Conclusion: Foundations for Future Greatness

By 1137, when Louis VI died and his son Louis VII ascended the throne, the Capetian monarchy had transformed from its precarious beginnings into a stable and increasingly powerful institution. The patient strategies of five generations had created foundations upon which later kings would build. The royal domain, though still modest, was pacified and prosperous. The principle of hereditary succession was firmly established. Royal justice and administration functioned effectively within the king's direct territories.

Perhaps most importantly, the Capetians had created an ideological framework that positioned monarchy as the natural and divinely sanctioned form of government for France. Through alliance with the church, patronage of peace movements, and careful cultivation of royal dignity, they established legitimacy that transcended immediate military power. The sacral kingship they embodied, combining Carolingian traditions with new forms of religious sanction, proved remarkably durable.

The early Capetians' achievement appears more impressive when considered against the obstacles they faced. Starting with fewer resources than many of their vassals, confronting a fragmented political landscape where local powers proliferated, they nevertheless maintained and gradually expanded royal authority. Their success came not through dramatic conquests but through countless small victories: a castle taken here, a town chartered there, a marriage alliance carefully arranged, a ecclesiastical appointment skillfully managed.

The strategies developed during this early period—patience over impetuosity, administrative development over military expansion, ideological legitimacy over naked force—would characterize Capetian kingship for centuries. Later kings would build upon these foundations, extending royal power throughout France and creating one of Europe's most centralized monarchies. But the essential elements were established during these first 150 years when weak kings slowly transformed themselves into credible rulers.

Looking forward, Louis VII would face new challenges and opportunities. His marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine briefly brought the vast duchy under royal control, though their divorce would create the Angevin Empire that threatened Capetian survival. The Second Crusade would test royal leadership on an international stage. Economic growth would accelerate, creating new resources but also new complexities. Through all these changes, the patient work of the early Capetians in establishing legitimate, effective monarchy would prove its worth, ensuring that the dynasty not only survived but ultimately triumphed.# Chapter 4: The High Medieval Monarchy - From Philip Augustus to the Last Capetians (1180-1328)