capital was Aachen.
The King of the Franks Charles I in 800 proclaimed himself Roman Emperor, which was of great importance in the history of France in the Middle Ages. Under his influence by that time was the entire territory of modern Germany, northern Italy, including Rome.
As his monarchy began to unravel, differences in language between Western and Eastern Franks became apparent. From 843 France became a separate kingdom. From this moment, the history of France in the Middle Ages begins directly, and not the state of the Franks.
West Frankish Kingdom
From 843, the Frankish empire splits into three parts. Since the second half of the 9th century, public offices that were previously appointed are now hereditary. Large landowners get the right to buy power over the inhabitants of their places.
The decay of the state is used by opponents who invade its territory until the sovereigns-landlords unite for the sake of joint defense. Only due to this, by the end of the 10th century,several principalities.
In the 9th century, the Capetian dynasty is founded, although at first the Carolingians do not immediately cede power to them. As a result, the Carolingians missed the eastern outskirts. Within the country itself, the differences between north and south are becoming more and more pronounced. The North becomes exclusively feudal. It is here that the process that leads to the unification of France begins.
At the decline of the Carolingian rule, the country was constantly suffering from external enemies who invaded it from different sides. The process of feudalization began, which leads to the disintegration into many small estates. Under the last Carolingians, the name "France" appears, which at first is associated only with its western part.
Capetingians
When the Carolingians were unable to centralize power, a new dynasty appeared in France in the Middle Ages - the Capetians. It happened in 987. There were nine main holdings in the kingdom.
By that time, the king of France in the Middle Ages was simply the first among equals, without any special privileges. The first Capetians did not seek centralization, as they were trying to at least sort out the problems in their county.
In the 11th century, the situation developed in such a way that both the Capetians and the descendants of the first Duke of Normandy Rollo could act as unifiers of the state of France in the Middle Ages. At the same time, it was important for the Capetians themselves to keep the crown in its own way, since the king was still considered the head of the feudal ladder and God's anointed. For them, this was an additional chance in the struggle for supremacy with other houses.
The first Capetians who began to take active steps towards centralization were Louis VI and Louis VII. These two monarchs ruled for most of the 12th century. She began to fight against her vassals, enlisted the support of the clergy.
When Louis VII took part in the Second Crusade, events occurred that forced him to divorce his wife. This worsened his outlook, as Eleanor was the heiress of Aquitaine. The monarch voluntarily lost the opportunity to annex this region to France, as his ex-wife quickly married Henry Plantagenet, who soon became king of England.
Centralization
Philip II Augustus, who ruled at the turn of the 12th-13th centuries, was the first to take immediate active steps aimed at unifying France in the Middle Ages. He annexed Normandy, Touraine, Angers and many other large and small lands.
In addition to the clergy, the Capetians during the Crusades were greatly helped by the cities of France in the Middle Ages. At that time, the communal movement was in full swing in the country, when the cities were freed from the power of the feudal lords, turning into independent communes. In most cases, this happened as a result of an uprising of the townspeople who opposed the power of the lords. Often at the same time, cities in the history of France in the Middle Ages turned to the king for support. After that, they themselves assisted the monarchy in the confrontation with the feudal lords. At first, the kings accepted one or the otherside, but over time they finally began to support the communes, confirming their rights to independence, issuing the appropriate charters. At the same time, the Capetians did not allow communes on their lands, but provided the townspeople with various benefits.
Telling briefly about France in the Middle Ages, it should be noted that soon even a separate social class appeared - the bourgeois. They were ardent supporters of the anti-feudal policy. It is important to recognize that with the strengthening of royal power, the communes were also deprived of their rights.
Philip II took part in the Third Crusade. It was under him that the royal power achieved particular success. He took Normandy from the English monarch John the Landless. In addition, he became the first organizer of the royal administration, which controlled individual areas, reporting directly to the Court of Accounts in Paris and the royal council.
Expanding boundaries
Under Louis IX, royal power began to play an even greater role. The centralization of France in the Middle Ages became a real and tangible project. This monarch was a classic example of the knightly ideal. He managed to significantly strengthen the moral authority of the kings of France in the history of the Middle Ages. He also increased his possessions by annexing Poitou and Anjou. It was important at that time to establish internal control. This was facilitated by the spread of Roman law in France in the Middle Ages and the study of the Justinian Code.
Important acquisitions for the expansion of state borders were made by St. Louis in the XIII century. His power overthe counts of Toulouse recognized themselves, ceding a significant part of the possessions.
With the development of jurisprudence, a new class of lawyers appeared, who were called legalists. Entering the royal service, they sought to put into practice the Roman views on law. In particular, it was believed that everything that goes for the benefit of the sovereign has legal force. With the help of the legists, Louis IX canceled the duel, introducing an investigation instead, and it became possible to appeal the sentences of feudal lords to the royal courts, which had the final say.
It was then that Parliament first began to play a big role in France in the Middle Ages. At that time it was a judicial chamber, which included representatives of the feudal curia of the monarch, as well as legalists who joined them. By the 15th century, such parliaments appeared in almost all provinces, which played a significant role in the unification of France in the Middle Ages.
At the beginning of the XIV century, Lyon became part of the state under Philip IV the Handsome. By marrying Joanna of Navarre, he received grounds to claim her heritage, that is, Champagne. It was finally annexed in 1361 during the reign of John the Good.
The situation in Europe
It is worth noting that at this time the rulers of France in the Middle Ages begin to play an important role in European politics. Its representatives lead the crusades, and the ideology of chivalry becomes a role model for representatives of neighboring countries.
The French strive to spread their customs and customs as much as possible. In this regard, the knights fromNormandy, who participated in the wars of conquest in Sicily, Naples, the Byzantine Empire. All this contributed to the development of trade, significantly increased the standard of living of the French, compared with the inhabitants of most other European countries.
In the 11th century, it was in the French monastery of Cluny that the famous church reform took place. As a result of these transformations, the right to appoint bishops passed to the clergy, which significantly strengthened the position of the papacy on the continent.
In the 12th century, France became the center of the development of sciences, largely thanks to the philosopher and poet Pierre Abelard, who became the founder of conceptualism. Speaking briefly about France in the Middle Ages, it is worth noting that the activities of all these rulers led to the gradual unification of the country, the expansion of its borders. With the help of money, weapons, marriage ties, they systematically took over neighboring possessions and increased their influence. In doing so, they subdue more and more vassals, creating new institutions. All this led to the fact that already under the last Capetians, the feudal monarchy began to turn into a class monarchy.
Valois dynasty
The Valois dynasty came to the throne in 1328. Immediately thereafter, her hereditary duchies were incorporated into the royal dominions. Two decades later, the Dauphine region was annexed.
By the 14th century, royal power in France had achieved significant success. Domains have grown significantlyat the same time, the possessions of the English king and seniors were constantly declining. However, at the first Valois, France was drawn into the Hundred Years' War with the British. The first period of this protracted confrontation ended with the fact that the French king was forced to give up a number of possessions in favor of the enemy.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the situation became even worse. The British advanced to the Loire. The process of centralization, of course, was suspended. It was resumed only under Charles VII, who took the throne in 1422. He managed to expel the British, restoring the former parity in the region. From the fiefs of St. Louis at that time, Burgundy rose significantly. Louis XI annexed her to the kingdom. In addition, he managed to acquire Boulogne, Provence and Picardy.
During the time of Charles VIII, the male line of the dukes of Brittany is interrupted after a fatal fall from the horse of the head of the family. His only daughter, 11-year-old Anna of Brittany, becomes his heiress, who is practically forced to marry the French king. Under Francis I, the duchy was finally included in the royal domain by issuing a special edict in 1532.
France enters the new history practically united. The planned future expansion of the borders is assumed only to the east at the expense of the territories of the Holy Roman Empire. The first such acquisitions were made under Henry II, who annexed Toul, Metz and Verdun. It was finally approved a century later. All new acquisitions refer to the reign of the new dynasty.
Bourbons
In 1589 Henry IV of the Bourbon dynasty occupies the French throne. This event is accompanied by the annexation of part of the kingdom of Navarre, as well as the regions of Foix and Béarn. In 1601, the area between the lower reaches of the Son and the upper reaches of the Rhone is taken away from Savoy.
After the murder of Henry, his eight-year-old son Louis XIII takes the throne. While he remains a minor, the role of regent is performed by his mother, Marie de Medici. She departs from her husband's policy by entering into an alliance with Spain, and betrothed her son to Philip III's daughter Anna of Austria.
New times come in 1624, when Cardinal Richelieu becomes minister after long hesitation and indecision of the king. He takes into his hands almost unlimited power over the country and the management of virtually all affairs. Richelieu manages to pacify the Huguenots, dukes and princes are gradually deprived of power and influence on the ground, which is beneficial to centralized power. The planned rebellions among the nobility were finally suppressed. All the castles of the feudal lords have been demolished, only the border ones have been left. This finally nullifies their influence, subjugating the royal power.
When Richelieu dies in 1642, a year later death overtakes Louis XIII. Under his son Louis XIV, absolute monarchy was finally established in France, which was facilitated by everything that Richelieu did. In this form, the country leaves the Middle Ages and enters the Modern Age.
Medieval culture
The culture of France in the Middle Ages experienced a noticeable revival in the 9th century, known as the "Carolingian". However, it was too limitedtime and territory, another cultural decline soon set in. The collapse of the monarchy of Charlemagne and the subsequent fragmentation of the parts that separated from it significantly reduced the cultural level of feudal society.
During the same period, the decline of monastic libraries and workshops in which manuscripts were copied was noted. In this regard, the cost of books increased significantly, for example, Priscian's grammar was compared with the price of a whole house with a plot of land in addition.
Changes in the socio-economic life of the country in the 11th-13th centuries are reflected in the ideological sphere. During this period, urban culture was born, the monopoly of the Catholic Church in this area was violated for the first time.
Folk art is of the greatest interest during this period. It is at his expense that a confrontation with the feudal-church culture of the ruling class is planned. Folk art is progressive. Basically, these are satirical scenes played by jugglers. In them they ridiculed priests and lords. Jugglers performed at public gatherings on the occasion of holidays, weddings, christenings or at fairs. From the side of the church, their work caused strong hatred. They were forbidden to be buried in cemeteries, they were allowed to kill with impunity. For the church, the poetic, musical and dramatic work of jugglers was especially dangerous, as it found a lively response from the urban masses.
In the songs of urban artisans of that time, the plots of peasant songs are repeated, sincemany of them were serfs.
Urban Development
The growth of cities and the development of commodity-money relations, the aggravation of the class struggle and the intensification of the exploitation of the peasants became important changes in the political and socio-economic life of the country in the XIV-XV century. Also of great importance was the emergence of a new form of feudal monarchy and the centralization of the state. In addition, the disasters associated with the Hundred Years War fell upon the French, which affected the development of culture.
The Church took over the universities with the help of theologians, turning them into centers of religious scholasticism. But the needs of society were different, the sprouts of knowledge were constantly breaking through. Industry developed colossally, which led to the emergence of new chemical, mechanical and physical discoveries, which were of great interest for observations. Experiments made it possible to design new tools. From that moment, experimental science became possible.
Since the 13th century, medicine has been intensively developing in France, in 1470 the first printing house was founded in Paris. It massively published the works of Italian humanists, books in Latin. Education became more and more secular, freeing itself from the influence of the church. Universities were increasingly under the direct control of the king rather than the papacy.
