HST 197 Chapter Notes - Chapter 25: Middle Ages, France In The Middle Ages, Hugh Capet
Document Summary
Regional states emerged when there was no effective imperial power. Princes established regional monarchies on the basis of relationships between lords and their retainers. Lords of france elected a minor noble, hugh capet. Carpet held only a small territory around paris. During the next three centuries, his descendants known as the capetian kings, added to their resources and expanded their political influence. The kings absorbed territories of their retainers who died and did not have heirs. The kings established the right to administer justice throughout the realm. Normandy pursued their owned interests with little regard for their lords. Within normandy the dukes created a tight centralized state, all of the authority came from the dukes themselves. The dukes retained title to all land in normandy. They strictly limited the right of retainers to grant land. By late 10th century, norman lords built a series of castles from which disciplined armies dominated their territories.
