History of France: How Medieval France Was Formed

History of France in this video leads viewers from the Treaty of Verdun in 843 - when Charlemagne’s empire fractured into three kingdoms — to the schism that laid the foundations of the modern French state. You will see how Vikings besieged Paris twice and how, despite their raids, the influence of the Robertians and later the Capetian dynasty steadily grew.

The film then explains how medieval France took shape: from the creation of Rollo’s Duchy of Normandy to the French barons’ role in the Crusades, the founding of the University of Paris, and the construction of Notre-Dame de Paris. The climax is the reign of Philip IV: the crushing of the Knights Templar, the establishment of the Estates-General, and the succession crisis that would ignite the Hundred Years’ War with England.