What problems were faced by the Capetian kings of France and how effectively were these solved my 1204?
The Capetian dynasty was a dynasty of French kings between 987 and 1328. However, this Dynasty does include Hugh Capet who ruled slightly before the start of the Capetian Dynasty. He ruled between 940 and 996. In 987, Hugh Capet was elected king thereby permanently removing the Carolingians from power as the French kingdom was the descendant of the former Carolingian empire and the kingdom of the Franks. There was a constant struggle for supremacy within France however, “The expansion of territory and centralization of power under the Capets began the movement toward a unified France.”
During this time the French kings had power, however their power was very limited. The area the kings owned was the Royal Demesne. However, the domain was very small and the few resources the French monarchy had were deplorable. It was due to the support of Normandy, especially the assistance of his brother in law: Richard I of Normandy that Hugh Capet succeeded to the throne. For the earlier Capetians, their life was a lot harder and they found it challenging to strive against their powerful neighbouring Dukedom and principalities. Despite their struggle’s the monarchy survived and when the country was under Philip II Augustus’s reign, he was able to lay the foundations of a sturdy, robust and forceful medieval kingship. Although the Capetian kingdom and kings appeared to be weak and unsuccessful, unlike the Angevin monarchs of England, the Capetians survived. “The term Angevin Empire describes a collection of states ruled by the Angevin Plantagenet dynasty. The Plantagenets ruled over an area stretching from the Pyrenees to Ireland during the 12th and early 13th centuries.” Although they were a powerful monarch, they were defeated by the King of France, Philip II Augustus, of the House of Capet. This consequentially left their empire split in two. Unfortunately...