Following the demise of the Carolingian dynasty in 987 the French lords chose Hugh Capet as their king. He was the founder of a dynasty that lasted until 1328. Although for much of this time, the French kings were weak, and the kingdom of France was much smaller than it later became, the Capetians nevertheless had considerable achievements and also produced outstanding rulers, including Philip Augustus and St Louis. This wide-ranging book throws fascinating light on the history of Medieval France and the development of European monarchy.
PREFACE
CHAPTER ONE: CAROLINGIAN FRANCIA
CHAPTER TWO: THE RISE OF THE ROBERTIANS
CHAPTER THREE: THE NEW PRINCIPALITIES, 800-1000
CHAPTER FOUR: THE FIRST CAPETIAN KINGS, 987-1031
CHAPTER FIVE: SUCCESSFUL FAILURES, 1031-1108
CHAPTER SIX: THE FAT AND THE YOUNG, 1108-80
CHAPTER SEVEN: PHILIP THE GREAT
CHAPTER EIGHT: KING AND SAINT, LOUIS IX, 1226-70
CHAPTER NINE: THE BOLD AND THE FAIR, 1270-1314
CHAPTER TEN: THE END OF THE LINE, 1314-28
CHAPTER ELEVEN: ACHIEVEMENTS AND LEGACY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jim Bradbury is the author of several books, including The Medieval Archer (Palgrave Macmillan, 1985), The Medieval Siege (Boydell, 1998), The Battle of Hastings (Alan Sutton, 1998), Philip Augustus, (Addison Wesley, 1997) and Stephen and Matilda (Sutton, 1998).