House of Capet Reign of Hugh Capet At the beginning of
Hugh Capet's reign, the crown estate was extremely small and consisted mostly of scattered possessions in the
Île-de-France and
Orléanais regions (
Senlis,
Poissy,
Orléans), with several other isolated pockets, such as
Attigny. These lands were largely the inheritance of the
Robertians, the direct ancestors of the
Capetians. • 988:
Montreuil-sur-Mer, the first port held by the Capetians, is acquired through the marriage of the crown prince Robert (future
Robert II the Pious) with Rozala, the widow of the
Arnulf II, Count of Flanders. ====Reign of
Robert II==== • 1016: acquisition of the
Duchy of Burgundy. The king was the nephew of Duke Henry of Burgundy, who died without heirs. • Robert gains the counties of
Paris,
Dreux and
Melun, and negotiates the ultimate acquisition (1055) of a part of
Sens. ====Reign of
Henry I==== • 1034: the king gives the
Duchy of Burgundy to his brother
Robert (the duchy would remain with his descendants until 1361; see
House of Burgundy) • 1055: annexation of the
County of Sens. ====Reign of
Philip I==== • 1068: acquisition of
Gâtinais and
Château-Landon from
Fulk IV, Count of Anjou • 1077: annexation of the French
Vexin • 1081: acquisition of
Moret-sur-Loing • 1101: acquisition of the Viscounty of
Bourges and the
seigneury of
Dun-sur-Auron from
Odo Arpin of Bourges ====Reign of
Louis VI==== • the king spends much of his reign
pacifying and consolidating the royal domain by battling certain feudal lords (lords of
Montlhéry, of
Coucy, of
Puiset, of
Crécy...) • from Fulk, Viscount of
Gâtinais, Louis bought
Moret,
Le Châtelet-en-Brie,
Boësses,
Yèvre-le-Châtel and
Chambon. • Other additions to the royal domain include:
Montlhéry and
Châteaufort,
Chevreuse,
Corbeil,
Meung-sur-Loire,
Châteaurenard and
Saint-Brisson. ====Reign of
Louis VII==== • 1137: marriage of Louis with
Eleanor of Aquitaine,
Duchess of Aquitaine and
Gascony and
Countess of Poitou. By this marriage, Louis hopes to attach most of South-West France to the royal domain. • 1137: Louis gives
Dreux to his brother
Robert. • 1151: separation of Louis VII and of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who in 1152 weds
Henry Plantagenet,
Count of Anjou,
Count of Maine and
Duke of Normandy, who becomes in 1154,
King of England. Eleanor's lands come to Henry in her dowry. • 1160: gives Norman
Vexin to his daughter
Margaret as a dowry. Margaret is later forced to surrender her dowry. ====Reign of
Philip II Augustus==== , at the time of his coronation (1180) and at the time of his death (1223). • 1184: granted
Montargis. • 1185: by the
Treaty of Boves, gains
Amiens and
Montdidier,
Roye,
Choisy-au-Bac, and
Thourotte and rights to the inheritance of Vermandois and Valois. • 1187: seizes
Tournai from the
bishop. • confiscates
Meulan,
Gisors, and other castles. • 1191: at the death of
Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders, the
County of Artois and its dependencies, the inheritance of the queen
Isabelle of Hainaut, are given to prince
Louis. These areas would not become integrated into the royal domain until 1223 when Louis becomes king. • 1191: the
County of Vermandois is acquired by the king, after the death of
Elisabeth of Vermandois, the inheritor of the County. Confirmed in 1213, by
Eléonore of Vermandois sister of Elisabeth. Philip also gains
Valois. • 1200: the Norman
Vexin is annexed • 1200 the
County of Évreux and
Issoudun are annexed, in exchange for the king's recognition of
John of England as king of England. • 1204: confiscation of the
Duchy of Normandy, the
Touraine,
Anjou,
Saintonge and, temporarily, of the
Poitou from John of England. • 1208:
La Ferté-Macé confiscated from Guillaume IV of Ferté-Macé • 1220: the
County of Alençon is reunited to the royal domain in the absence of a male heir to
Count Robert IV (the county is sold by the vicomtesse of Châtellerault). ====Reign of
Louis VIII==== • 1223:
Philip Hurepel, half-brother of the king, received in appanage the Counties of
Boulogne (
Boulogne-sur-Mer), and of
Clermont (
Clermont-en-Beauvaisis), as well as the fiefs of
Domfront,
Mortain and
Aumale. •
Poitou,
Saintonge,
Angoumois,
Périgord and a part of the
Bordelais were confiscated from the king of England. • following the
Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229) against the
Cathars and the
Count of Toulouse, the king annexed the
County of Toulouse the heiress of which,
Joan of Toulouse, married
Alphonse, Count of Poitou, son of the king, in 1237. • 1225: in his will, Louis grants the appanages of
Artois and his mother's inheritance to his second son Robert;
Poitou and
Auvergne to his third son Alphonse; and
Anjou and
Maine to his fourth son John (due to John's death, these possessions would go to Louis' seventh son
Charles). ====Reign of
Louis IX==== • 1229:
Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse cedes to the king the
sénéchaussées of
Nîmes–
Beaucaire and of
Béziers–
Carcassonne (
Treaty of Paris (1229)) • 1237: the king confirms the appanage grant of the
County of Artois for his brother
Robert I of Artois. • 1241: the king confirms the appanage grant of
Poitou for his brother
Alphonse, Count of Poitou. • 1249: Alphonse, Count of Poitou, by
right of his wife succeeds Raymond VII of Toulouse. • 1255: the County of
Beaumont-le-Roger is bought back from
Raoul of Meulan. • 1258: the king renounces the
Roussillon and
Catalonia; in exchange the king of
Aragon renounces
Provence and
Languedoc (
Treaty of Corbeil (1258)) • 1259: seigneuries of
Domfront and of
Tinchebray acquired. • 1259: the king gives to the king of England
Henry III the
Duchy of Aquitaine, and promises him
Saintonge,
Charente and
Agenais in the case of the death without heir of the Count of Toulouse Alfonso of Poitiers (
Treaty of Paris (1259)) • 1268 the king gives the
County of Alençon and
Perche to his son
Peter. • the king grants as appanage the
County of Valois to his son John Tristan and
Clermont-en-Beauvaisis to his son Robert. ====Reign of
Philip III==== • 1271: reversion of the
County of Toulouse,
Poitou and
Auvergne, the
Comtat Venaissin, appanages of
Alfonso, Count of Poitou, to the royal domain • 1274: purchase of the
County of Nemours • 1274: the king cedes half of the
Comtat Venaissin to pope
Gregory X • 1283:
Perche and the
County of Alençon are inherited from the king's brother Pierre I of Alençon. • 1284: purchase of the
County of Chartres. • the king makes appanage grants of
Valois to his second son
Charles and
Beaumont-en-Oise to his third son
Louis. ====Reigns of
Philip IV, the Fair and his sons==== • 1284: marriage of Philip the Fair, the future king of France, with Queen
Joan I of Navarre, Countess of Champagne. The County of Champagne is reunited to the royal domain (made official in 1361) • 1285–1295: purchase of the
County of Guînes from Count
Arnould III who needed money to pay a ransom. • 1286: purchase of the
County of Chartres from
Jeanne of Blois-Châtillon, widow of her uncle
Pierre • 1292:
Ostrevant • 1295: the king gives up a part of the County of Guines. • as they reverted to the crown, Philip IV makes appanage grants of
Alençon,
Chartres and
Perche to his brother
Charles and
Évreux to his brother
Louis. By his marriage, Charles also acquires
Maine and
Anjou. To his sons, Philip gives the appanages of
Poitiers to
Philip, and
La Marche and
Angoulême to
Charles. • 1308: purchase of the
County of Angoulême, of
Fougères and of
Lusignan from
Yolande of Lusignan • 1313: Confiscation of
Tournai – which is however a land belonging to the Empire – from
Marie de Mortagne. • 1322: the
County of Bigorre is incorporated into the royal domain at the crowning of the king
Charles IV, who held it from his mother
Joan I of Navarre House of Valois ====Reign of
Philip VI of Valois==== • the appanages of the new king (
Valois,
Anjou,
Maine,
Chartres and
Alençon) are reunited to the royal domain. • 1336: conquest of the
County of Ponthieu, given to the king of England in 1360. • 1343–1349: the
Dauphiné is sold to the kingdom of France by the Dauphin of Viennois • 1349: purchase for the kingdom of France of the seigneurie of
Montpellier from
James III of Majorca, the dispossessed king of Majorca, for 120 000
écus. ====Reign of
John II==== • 1350–1360: after the death of
Raoul II of Brienne, Count of Guînes, and connétable of France (decapitated for treason), the
County of Guînes is confiscated. It will be ceded to the English by the Treaty of Brétigny. • 1360: by the
Treaty of Brétigny,
Aquitaine (1/3 of the kingdom) is given to the king of England, to obtain the release of the French king, prisoner since the
Battle of Poitiers (1356). • 1360:
John, Duke of Berry receives the
Duchy of Berry as appanage. He is also made
Count of Poitiers (1357–1416),
Count of Mâcon (c. 1360–1372),
Count of Angoulême and
Saintonge (bef. 1372–1374) and
Count of Étampes (1399–1416). At his death, these lands return to the royal domain. He is also given the
Duchy of Auvergne. • 1361: the king gives
Touraine in appanage to his son
Philip. • 1361: the king successfully claims the
Duchy of Burgundy as the heir by proximity of blood. ====Reign of
Charles V==== • Thanks to
Du Guesclin, the king recovers the
Duchy of Aquitaine. • 27 May 1364: the city of
Montivilliers is detached from the
County of Longueville and attached to the royal domain. • 1364:
Philip the Bold receives in appanage the
Duchy of Burgundy • 1371: purchase of the
County of Auxerre • 1377:
Dreux returns to the royal domain ====Reign of
Charles VI==== • 1392: the appanage of
Orléans is given to
Louis I de Valois, Duke of Orléans, brother of the king. He also becomes
Count of Valois (1386?),
Duke of Touraine (1386),
Count of Blois (1397; the county is sold by
Guy II, Count of Blois at the death of his only son),
Angoulême (1404),
Périgord,
Dreux and
Soissons. • 1416: the appanage of the
Duchy of Berry comes back to the royal domain after the death of
Jean, Duke of Berry, the uncle of the king. • 1416: the king recreates the appanage of Berry for his son
Jean who dies in 1417. • 1417: the king gives the appanage of Berry to his son
Charles VII of France. ====Reign of
Charles VII==== • 1424: Duchy of Touraine granted to
Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas, killed later that year at Verneuil. • 1434:
Amboise is confiscated from
Louis of Amboise (who had plotted against
Georges de la Trémoille, a favorite of the king) and reunited with the crown. • 1453: at the death of
Mathieu of Foix, the
County of Comminges is incorporated into the royal domain ====Reign of
Louis XI==== • 1461–1472: the king gives the
Duchy of Berry in appanage to his brother
Charles of France. Dissatisfied, Charles joins with other feudal nobles in the
League of the Public Weal. At the
Treaty of Conflans in 1465, Charles of France exchanges Berry for the
Duchy of Normandy (1465–1469). In 1469, Charles is forced to exchange Normandy for the
Duchy of Guyenne (1486–1472). • 1462: the king alienates the
County of Comminges from the royal domain, giving it to
Jean de Lescun. • 1477: the
County of Ponthieu is definitively reattached to the royal domain. • 1478: the
County of Boulogne is acquired by exchange. • 1481:
Charles IV, Duke of Anjou,
Count of Maine,
Guise,
Mortain and
Gien, who succeeded his uncle
René I of Anjou as
Duke of Anjou and
Count of Provence and
Forcalquier, dies, bequeathing his lands to his cousin Louis XI. • 1482: by the
Treaty of Arras, the
Duchy of Burgundy and
Picardy are reattached to the domain. • 1482: acquisition of the viscounty of
Châtellerault. ====Reign of
Charles VIII==== • 1483: the seigneuries of
Châtel-sur-Moselle and
Bainville are taken from the
Duchy of Bar. • 1491: the marriage of the king to Duchess
Anne of Brittany begins the
personal union of the
Duchy of Brittany and the kingdom. ====Reign of
Louis XII==== • 1498: the crowning of the new king brings his appanages
Valois (alienated in 1386?) and
Orléans (alienated in 1392) back to the royal domain, and the
county of Blois is integrated into the royal domain for the first time. • 1498: the second marriage of the king with the Duchess
Anne of Brittany continues the
personal union of
Brittany to the kingdom which had been interrupted when Anne, as widow, asserted the independence of Brittany. • 1498: at the death of Odet of Aydie, the
County of Comminges (alienated in 1462) returns to the crown. • 1499: the king gives the
Duchy of Berry to his former wife
Joan of France. • 1504–1512: the
Duchy of Nemours reverts to the royal domain. In 1507, it is given to
Gaston of Foix, but reverts at his death in 1512. ====Reign of
Francis I ==== • 1515:
Nemours is given to
Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici. The duchy passes in 1524 to Francis' mother,
Louise of Savoy and will remain with the house of Savoy until 1659. • 1531: possessions of the disgraced
Charles III, Duke of Bourbon are confiscated:
Bourbonnais,
Auvergne, Counties of
Montpensier, of
Clermont, of
Mercœur and
Forez From the reign of Francis I, the concept of "royal domain" begins to coincide with the French kingdom in general; the appanage of the House of Bourbon however remains alienated. • 1532: union of the
Duchy of Brittany to France, the inheritance of
Claude of France daughter of
Anne of Brittany. The Dauphin becomes the Duke of Brittany but dies before he ascends to the throne of France. ====Reign of
Henry II==== • 1547: for the first time the title Duke of Brittany and King of France is held by the same male primogeniture descendant. This marks the final step in the personal union of Brittany with France. • 1548:
Duchy of Châtellerault conferred upon
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran. • 1558: French reconquest and incorporation of
Calais into the Crown lands under the leadership of Henry II, which ended 150 years of English rule.
House of Bourbon ====Reign of
Henry IV==== • 1589: Henry III of Navarre becomes Henry IV of France, succeeding his cousin
Henry III after his assassination. On accession to the thrones of Navarre and France, Henry ruled over a vast territory including appanages suzerain to the king of France, such as the
County of Soissons, the duchies of
Alençon,
Vendôme,
Beaumont, the Viscounty of
Limoges, the County of
Périgord, the
County of Rodez, the
Duchy of Albret, the viscounties of
Lomagne,
Marsan,
Gabardan, and
Tursan, as well as the counties
of Fézensac,
Quatre-Vallées,
Gaure,
Armagnac,
Foix, and
Bigorre. • 1589: The
Kingdom of Navarre (
Basse-Navarre and the
Principality of Béarn) remains independent but in personal union with France. ====Reign of
Louis XIII==== • 1620: The king leads an army over Béarn and issues an edict at Pau, incorporating the Kingdom of Navarre and Béarn to the crown of France. From then on, while some prerogatives and the name were kept, the Kingdom of Navarre (Basse Navarre) with Béarn was no longer sovereign. == See also ==