Rise of the French Royal Domain

In 987, Hugh Capet took the throne of France. At this time, the land controlled by the French kings was limited to just a few cities near Paris. Over the course of the 11th Century, this territory would expand to include most of the Île-de-France. As the 12th Century progressed, the powerful Angevins expanded significantly to control around half of France, and became a serious challenge to royal authority. Despite their power, the French kings prevailed in 1204, giving them such territories and Normandy and Poitou. As territories came and went throughout the 1200s, the English gradually built up their own territory in France, modeled after the Angevin claim to Aquitaine. Culminating in 1259, it eventually became intollerable for France in 1337, and the Hundred Years' War began to settle the dispute. After initial English successes, France finally rid itself of English influence in 1453, and sallied forth to become a major power of Europe going into the 1500s. However, military reverses at the hands of the Habsburgs kept French expansion in check during this century, leading to internal consolidation of the realm under the French kings. From the 1640s until 1697, France's eastern border expanded significantly, with the incorporation of such places as Alsace, Artois and Franche-Comté.After 1697, the kingdom found itself less able to expand due to the growth of other powers, and experienced little change throughout he 1700s, annexed only Corsica and Lorraine. This changed profoundly in 1789 with the coming of the French revolution, which disbanded the royal domain in 1790. The kingdom would temporarily be abolished until 1815, when it was resotred until its final destruction in 1848.

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Music:
Peter Crowley - Running Free
Peter Crowley - A Hero's Quest

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This video is the Fan Suggestion for February 2016, suggested by Samuel McNamara

Previous winners:
January 2016: Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire, suggested by Pascal Mapping, JC7595, Polo Games and Vologda Mapping
December 2015: The House of Habsburg, suggested by Justin Bridges
November 2015: Rise and Fall of the Russian Empire, suggested by GalacticPenguinTV
October 2015: The Great Turkish War, suggested by Kaiser Franz Josef I

Видео Rise of the French Royal Domain канала Ollie Bye