Download Kingdom of France

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Dear Delegates,
On the behalf of my entire staff, I would like to welcome you to NYUMUNCVIII.
My name is Marvin Passi, and I am tremendously excited to be your chair in the Kingdom of
France. Currently, I am a Master’s student at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences here
at NYU studying International Relations with a concentration in International Law and
Finance. Having participated in many MUN committees with my French travel team, I’m
looking forward to providing you with a well-managed committee.
Your crisis director, Maevyn Davis-Rackerby, is a freshman in the College of Arts and
Sciences hoping to study International Relations. She loves both history and international
politics, and is thrilled to put both her passions to use in providing interesting and exciting
crises for you during the conference.
History has always played an important role in international politics. As a student in
international relations, I can say that all current international conflicts and issues have roots
in their country’s respective history, as they all result, on some level, from how their societies
were formed and constructed. Currently, France is at a crucial historical point. On one hand,
it is a leader in the European Union because of its ethnic diversity and its long history of
attempted domination over the rest of Europe and the Middle East. On the other hand, the
multiplicity of political, cultural and economic factors make the French situation complex to
understand and the issues hard to resolve. Both Maevyn and I hope that trying to solve some
medieval French conflicts will help you understand how challenging and complicated the
actual situation is.
In this committee, you will deal with issues and crises within the Kingdom of France,
including the fact that every duke, count and religious leader has a different position on every
crisis and topic that we give to you. My staff, Maevyn and I had been passionate about this
topic, and we hope that by the end of this committee you will be as well.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to us. Have a great time
researching, and we are looking forward to meet you in April.
Best,
Marvin Passi
Chair
NYUMUNCVIII
[email protected]
Maevyn Davis-Rackerby
Crisis Director
NYUMUNCVIII
[email protected]
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of his reign fighting either “robber
barons” who disregarded the King and
disrupted civil life through excessive
and illegal taxation in Paris or the
Norman kings of England over control
of Normandy. Despite of this, Louis VI
managed to strengthen his power, and
became a strong king.
In 1109 Louis VI went to war
with Henry I of England over the castle
at Gisors, an important fortress on the
right bank of the Epte river, which had
control over the road between Paris
and Rouen However, after the first few
years of the war, several French barons
aligned with Henry, which left a
difficult battle against the English
monarch. In March 1113, Henry I was
recognized as suzerain of Brittany and
Maine after the threat of losing Gisors
forced Louis VI to sign a treaty. The
peace lasted three years until hostilities
renewed in April of 1116.
History
After the death of his father in 1060,
Philip I was crowned king at age seven,
officially beginning his rule in 1066. In
1077, after years of conflict with
William the Conqueror over the Duchy
of Brittany, Philip gave up his attempt
at conquering and made peace. In
1082, Philip I annexed the Vexin, and
in 1100 he took control of Bourges.
following his excommunication by the
pope in 1094 for repudiating his wife
and marrying another woman. The
year after, in 1095, the Crusade was
launched which had little participation
from Philip but heavy involvement
from not allowed to participate in,
Hugh of Vermandois.
Pope Urban II initially launched
the Crusade in response the Byzantine
Emperor, Alexios I Komnenos, calling
for western help in fighting the
invasion of the Seljuk Turks from
Anatolia. However, the Christian
conquest of the sacred city of
Jerusalem and the Holy Land, as well
as the freeing of the Eastern Christians
from Muslim rule, quickly became the
Crusade’s main goal.
Louis VI, or Louis the Fat,
succeeded Philip to establish a
centralized royal power: he spent most
By 1119, after several victories
and the English capture of Les
Andelys, Louis felt ready to end the
war. That August The Battle of
Bremule broke out, in which Louis’
troops broke, abandoned the royal
banner, and fled back to Les Andelys..
A failed counter-attack to try and take
Breteuil pushed Louis to negotiate for
peace again. With the Pope Calixtus II,
who met with Henry at Gisors in
November of 1120, more peace was
negotiated. Eventually, Louis conceded
Gisors.
In 1127, Charles the Good, the
Count of Flanders, was killed in St.
Donatian's Cathedral at Bruges. The
count had no heir, which led to
secession crisis. Louis had William
Clito in mind as a candidate, and
moved into Flanders and advised the
barons to choose himleading to his
election by the counsel. To further
secure Clito’s position in Flanders,
Louis captured Charles the Good’s
murderers and ousted the rival
claimants. Before he left for France,
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Louis witnessed the execution of said
killers. This victory showed how far the
French Crown had come under Louis
VI’s leadership, but it was a short
triumph. The new, young Count
William imposed heavy handed feudal
taxes, a move that didn’t go well with
several provinces.
the archbishopric of Bourges caused
conflict with the Pope when he and the
king suggested different candidates.
The king supported the chancellor
Cadurc and the Pope supported Pierre
de la Chatre. In response to this
disagreement, the Pope imposed an
interdict on Louis VII.
The tensions between Henry I
and Louis VI increased in November of
1120, when Henry's heir, William
Adelin, was one of the nobles who died
during the sinking the White Ship on
his way to England from Normandy.
This incident put Henry’s position and
the future of this dynasty in jeopardy.
Three years later, Louis was involved
with a coalition between Norman and
French nobles opposing King Henry.
Their plan was to remove the English
King and replace him with William
Clito--however, Henry defeated them
and convinced Henry V, Holy Roman
Emperor and his son-in-law, to invade
France. Henry V had plans for the
coastal region of the Low Countries,
and invading Northern France would
help his chances. So in 1124, Henry V
prepared an army to march on Rheims.
However, he had failed to predict that
the French barons would support their
King and so the proposed invasion was
abandoned. The next year, Henry V
died.
Louis then allowed Raoul I of
Vermandois to renounce his wife and
marry Petronilla of Aquitaine instead,
resulting in a war with Theobald II of
Champagne, the uncle of Roul’s
denounced wife. As a result, Theobald
II allied with the Pope and sided with
him in the dispute over the
archbishopric of Bourges in a war that
started in 1142 and lasted two years.
When the royal army moved to occupy
Champagne, the town of Vitry-leFrançois was burned to the ground.
More than a thousand people died in
the town’s church, which also burned
in the fire. After this tragedy Louis
admitted defeat and ordered his armies
to leave Champagne. He also officially
recognized Pierre de la Chatre as
archbishop, shunning Raoul and his
new
wife,
Petronilla.
He
felt
responsible for the attack on the town,
more specifically the casualties from
the fire. He declared his intention of
mounting what would become known
as the Second Crusade on December
25th, 1145 at Bourges to atone for his
sins.
In 1128, Henry I married his
daughter, the Empress Matilda, to the
Count of Anjou, Geoffrey Plantagenet.
This turned out to be a dangerous
alliance for the French, which became
evident during the reign of Louis VII,
Lous VI’s successor. Like his father,
Louis VII strove for a centralized
government. Right before his death his
father married him to Eleanor of
Aquitaine, an incredibly wealthy and
powerful woman. Eleanor gave Louis
the vast Duchy of Aquitaine as a dowry,
which extended the French lands to the
Pyrenees.
In 1144, while this was
happening, the Count of Anjou,
Geoffrey V conquered Normandy, in an
action that would cause tension for
some time. In exchange for being
recognised by Louis as Duke of
Normandy, Geoffrey gave him half of
the Vexin region, which was crucial to
Norman security.
In June 1147, Louis VII and
Eleanor set out from the Basilica of St.
Denis and headed towards Syria.
During his reign, a vacancy in
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Government
The rule of the Capetian kings of
France was long, but lacking in power.
The main fault of the earlier kings was
a lack appropriate resources or will to
control their vassals. To fix this Louis
VI introduced an aggressive policy,
demanding that his vassals be
obedient, and was backed by military
force. His son Louis VII furthered his
power by marrying Eleanor of
Aquitaine, which stretched the Crown’s
influence to southern France.
●
●
●
Conseil du Roi (King’s Council)
The King of France took advice
from his council before making
important decisions. The council was a
body composed of trusted advisors to
the King that looked over matters
concerning the government and royal
administration, both during war and
peace.
●
Composition of the Council:
● Dauphin (The crown prince)
● The “Grands” (Powerful people
of the Church and nobility)
● Queen (Consort or mother) –
However, the queen began to
lose political control and did not
often attend council.
● The King’s close relations (Sons,
grandsons, princes of the
bloodline) – Because of their
political
ambition,
these
members were often suspected
of plotting against the king.
●
●
The Great Officers of the Crown
of France:
The most important positions in
the King’s council were held by the
Great Officers of the Crown of France.
● Connétable de France: Also
known as the First Officer of the
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crown, he was the head of all
other officers, the highest
commander of the French army,
and considered second in
command to the King.
Chancelier: He oversaw the
judicial system.
Seneschal: An administrative
officer in charge matters
pertaining to the household,
including
domestic
arrangements
and
administration of servants.
Amiral de France : Commander
of the French Navy.
Maréchal de France: An honor
bestowed upon the most
exceptional
generals.
The
Maréchal general des camps et
armées du roi (Marshal General
of Camps and Armies of the
King) was superior to the
Marshal of France and held
authoritative power over all
French armies.
Grand Chambrier de France:
Manager of the Royal Treasury,
with assistance from the Grand
Bouteiller (Grand Butler). The
Grand Chamberman signed
important letters and charters.
Grand Chambellan de France :
He was initially in charge of the
King’s wardrobe, having a
particularly
important
role
during coronation cérémonies.
He later was additionally
responsible for signing royal
documents, charters, assisting
during peer trials, recording the
oath of homage to the Crown,
etc. He additionally had keys to
the royal apartments.
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The
council
was
only
constitutional – the final decision was
the King’s. The king often did not
follow through with the decisions of
the council. In the council, the King
would
sign
treaties,
receive
ambassadors, appoint administrators,
and elaborate on ordannances (laws of
the realm).
General and the Parlements. The
States General was a legislative
assembly constituting three estates
(classes) of French subjects that the
King would consult for issues such as
fiscal policy and the presentation of
petitions. The Parlements acted as the
court of the judicial system, comprising
of over a dozen judges. They had great
power over legislation, specifically
regarding taxation. Laws issued by the
King were not finalized unless they
received
the
approval
of
the
Parlement. The members of the
Parlement were aristocrats (“nobles of
the robe”) that were independent of the
Crown and received their posts
through inheritance.
Court of Finances
The King had to survive on the
revenue made from lands that he
directly owned. If necessary, the taille
(an exceptional tax) was imposed,
usually during times of war. Initially,
the King’s council handled all financial
responsibility, but by the 12th century,
the finances were entrusted with the
“Knights Templar” in Paris. They were
a Catholic military order, endorsed by
the Roman Catholic church. The
soldiers who were non-combatant
during the Crusade oversaw the
economic structure of France, and
innovated new banking methods.
Economy
Trade
After the invasions of the 9th
and 10th centuries (mostly by Vikings),
the Kingdom of France was left alone
to recover and begin expanding again.
By the end of the 11th century the
Rhine valley connected France to
England, Flanders and Brabant. Ports
increased trade over the water, and
trade increased over the longer
distance between Byzantine and
Venice. The Norman conquests,
precursors to the Crusade, occurred
late
11th
century
and
thus
strengthened the trade routes with
Italy, England, and Sicily. In the 12th
century, as the population grew and
farming technology advanced, the
agricultural industry also grew. This
was accompanied by massive land
clearance by nobles, which also helped
to promote the agricultural industry.
Thus, agriculture became the main
economic industry. Finally, the
Crusade not only strengthened trade
along its path, but opened the
Mediterranean for trade, solidifying
even more trade routes and expanding
the geographic area of commerce for
Prévots
Prévots were judges that
governed the scattered regions of the
royal domain. They implemented royal
power locally, which encompassed
collecting the Crown’s domain-based
revenues, taxes, and duties owed.
Prévosts also took on the responsibility
of military defense, which included
raising contingents locally for royal
armies. Provosts also carried out
judicial procedures, altough to a
somewhat limited extent. Over time,
provost positions became hereditary,
and therefore more difficult for the
King to Control. The King arranged for
one of his great officers (the Great
Seneschal) to supervise them.
Other Institutions
The country was also governed
by other institutions, like the States
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the Kingdom of France.
After recovering from the
invasions and establishing a strong
trade system, the French economy was
able to expand beyond agriculture. The
port cities opened up a wide range of
exports, including limestone, which
was exported to England for use in
building cathedrals. One of the main
exports, mainly through Flanders,
became finished fabrics--heavier wools
for England, lighter wools to Spain and
Italy, and linens and mixed cloths to
Germany, using wool imported from
England. The invention of the
horizontal loom in the 11th century
allowed for the industrialization of
weaving, and a profitable textile
industry sprung up. Factories opened
(with mostly male workers), and the
goal of weaving became more exports
than domestic uses. Other notable
imports included wine from the
Rhinelands.
distrustful of a new coinage, afraid that
it might destroy what little wealth they
had and allow lords to cheat them out
of money. Thus, the transition from the
unstable denier to a standard royal
currency was a slow one, and the 12th
century was a transition time to the
royal currency that would eventually
become the most important currency
in France. As the coin stabilized, so did
the economy, until the economy was
very coinage-based.
Taxation
The Kingdom of France was, at
first, expected to be somewhat self
sufficient--that is, the king should gain
income from his lands and possessions
instead of a direct and increasing
taxation from his subjects. However, in
Europe overall, the 12th century was
the beginning of a transition to new
taxing systems as the King needed
more money to support military and
bureaucratic expansion. as well as due
to an increase in war costs. the gradual
shift from compulsory military service
to payments known as “shield
payments” or scutage. Eventually,
these taxes shifted even further to
allow the people to vote on their taxes,
a so called “consensual tax” system.
In the years leading up to 1147,
however, France was just beginning
this transition. The King’s revenue,
although beginning to slowly shift, was
still rooted in the feudal system and
the income from crown lands.
The Denier
The gold coin was a standard in
the Kingdom of France up until the
eighth century, when it disappeared.
Efforts to revive it and reinstitute a
gold
system
failed.
With
the
disappearance of the gold coin, the
silver
denier
(introduced
by
Charlemagne in the seventh century)
became the main currency in the
Kingdom of France, replacing the last
of the gold trientes. While the denier
was minted across the kingdom, it's
worth varied from mint to mint, and
therefore so did the amount of money
in a pound. From major city to major
city the currency could change,
meaning that in every transaction, the
denier had to be converted to its local
equivalent. This caused significant
instability which, by the 11th century,
became an issue, especially with the
increasing geographic spread and
sheer amount of trade and commerce.
However, even with the push for a
more stable currency people were
Socioeconomic and Feudal
System
The Kingdom of France had a
strong class system. The upper-class
bourgeoisie, or bourgs, came from
mercantile communities built up right
outside the large fortified areas who.
pursued
independent
urban
development and government. High or
noble birth was also very important in
socioeconomic status, and often
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determined eligibility for certain
orders. The lower classes were
ostracized or ended up as vassals under
feudal tenures.
Emerging in the 11th century the
Kingdom of France also functioned
under a strong feudal system, in which
many vassals work land and cultivate
agriculture belonging to a lord. Vassals
owed their lord “aid and service.”;
mostly as military service, but also any
type of tax or payment paid by a vassal
to their lord. It was through this
system that lords gained most of their
income,
and,
before
the
industrialization that resulted from
increasing trade rates and the cease of
invasions, it was the source of their
agriculture.
the most experienced body of the army
regarding warfare, and likewise, its
loyalty to the king was the greatest.
The general militia, however, was
consisted of drafted men. These were
only available for a short period of time
and did not feel the same loyalty to the
king.
Medieval warfare was therefore
essentially defined by the strategical
use of the cavalry. The strength and the
speed of this “elite” foce would settle
the outcome of a battle. Once it was
over, the rest of the ost was in charge
of sieging the captured city, which was
their official military directive. In the
early Middle Age, the military
technology could not allow the armies
to break the walls and other defenses
of a well-fortified city, but when the
city would finally surrender, the King
could choose to plunder the city in
order to reward its troops or ask for its
loyalty in order to gain more vassals.
Other than this overall military
structure, it has been hard for
historians to find documentation that
would give an accurate number
regarding the size of the armies.
Military
Through the centuries, the
Kingdom of France was defined by a
quasi-constant state of war. Those
recurring conflicts influenced the
evolution of the military structure.
Until the 12th century the ost,
the
“the
Royal
Army”,
was
predominantly made of cavalrymen
and officers of the court whom were
chosen to be part of the “Military
House of the King”, later to become the
“Bodyguard”. Their mission was to
ensure the security of the King from his
rivals or isolated threats, with the King
possessing no standing army.
In order to increase the size of
his ost, the King turned to his vassals.
Each Lord who had promised loyalty to
the King would contribute to the Royal
Army by providing knights and foot
soldiers.
At first, under the Carolingian
dynasty, the foot soldiers obeyed to a
military draft that lasted the time of a
military campaign. But during the 12th
century, the length of this military
draft was reduced to 40 days, which
became the norm for the vassals. At
that point, the calvary was considered
The Navy
The royal territory was not
bordered by water until the territorial
extensions of the late 12th century.
Hence there was no proper royal navy
until the end of the 13th century, which
meant that all of the conflicts
(including the Crusade) was on land.
The Crusades
The Crusade was the first
attempt to capture the Holy Land,
called by Pope Urban II in 1095. This
crusade was launched by the Christians
in response to the Turks blocking
access to Jerusalem. Although the king
could not participate, several lords did.
At least 14 different duchies and
counties led by Knights responded to
the call of the Pope and left Europe to
conquer Jerusalem in 1096.
This call also unwillingly
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Territorial Disputes
launched the “People’s Crusade,” when
over 15,000 pilgrims led by Peter the
Hermit left Europe to the Byzantine
Empire. Over 25,000 arrived at their
first destination. However, due to a
lack of military experience, they were
quickly killed by the Turks. Only 3,000
remained to later join the actual
Crusade.
This
prelude
was
characterized
by
its
lack
of
coordination with other authorities of
Europe and the rising of anti-semitism.
The Kingdom of France was one
of the largest kingdoms in Medieval
Europe, with an estimated population
of six million in the year 1000 (for
comparison, England at that point only
measured two million). These six
million people were spread amongst
duchies, sovereign territories governed
by dukes and fairly independent, but
still vassals of the king. Such lords and
dukes often caused problems and often
became nearly as powerful as the king
himself. Although England was smaller
in population. Throughout the 12th
century, there was continuing conflict
with England and the Kingdom of
France over land disputes and
exchanges throughout the region. In
fact, of the five major duchies of the
time, nearly all of them were involved
in some kind of dispute or tension
around the early to late 1140s.
As already noted the French
royal power was fragile, especially at
the time of the Crusade. There was a
daily struggle between the King and
the various lords, barons, and other
nobles to actually have the royal power
recognized.
The
King’s
power
depended more on compromise than
coercive force.
A lack of political and military
hierarchy allowed for the Crusade to
fragment significantly. Four main
Lords from different regions of Europe
led their armies in order to conquer.
Combining all their forces together,
approximately 35,000 crusaders took
part in the Crusade.
The relationship between the
Byzantine Empire and the crusaders
quickly became complex. Initially, they
were supposed to defend Byzantine
from Turkish invasion, turned their
attention to conquering new territories
for themselves.
One of the main leaders of this
expedition was Godfrey of Bouillon,
who finally succeeded in conquering
Jerusalem but refused to be crowned
King of the city out of respect for Jesus
Christ.
In the Kingdom of France, the
King was perceived as weak at the end
of the 11th century, but the in the 12th
century, Louis VI
rose and
significantly increased France’s power
and strength.
Duchy of Aquitaine
The Duchy of Aquitaine,
originally under Charlemagne control,
had separated into a sovereign state via
a string of Poitiers dukes, at one point
even being classified as a kingdom in
its own right. These dukes, especially
the
Williams,
also
continually
expanded Aquitaine,adding Gascony
and Toulouse,until it was incredibly
large and powerful territory, albeit one
that fluctuated in exact area several
times over the century. In 1137, the
current duke William X died, leaving
his vast amount of lands to his 15-yearold daughter, Eleanor. She was placed
under the care of king Louis VI of
France and, within the same year, was
married to his son Louis VII. A few
months after that Louis VI died,
leaving Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis
VII the crown king and queen of the
Kingdom of France. Thus, the lands of
Aquitaine officially became a part of
the Kingdom of France. Over the next
decade leading to 1147, Eleanor bore
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Louis no sons. However, the territory
of Aquitaine was tied to her name.
Thus, despite tension for lack of an
heir, their marriage--and the royal
control of Aquitaine--remained intact.
themselves, including the Kingdom of
France, who longed to have Brittany
back in its control again.
Duchy of Burgundy
Stemming from the original
Kingdom of Burgundy, the duchy of
Burgundy had grown to an impressive
size by the time France gained control
of it, through succession, in 1002.
Duke Henry I died, leaving the land to
his nephew Robert the Pious, King of
France. However, this upset his
stepson, the Roman Otto-William, who
was the intended heir. In 1003 Robert
invaded Burgundy, with the help of
Richard II of Normandy. This led to an
extended conflict between France and
the Roman Empire over Burgundy.
Eventually, Rome backed out of the
clash,
and
although
Burgundy
remained technically imperial it also
maintained strong French connections.
Eventually, France managed to take it
back fully into Capetian control, the
broken off piece of Auxerre going
straight into complete royal control.
Although in 1147 Burgundy was a fairly
stable part of France, this battle and
dispute is etched into their history.
Duchy of Normandy
In the late 10th century, the
Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte was
struck between West Francia and the
vikings to create the sovereign Duchy
of Normandy. Though independent
and under the control of dukes, it was
still a part of the Kingdom of France
though the beginnings of the Capetian
dynasty. Thus began Normandy’s
tumultuous history regarding French
and English control. In 1035, after
William the Conqueror's Norman
conquest of England, it fell under the
control of Norman dukes. After several
failed attempts on the part of King
Louis IV to regain it (a failed invasion
in 1119), it was finally fully captured by
Geoffrey Plantagenet of Anjou in 1145,
during his six-year conquest of
Normandy.Although
Geoffrey
Plantagenet was French, Normandy
was more sovereign than it was royal
lands. In the years that followed
tensions remained high, as King Louis
kept his sights on regaining the
territory.
Disagreement over Gisors
Gisors,
an
incredibly
strategically important piece of land
and castle between England and
France, was also frequently disputed.
In 1119, King Louis claimed Gisors for
his own. Henry retaliated quickly and
swiftly, and a conflict began.
Eventually Louis backed down and
signed a treaty conceding control of
Gisors over to Henry and England.
This didn’t last long, however, before
King Louis violated the peace treaty
and marched on a nearby English
town. Thus resumed the fairly violent
conflictuntil the pope met with the two
kings at Gisors to negotiate peace in
1120. All lands taken were to be
returned, all prisoners to be released.
Gisors returned to its neutral, pre-
Duchy of Brittany
Unlike the other duchies,
Brittany’s past was solidly Gaelic.
Creating a cultural separation. Brittany
made its way out of Viking control to
French control before breaking off
nearly entirely. For much of the 10th
century it was ruled by Alan
Barbetorte, who went so far as to call
himself a king. After Alan’s death in
952, however, Brittany had a secession
crisis and fell victim to all its
surrounding territories. For centuries
after that, including the 12th, Brittany
had no strong ruler. The duke payed
homage to Normandy, but all the
surrounding states still wanted it for
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conflict state. Although also not an
active conflict, the territorial dispute
here was a historical event, and both
states still, in 1147, have their eye on
claiming Gisors for themselves.
interpretation of Islam.
Bernard of Clairvaux was
called upon to combat heresy by
Pope Eugene III, one of his
disciples. In 1145 he travelled to
Southern France to strengthen the
support against heresy. Because of
his work, the Henrician and
Petrobrusians faiths began to die
out by the end of the year.
Religion
During the Middle Ages, the
Arab-Islamic
spread
led
to
significant changes along the
Mediterranean. Many of the Muslim
troops during the Islamic spread
originated in Berber, and also that
there were Muslim communities in
Nimes, practicing alongside the
Christians.
On May 8th, 1147 a mob
attacked the Jews on the second day
of Shavuot (Pentecost) in Rameru,
France. Rabbenu Tam was one of
the mob's victims. After being
stabbed five times, to match the five
wounds of Jesus, he was saved by a
passing knight. His house was
ransacked, however, and a Torah
scroll was destroyed. He was one of
the most renowned Ashkenazi
Jewish rabbis, a leading halakhic
authority in his generation, and one
of Rashi’s grandsons (Rashi was a
widely respected medieval French
rabbi). Ashkenazi Jews were a
Jewish diaspora population in the
Holy Roman Empire at the time.
Rabbenu Tam was known for his
communal enactments improving
family life, education, and women's
status in the Jewish community. His
death, understandably, upset many.
In 1143, 150 Jews were
murdered in Ham, France. In the town
of Carentan the Jews defended
themselves, but in the end were
defeated too. A year later, Louis VIII
condemned falsely converted Jews to
die. Regardless, the general position of
tolerance towards Judaism in France
still continues, with not all Jews were
affected by the King’s decree.
Peter the Venerable, Abbot of
Cluny, urged Louis VII to hate the
Jews but not kill them, instead to
punish them in a more fitting way
than death. He was a part of many
significant religious councils of his
time, like the Council of Pisa (1134)
and the Council of Reims (1147),
and defended the French theologian
Peter Abelard after his Trinitarian
interpretation was condemned by
the Council of Sens. He managed to
mitigate the sentence of the council
and reconcile Abelard with St.
Bernard of Clairvaux, his hardest
critic. Peter also participated in a
translation project that included the
first-ever translation into Latin of
the Qur'an, and thanks to this
translation the West had its first
instrument to study Islam, dwith
his
negative
but
tolerant
The English Anarchy
In 1120, the sinking of the White
Ship led to the sudden death of King
Henry I of England’s only legitimate
son and heir, William. Five years later,
in 1125, Henry V of the Roman Empire
died as well, leaving behind a widowed
Matilda--Henry
I’s
only
other
legitimate
child.
After
some
deliberation and a marriage to
Geoffrey of Anjou, Henry decided that
Matilda would be the heir to his
throne, and would succeed him as ruler
of England. He went so far as to, in
9
Commented [JC1]: "
nyumunc viii
1127, 1128, and 1131, force barons in
England and Normandy to take an
oath promising to accept her as
monarch. This was, however, not
popular. Matilda’s womanhood made
her an unpopular choice, and her
French husband (no matter how rocky
the marriage) made the English wary
of being ruled by a foreigner.
Henry’s sudden death in 1135
destroyed all chances of one of
Matilda’s sons becoming heir instead-although she had two, they were both
much too young. The oaths were
broken or invalidated, Matilda had just
been recovering from a possibly
deathly illness, and she made no move
to return to England and seize her
crown. All of this opened up the
kingdom to a civil war. Later to be
referred to as The Anarchy, the civil
war was fought in both England and
Normandy (which at this point was still
solidly under English control, much to
the dismay of King Louis VI), and
lasted through the 1140s.
lack of strong leadership. His
mercenaries followed no laws and he
relentlessly tried to build a party
around himself, actions which only
further alienated the barons. The
recruitment of Flemish mercenaries
started around 1137, unlike Henry I’s
choice of French and British
mercenaries during the first crusade.
This choice caused tension in the
Norman army and mass dropouts,
which only hindered Stephen’s rule
and campaign.
This opened the door for
Robert, Earl of Gloucester and
Matilda’s half-brother, to come to her
aid. In 1138 he went to war with
Stephen to defend his sister, and at
first Stephen seemed to be winning.
However, when he arrested a bishop,
he lost both the support and power of
the church. Matilda herself finally saw
her chance at action and launched a
counterattack in 1139, managing to
amass nearly half of England in a short
period of time. In 1141 Stephen was
captured by the Angevins, but a protest
in London allowed for his release in
exchange for Gloucester. From then on
a civil war between Matilda and
Stephen raged on.
Stephen of Blois
Stephen of Blois was the
grandson of William the Conqueror,
nephew of King Henry I, and cousin to
Matilda. After the tragic death of his
father, count of Blois in the crusade,
Stephen was sent to the English court
and raised mostly by his uncle,
although he still retained French
nobility.
Status in 1147
In 1143, there was a stalemate
between the two sides after Stephen
was defeated by Robert. While there
was still fighting, there was also time to
pursue other interests for a few years.
However, in October of 1147 Robert of
Gloucester, one of Matilda’s most avid
supporters, died. In 1147 fighting was
beginning to slow down, but The
Anarchy was still raging on.
After his uncle’s death in 1135,
Stephen crossed back across the
English Channel to take the English
crown. Although it had been pledged to
Matilda, her lack of action combined
with support from various bishops and
lords made it easy for Stephen to
declare himself the new king.
Importance to the Kingdom of
France
Stephen’s Regime and the Civil
War
For much of this time, King
Louis VI of France tried—and failed-to regain Normandy, and established
Stephen’s main fault was in his
10
nyumunc viii
himself as a main enemy of King Henry
I. He had already placed an ally as the
count of Flanders with William Clito-something that led to tensions rising in
the first place, due to the now joint
opposition of England by both Louis
and William. Not only was Stephen
from France and heir to Blois, an
important piece of Northern France,
his appearance as King of England
pushed back the Angevin kings-something Louis was desperately
trying to do. Stephen in power not only
fought back the Angevins, but it
stopped the English territory from
expanding and encroaching upon the
northern parts of France, such as Blois.
To Louis, this was the best that could
have happened. In fact, in 1136, King
Louis VI wrote a testimonial for
Stephen of Blois, recommending him
for the role of king. From then until the
king’s death in 1137, there was a strong
agreement between Blois-Chartres,
Normandy, and Paris. Count Theobald,
another prominent Northern French
nobleman, also wrote a letter in
support of Stephen of Blois and his rise
to the crown. This action brought
Theobald and Louis closer together,
ending their conflict.
By 1141 the civil war was in full
swing, and the new King Louis VII was
watching it carefully and making his
own decisions. There was a new
alliance between Angers and Paris,
possibly because Geoffrey of Anjou
(who, at that point, was conquering
Normandy) had offered him the Vexin,
a powerful piece of Normandy that the
French crown had been wanting back
for as long as they had no longer
owned it. By 1145, however, the
Angevins were moving towards
reclaiming Normandy, with a special
interest in the Vexin. Wanting to do
anything to preserve it, Louis
temporarily distracted the Count of
Meulan by giving him Gournay-surMarne, then continued to watch the
Angevins with unease.
Sanitary
Environment &
Diseases
In the Middle Ages, the source
of most diseases came from the lack of
hygiene, mostly caused by poor
medical knowledge of the time. From
the 11th to the 12th century, the increase
of population in Europe led the
peasants to move from the countryside
to the cities. The garbage and human
waste were piled up in the streets or
thrown into the rivers, which spread
bacteria and disease and contaminated
the water. In the early-to-mid 12th
century the streets were not paved, and
there were no sewers. To clean the
detritus, the pigs who were living in the
streets would eat the garbage, further
spreading diseases through animals.
The access to water was also a
crucial
aspect
for
a
sanitary
environment, one that was somewhat
restricted in the Kingdom of France. In
Paris, the Church was in charge of
building aqueducts to supply the
population with clean water. This led
to very few public fountains being
available (less than 18 in the whole of
the city). Undernourishment and lack
of hygiene during those days
contributed significantly to the spread
of epidemics. There were several main
diseases that spread and caused
problems in the Kingdom of France.
Early Plagues
The plague was a disease that
spread widely, and for a long time,
during the medieval period and middle
ages. This infectious disease was very
easily transmitted through human
contact
or
water
and
food
contamination, and could also be
carried by animals. It first appeared
during the 6th century as the Plague of
Justinian. The Plague of Justinian was
11
nyumunc viii
a pandemic that spread through the
Byzantine Empire, killing roughly 25
million people from 531 to 580.
parades
and
encouraged
the
population to go on holy pilgrimages.
These pilgrimages were successful, and
the monks from the Order of Saint
Anthony became famous for them. The
success of the pilgrimages actually
came from the fact that the pilgrims
had to move away from the
contaminated
cereals,
therefore
mitigating the symptoms of the disease
on the short term.
Leprosy
Leprosy was an ancient disease
that originated in many places, but the
Christian crusade of the 11th century
aided greatly to its spread. the lepers
became a distinctive class of the
society:Once suspected of leprosy, a
person was considered dead by the
family and the Church, a fake funeral
was hosted, and the leper was forced to
leave in complete isolation from the
rest of the society. Excluded and feared
by everyone, the leper was forbidden to
have any human contact or to share the
same water or food as the rest of the
people. This terrible disease did not
discriminate. It spared no one, not
even nobility. For instance, Raoul de
Vermandois in the 12th century was a
victim of leprosy.
Dysentery
Dysentery became especially
well spread across Europe after the
events of the Crusade. In 1098, the
crusaders besieging the city of Antioch
were decimated by this disease. T after
a lack of food and proper sanitation.
Doctors
In the Middle Ages, diseases
were considered the work of God, who
sent them as punishment for sins, and
healed those afflicted as soon as they
ceased the sinning. Because of this,
there were very few doctors.
There were, however, three
distinguished professions of medicine
in France that emerged in the 12th
century:
doctors,
surgeons
and
barbers. They were all trained at either
Montpellier and Paris, the only two
places in France who taught medicine.
Even with the training available, the
number of doctors remained low. In
fact, there were only about 80 licensed
doctors in the entirety of the Kingdom
of France.
As expected, their primary
missions were to treat the plague and
leprosy.
Very
few
chirurgical
procedures were made, and doctors did
not oversee childbirth, leading to an
extremely high number of maternal
deaths during and after childbirth.
Ergotism
Known as “Holy Fire” or “Saint
Anthony’s Fire” during the Medieval
Age, Ergotism is the long-term effect of
ergot poisoning. It came from the
ingestion of a fungus that infects
cereals, and is often spread in the
summer when the new crop is
harvested. The symptoms of ergotism
began with painful seizures, spasms,
and diarrhea. Then the gangrene would
attack the fingers and toes before
spreading to the rest of the body. The
disease was called “Holy Fire” because
the diseased would feel like their
bodies were burning from the inside,
their skin falling away and their bones
breaking.
This epidemic disease strongly
hit France during the 11th and 12th
centuries in Champagne Limousin,
Lorraine , and Cambrai where 12,000
people died.
The church took a holy stance in
its response to this disease. In order to
fight it, the Church started religious
International
Relations
12
nyumunc viii
Europe, consisting primarily followers
of Roman Catholicism. After 962, the
largest and most prominent kingdom
in the Holy Roman Empire was the
Kingdom
of
Germany.
Other
prominent
kingdoms
were
the
Kingdom of Burgundy, the Kingdom of
Italy, and the Kingdom of Bohemia.
The empire was first ruled by Frankish,
then German kings. As the empire was
so ethnically diverse, it was never as
politically unified as the Kingdom of
France
was.
Instead,
it
was
decentralized, consisting of hundreds
of duchies, counties, principalities,
Free Imperial Cities, etc.
During the Crusade, parts of the
Holy Roman Empire (e.g. Germany,
Italy), alongside the Kingdom of
France, went to Byzantium to aid the
Byzantine Empire in regaining their
land from the Seljuk Turks. This was
part of their efforts to rid the region of
Islam
and
promote
Roman
Catholicism. However, on defeating the
Turks and recovering Nicaea to
Byzantium, the Byzantine army
retreated, leaving the Holy Roman
leaders with a sense of betrayal.
Byzantine Empire
In 330 AD, the Roman Emperor
Constantine I chose Byzantium to hold
the new Roman Capital, one he named
Constantinople. It was ideal due to its
location between Europe and Asia,
making trade and transit easy. Once
Constantine died his Roman Empire
split into east and west, and the
Byzantine Empire was founded from
the east. The members of the Byzantine
empire were proud of their Roman and
Christian heritage, even calling
themselves Romaioi (Romans). Later,
because of Persians and Slav invasions,
Muslim armies attacked the Byzantine
Empire through Syria. The Islamic
forces took over Syria, the Holy Land,
Egypt, North Africa, and other
territories.
The Crusade was a holy war
between Christians of the West against
Muslims in the East. When the Seljuk
Turks
attacked
Constantinople,
Emperor Alexius I looked for help from
the west, which lead to the the initial
declaration of holy war by Pope Urban
II at Clermont (France) that started the
Crusade. When French, German and
Italian armies came to Byzantium to
fight against the Turks, Alexius
attempted to force the leaders of the
armies to swear loyalty to him and
ensure that the Byzantine Empire
would get back the land taken away
from them by the Turks. Once both the
Western and the Byzantine armies
regained Nicaea from the Turks,
Alexius made his army retreat, leading
to the rest of the crusaders accusing
him of betraying them.
The Byzantine territory was less
prone to attacks because of its location.
Constantinople was located along a
strait and shared borders with a lot of
Europe, making it hard to get past its
defenses.
Seljuk Empire
The rise of the Seljuk Empire
began with migrations during the 10th
century, including Turkish people from
Central Asia and Southeast Russia.
One nomadic tribe was lead by a man
named Seljuk. His people settled in the
lower portion of the Jaxartes River,
and years later converted to the Islamic
version of the Sunnite. With the help of
Seljuk’s grandsons, the Seljuk people
formed an alliance with Persian forces
to acquire more land for their own
empire. The two grandsons, Chafri and
Tugril, controlled a great deal of land-including an empire which then
included parts of western Iran and
Mesopotamia. After their deaths, the
sultans Alp-Arslan and Malik-Shah
extended the Seljuk empire over Iran,
Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine. In
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a
large group of territories in central
13
nyumunc viii
the 11th century, the Seljuk empire won
a battle against the Byzantine army
and took the Byzantine emperor
Romanus IV Diogenes prisoner, giving
an opening for Turkish tribes to settle
in Asia Minor. The Seljuk empire was
known for its ability to restore Muslim
unity under their Sunni caliphate, and
managed to instate a network of
colleges to give training to state
administrators and religious scholars.
The last trace of the Seljuks were those
who died on the battlefield in the early
12th century.
During the Crusade the Seljuk
Empire was focused its attention on its
fragmented states over defeating the
crusaders, making it easy for the
crusaders coming from Western
Europe and the Byzantine Empire to
march into Seljuk territory to conquer
the city of Nicaea. After countless
months of fighting, the Seljuks
surrendered. The Crusade army took
Nicaea and then made their way to
Jerusalem, but were stopped at the city
of Antioch, which had been occupied
by the Seljuks since 1085. Antioch, a
Christian city, was blocking the
crusaders’ way to Jerusalem. Both
sides fought a long and arduous battle
until the Seljuks were defeated. It took
years for the Muslim empires to
organize a retaliation against the
Christian opposition. The Seljuk army
and empire was fragmented until Zengi
become the chief and took the city of
Aleppo without a problem. In the 12th
century he focused his vision on the
Christian city of Edessa, which was
only lightly defended. He took the city
and was praised for his brave efforts
against the First Crusade but was then
assassinated, and his power was
handed down to his sons.
Persian-Arab soldiers, who seized
Muslim lands. Unlike the Umayyads,
who were based in Syria, the Abbasids
made the executive decision to move
the capital to Baghdad. Even though
the leaders of the Abbasids were Arab,
the intellectual and cultural factors the
influenced the caliphate were Persian.
The empire's golden age came around
the 9th and 10th century, when Baghdad
to be the study hub of history, culture
and philosophy. Here concepts of basic
mathematics, algebra and geometry
were studied and written about. The
work of Al Khwarizmi was later
translated into Persian, Hindu and
Greek texts for easy spread in the
Muslim lands. His texts also proved to
influence Europe especially Greek
thinkers like Aristotle.
To gain wealth and maintain a
stable economy the Abbasid dynasty
depended on taxes and military
control, but by the 11th century their
fragmented political system proved too
weak to keep tribes from attacking. In
1055, the Abbasid dynasty lost control
of Baghdad to the Seljuk tribe.
Although the Seljuks took over power,
the Abbasids still ruled their dynasty
under their control. While the Seljuks
continued to expand toward the west
and combat the Crusades, the Abbasid
political system weakened, which
slowed the scientific and historical
enlightenment.
Fatimid Caliphate
The Fatimid Caliphate was
technically under the control Abbasid
Caliphate, and fought hard to be seen
as a powerful caliphate in its own right,
as well as an important state in the
Mediterranean region. After years of
submission to the Abbasid Caliphate
and fighting their own civil war, the
Fatimid Caliphate turned its attention
to expanding across the Mediterranean
Sea. They started with Algeria, Tunisia,
Morocco and Libya in order to threaten
the trade paths, then continued by
Abbasid Caliphate
The history of the Seljuk Empire
and the Abbasid Caliphate go hand in
hand as they fight for power and land.
In the 8th century the dynasty of
Umayyad was challenged by an army of
14
nyumunc viii
engaging a war in Almeria, Spain. This
effectively halted the trade of gold,
food, and slaves between the European
Empires and the African countries.
The Kingdom of France was
especially concerned with one war in
particular, one the Fatimid Caliphate
started against the Byzantine Empire,
as it took place in Sicilia. The Duché de
Bourgogne sent warriors to the
Kingdom’s borders, attempting to stop
the Fatimid army from directly
attacking. Additionally, due to the
muslim community arriving in the
Kingdom of France, the Kingdom also
had to be wary of the Fatimid
Caliphate trying to infiltrate the
territory and attacking France from
within.
15
nyumunc viii
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