House of Lilies: The Dynasty that Made Medieval France

by Justine Firnhaber-Baker

The sweeping story of one of the great epics of Europe's the rise and rise of the dynasty that dominated the Middle AgesStarting in the tenth century from an insecure foothold around Paris, the Capetians built a nation that stretched from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and from the Rhône to the Pyrenees. They founded practices and institutions that endured until the Revolution, transformed Paris from a muddy backwater to a splendid metropole, and popularized the fleur-de-lys, the lily, as the emblem of France. Time and again, their opponents woefully misjudged who they were up against, as through guile, ruthlessness, luck and marriage the Capetians disposed of them all.This is the story of the most powerful kingdom in Christendom. It is a tale of religious upheaval, heroism, adulterous affairs, holy wars, pogroms and persecution. From Hugh Capet to Eleanor of Aquitaine, the Capetians were men and women of vision and ambition, who considered themselves chosen by God to fulfil a great destiny. They did not simply rule they created it.House of Lilies is a highly enjoyable account of this extraordinary sequence of events, set against one of the great eras in the history of western Europe. Justine Firnhaber-Baker brilliantly conveys not only the cultural effervescence of the French court, but also the intellectual achievements, the battles and the religious fervour, as well as the series of catastrophes that led to the dynasty's ultimate demise.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, France, Medieval, Medieval History, European History, Historical

448 pages, Hardcover

First published March 28, 2024

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Succession

One of the things I really appreciate is non-English speaking history becomes accessible. Case in point here, where author Justine Firnhaber-Baker has written a wonderful book on the Capetian dynasty which ruled France from 987-1328. We have so much access to the history of the Normans and Plantagenets in the same course of time, even the Crusades, but the Capetians were equally important during this period. They built France from a kingdom, not much larger than Paris and its outer areas into the state we know today, influencing the course of European history. The book’s focus is this dynasty’s pivotal role in shaping medieval Europe, from their consolidation of power to their influence on culture and religion.

The Capetian dynasty saw several significant rulers who shaped medieval France. Hugh Capet (987–996) founded the dynasty but initially had limited power beyond Île-de-France. Philip II (1180–1223) greatly expanded royal authority by defeating King John of England at the Battle of Bouvines (1214) and reclaiming vast territories, laying the foundation for a centralized state. Louis IX (1226–1270), later canonised as Saint Louis, was known for his judicial reforms and participation in the Seventh and Eighth Crusades. His grandson, Philip IV (1285–1314), strengthened the monarchy’s financial and administrative systems, clashed with the Papal authority, and orchestrated the destruction of the Knights Templar (1307). The dynasty ended with the death of Charles IV (1328), leading to the Hundred Years’ War as England’s Edward III contested the French throne. These kings played crucial roles in transforming France into a dominant medieval power.

Firnhaber-Baker’s portrayal of the Capetians is both comprehensive and nuanced. She illustrates their strategic marriages, political maneuvers, and religious patronage and as such captures the dynasty’s complexities, therefore providing readers with a vivid picture of medieval French politics and society. Her academic background enriches the text, offering depth without sacrificing readability. She is also able to intertwine political events with cultural and religious developments provides a holistic view of the era. This approach really allowed me to appreciate the broader implications of the Capetians’ rule on the formation of French identity and statehood.

This is accessible history at its best and House of Lilies stands as a solid contribution to medieval historical literature. Firnhaber-Baker’s scholarly yet accessible writing offers a detailed and engaging account of the Capetian dynasty’s pivotal role in shaping France. If you are interested in France, medieval history, dynastic politics, and the evolution of European monarchies then I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It has been able to fill a long held gap in my knowledge which I was desperate to fill and I highly appreciate that.

[Melisende · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for the following reasons:

* easy to read
* informative though not dull or dry
* covers the Capetian Dynasty well, including the women
* well researched
* additional notes, maps, family trees

Covering nearly over three centuries of French history and international politicking, Firnhaber-Baker does a remarkable job at presenting one of the pivotal dynasties in French history - the Capetians. This work has all the elements: religious fervor and upheaval, crusades,scandal, warfare, adultery, ambition, family drama, politicking - and on a magnificent grandiose scale.

Each monarch has their own dedicated chapter which covers off the pivotal moments of their reign, including each monarch's relationships with France's closest neighbours - England, Normandy, Flanders, Blois, Anjou, Valois - as France as we know it today, was still very much in its infancy and only really beginning to coalesce.

Recommended reading for those with an interest in French history and royal dynasties.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was great. Hugh Capet through to Maurice Druon's Accursed Kings is a bit of a blank spot for me, and this filled all that in nicely. Firnhaber-Baker keeps the narrative clean and flowing, and while you always want a little more detail in these sort of things, she's really got as much as she can pack in considering how many centuries this covers.

[Jacob Stelling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been lucky enough to take an in-depth class on the Capetians with Justine - who knows her subject material inside out - over the last year, this review is probably a bit biased!

That being said, this book brings to life the family story of the Capetians with all of their dramatic flaws and goings on that I’ve come to love over the past few months. An engaging writer, Firnhaber-Baker weaves a compelling narrative which carefully treads the line between academic and popular history.

Overall, this book fills a big gap in the English market for an accessible history of the Capetians, and as such should be a must-read for anyone who enjoys medieval kings and queens.

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Justine Firnhaber-Baker (MA/PhD, Harvard University) teaches medieval continental history, specializing in France from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries at All Souls College, Oxford. Her masterful "House of Lilies" is a truly wonderful history of the oft forgotten Capetin dynasty.

The Capetins, also known as "La Maison de France" (The House of France), whose senior line was called the House of Capet, ruled and created France between 987 and 1328. Starting with the foundational rule of Hugh Capet and ending with the rule of Charles IV, their family history is often intertwined with that of their more famous Plantagenet cousins in England. Their struggle, culminating in the Hundred Years War, is always the backdrop for these Kings who made modern France.

The Capetins were instrumental in the foundation of the modern France nation we are familiar with. They expanded the small territory of pairs to include the various Duchies and Counties surrounding it to become one of the most powerful states of this period. From producing five continuous Crusading Kings ( Louis VII, Philip Augustus, Louis VIII, Louis IX, and Philip III), to being responsible for the association with France of the Oriflamme banner and the Fleur de Lis (Lily Flower) symbol, Firnhaber-Baker's superb history introduces these fascinating Kings. From the start with Hugh, to the apogee of the clan in Philip Augustus (Philip II), to its terminus marked by the infamous Philip le Bel (Philip the Fair) and the seeming curse of the Capetins, which ends the main line with Charles IV.

A wonderful history that is full of fascinating information and is wonderfully written. Highly recommended.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is engagingly written and thoroughly researched.
I quite enjoyed it.

[Nel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly readable and well-written.

Capetians were definitely an interesting dynasty, very different to their relatives across the channel. If Plantagenets seem to me like a dynasty brimming with some strong personalities, Capetians are much more subdued in that regard. That's the kind of impression that I got anyway.

French queens though...



Couldn't get enough of them! Need more books...need more recs!

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

House of Lilies is a delight in every way. Firnhaber-Baker demonstrates her complete mastery of this topic, while also telling a story that pulls you along from beginning to end. The book manages to convey how history ebbs, flows, and thunders, but even more importantly allows the reader to not only know, but to almost feel, how events moved across a four centuries of medieval Europe.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Klok av skade etter 800 sider om 200 år med balkansk historie i fjor.

Dette er 300 sider om de drøye 340 (nest) mest definerende årene i Frankrikes historie: kongehuset Capets fremvekst og fall, fra år 987 til 1328.

År-per-side-ratioen i denne boka er perfekt. Jeg vil lese om Ludvig den Tykkestes absurde besettelse for å bygge broer der de ikke trengs, men jeg trenger ikke lese om Franz Ferdinand-skytter Gavrilo Princips bestevenn som laget verdens beste aivar.

Alt i alt en lærerik og morsom bok om hendelser som såvidt fikk en fotnote i historietimene på grunnskolen.

Som historie-casual kunne jeg klart mer lekenhet og tempo, men det blir litt som å si at Joachim Triers filmer bør ha flere biljakter.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit, this book wasn’t on my radar prior to its publication. I hadn’t actually heard anything about it. However, after learning it was a biography of the House of Capet, and after clapping eyes on its beautiful cover, I just had to have it. On paper, it should have been a book that ticked all of my boxes. Having read it, I can say I liked it, but I certainly didn’t love it.
This is basically a whistle stop tour of the Capetian kings of medieval France. The chapters are laid out chronologically, with each king getting at least one chapter dedicated to him (some even get two or three). Seeing as the book is only 314 pages in length, and covers roughly 350 years of French monarchical history, the author doesn’t have time to into every single detail of each king’s reign. She therefore picks out a couple of aspects bout each monarch and their reign, and then explores them in more detail. How much you will get out of this book depends on how much you already know about the Capetian dynasty. A complete newbie will likely come away with a far greater knowledge of this time period, whilst those who consider themselves well versed are unlikely to learn anything they didn’t already know. I fall somewhere in between, so whilst I didn’t learn a huge amount, there were some things I hadn’t heard about of read about before.
The book is very well researched, and is written in an engaging, chatty style, which makes it pretty easy to read. However, there were a couple of things that didn’t work for me. Firstly, there were occasions where the pacing was off, meaning the book dragged. This usually happened when the monarch under the spotlight wasn’t particularly interesting, or had a short reign. The other problem is, despite the chronological layout, the author sometimes moves on to a different king, but then backtracks and talks about an event that happened in the previous king’s reign, making it a bit hard to follow what was going on, as well as coming across as a bit disjointed.
I will sum up by saying this is a good book, but not a great book. It’s nice to have a book about the Capetians which is written and published in English, and I’m glad I read it, but it’s definitely not the best historical biography I have read.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was largely in medieval France that knights and knighthood, the concept of chivalry, courtly love, Gothic architecture and the Crusades originated. Overseeing all of this was a succession of kings from the Capet family. Beginning with Hugh Capet in 978 and ending with Charles IV in 1378, the Capetian family was the longest continuously ruling family of the Middle Ages.

This book is the story of that long lasting dynasty and its interactions within the ever shifting seats of both secular and religious power in the making of what is now France. Though some were more successful than others, each Capetian ruler had a unique contribution that the author deftly synthesizes. Highly detailed but clear information is supplemented with maps showing the territory that was added to the royal domain with each successive monarch as well as simplified family trees to help keep track of the intertwined histories of the Capetians. A well researched, clearly written and very interesting history!

[C. Varn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

An enjoyable and readable popular history of high medieval French politics, which gave me a lot of insight into how Francia became France.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and detailed about the Capetians. This has now ignited my interest in Eleanor of Aquitaine, so that will be a fun rabbit hole to explore. I also loved the family trees and geographical maps provided over the course of the 400 year history.

[Ryan Strimple · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is impossible to understand France without England and vice versa. The two realms are so intertwined that not only does this text cover the Capetian regin, but also that of the Plantagenet, to some extent. The author does a great job of outlining and adding this context throughout each of the Capetian King's reigns.

I found House of Lilies to be very approachable to someone new to medieval France. I learned a ton. It leaves the reader wanting to learn more about specific kings and wars/conflicts, as a lot of these dynastic summary texts do. Quite possibly the most interesting theme for me throughout was the use and power of various popes. Maybe I'm just naive to this part of history, but I did not realize just how much weight a pope carried then. The world and realms truly revolved around them until we get later into the dynasty when defiance and disorder sets in.

I also did not realize just how fragile France was in the beginning stages. The fact that many believed Hugh Capet to be a usurper for literal centuries speaks to the turmoil and diverse belief systems that resulted from the fractured realm post-Charlemagne. As with any dynasty, you need heirs, and that was the ultimate downfall of the Capetians. The constant tussling between counties and noblemen and the crown(s) would eventually lead to the hundred years war. This book provides the background and sets the stage for what will inevitably come later for France.

Overall, I give this one 5 stars as it does an excellent job of providing that foundation. She holistically approaches politcal, cultural, and religious events and how they intersect. I also appreciated how she tied medieval France to modern day where applicable. Showing that modernity truly is steeped in history.

[Chance W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love France (for reasons I’m not really sure of) and it’s history. Having read broad strokes of French history it was nice to zoom in on a specific time period. Fraught with Louis’s and Philip’s, this covered the Capetian dynasty which ruled over France from the 900’s to the 1300’s. Many of the things that would come to embody France until the French Revolution happened during this era.

There were many interesting figures during this time but I particularly enjoyed learning about (and prompting further interest in) Louis the IX, the pious king who would go on to be canonized, and Eleanor of Aquitaine, who would be Queen of both France and England in her lifetime.

Also interesting was France’s religious life. Very much medieval Christianity (with all its pros and cons) was woven into the fabric of society, and in this period France would be one of the greatest contributors to the crusades, build some of the most iconic cathedrals such as Notre Dame, among other things. There were plenty of ugly spots though, considering the persecution of its Jewish population at times, Philip the IV’s destruction of the Knights Templar, and the intense persecution of the Waldensians (the Proto-Protestant group which preceded the reformation).

Great book covering the time period that was as enjoyable as it was informative!

[Paige]

DNF p80 (ch 6)

Too many names. Truly, just so many names.

7.24.24

[Arjun P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of France in the high middle ages, a time and place that exemplifies all the classic tropes of the medieval age: popes, gothic cathedrals, violence, crusades, chivalry.

[Gary Holtzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note: I have no connection to this author or book. This is a genuine 5 star review.)

It is very hard to pull of a sweeping, grand history of an entire dynasty, especially one that ruled for as long as the Capetians: 12 generations. Yet Professor Firnhaber-Baker manages to do so with flair. The narrative is clear, readable, and easily accessible for those with little or no background in the subject. It's especially impressive given that virtually all of the kings were named either Louis or Philip, and there was at least one of each in virtually every generation.

This is not just a chronicle of kings, however. The women of the dynasty, many of whom were fascinating and impressive political actors in their own right, are brought vividly to life, as are a host of siblings, courtiers, and rival barons. She sticks to the evidence (the citations are exemplary), but even given the remoteness of the period the author does manage to explore the personalities and family relationships as best she can while remaining faithful to the sources.

She also does an excellent job of using the story of the dynasty to trace the process of state formation, going from the kingdom of West Francia, in which the king was only really lord of a small domain despite being nominal overlord of a much larger one, to a kingdom of France within roughly the borders we would recognize today, in which the king held more than nominal sway over the counts and dukes whose predecessors had been virtually independent. Along the way, we see how the throne went from alternating haphazardly between a couple of families through no clear process, into one with a well-defined hereditary succession, culminating in the final years of the dynasty with the legal innovation later known as Salic Law, in which females were excluded from the French throne, which would last for the rest of the history of monarchy in France.

The author is also very balanced in terms of showing the good, the bad, and the ugly of the kings and their queens. We learn about St. Louis' piety, but also his oppression of the Jews. Starting under the regency of his mother, Blanche of Castile, we see antisemitism take root in France with murderous consequences. She also discusses the Crusades, both against Muslims in the Middle East and "heretical" Christians within France itself.

Other subjects explored are feudalism, relations between the kings and the papacy, and of course the perennially complicated relationship with the dukes of Normandy turned kings of England and dukes of Gascony.

All of this must make the book sound hopelessly dense, which is why it was such a joy to find it so easy to follow and so hard to put down.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though England is the first country that comes to mind when most Western people think of the medieval ages, France was also a major player in European politics at the time. Although, if you saw France’s borders as they were in the late 900s, you might not have thought that such a little kingdom would grow to be so important. But when Hugh Capet came to power in 987, his line would enrich the kingdom and expand it borders over the next three centuries, turning it into an economic and military powerhouse and making the once-muddy town of Paris into a glittering European capital.

In House of Lilies, Professor Justine Firnhaber-Baker gives us a thorough biography of a dynasty, showing how they rose to power in the late 900s, ruled an expansive kingdom that changed the face of Europe, and then how it fell in the span of a generation in the early 1300s. Though the prose is clear throughout, it is sometimes– necessarily– dense, as Firnhaber-Baker does not skip generations or gloss over the contributions of women involved with the house of Capet. Eleanor of Aquitaine and Ingeborg of Denmark were, after all, dynamic women who influenced the politics of their day more than their male contemporaries would like to admit. And while there is plenty of room for supposition and guesswork, the author does not lay down opinion as fact or make assumptions about events. Instead, she lays out the evidence surrounding the event and explains its consequences as best she can. Thus the reader gets as clear of an idea of the history as possible, given the current sources.

Accuracy in history is important, so it’s appreciated when a historian doesn’t sugarcoat the facts or twist sources to suit their pet theories. Though Firnhaber-Baker is clearly fascinated by the Capetian dynasty, she hasn’t let her imagination run away with her or built any member of the dynasty up into an overblown figure unsupported by evidence.

Readers interested in medieval should be sure to add House of Lilies to their collections, as it provides such a detailed and fascinating account of a dynasty that is often overlooked in favor of their English brethren, but was just as influential and important.


Thank you to NetGalley and Basic Books for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[Andrew Balog · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really disappointed by this. It just...wasn't written well. Several important events are quickly cited, and the ramifications of them are used to discuss whatever was happening at that point. But what were those important events? An important church council in the 990s is mentioned, but we are never actually told what the council was about or what it decided! And this was (allegedly) a cornerstone event of early Capet rule!

As far as the other information included, it also seemed very confusing as far as what information was included and what was left out. It felt like the author got to the sons of Philip IV and decided to rush and wrap up everything as fast as possible. What did it mean for France when his sons died out, and control transferred to the House of Valois? Why was this important? We're left with "Charles IV died, the end", with no additional insight or commentary added. Was there a page limit she couldn't go past and felt the need to just cut everything off?

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Royal dynasties interest me. The older, the less attention in the general popular literature. In the case of France, it's no different.
Here I was extremely intrigued by the title House of Lilies and the book cover. I believe it will attract many readers.
In six sections, we get an overview from Hugo Capet to Charles IV and, in fact, to his successors, who were already the members of a different family.
I appreciated the clear family trees, making it easy to navigate the text. It was very readable to the point of making one lose awareness that one is not reading fiction.

The author has presented her expertise in a very accessible way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Basic Books for a free digital review copy. This is my honest review.

[lizard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 4/195: France

[Nick Gaschler · Rating 3 out of 5]

“House of Lilies: The Dynasty That Made Medieval France” was one of my most anticipated reads this year and sadly it sort of let me down. Justine Firnhaber-Baker delivers a semi-compelling narrative history of the Capetian dynasty and I get the main point, but it just felt very skeletal and vague in a lot of areas. JFB contends that the Capetian dynasty was responsible not only for the large-scale expansion of the French kingdom from 987 to the early fourteenth century, but that they were able to attain a more direct assertion of personal power through this expansion. Firnhaber-Baker is correct in this argument, but it seems a little self-evident right?

Nonetheless, Firnhaber-Baker’s narrative writing was solid. Each of the 21 chapters was essentially a mini-biography of each Capetian king with the exceptions to the three most pivotal figures: Philip II “Augustus”, Louis IX, and Philip IV. These sections are the heaviest hitters of the whole book for me. Specifically in regard to the former two, Firnhaber-Baker was at her best when she had more time to break down the impacts of Philip II and Louis IX in multiple chapters. This gave her the ability to touch on some of the more important concepts and events of their reign (crusades, expansion and administration ability, pious acts of Louis IX) in a way that contributed to the narrative and the general argument that she was going for. I appreciated these aspects and generally speaking when it comes to the key takeaways of a book about the Capetian dynasty, I felt fulfilled in this respect. This was a dynasty responsible for asserting its supremacy among the noble houses in the former Carolingian Empire, responsible for exercising that power via expansion in the military, the political and the territorial capacities, and responsible for promoting their line and possession of the Crown as something “anointed by God” making them the “most Christian kings of the most Christian kingdom in Europe”. Firnhaber-Baker clearly illustrates these conclusions. I also found her commentary on the royal medieval women super insightful. The ways in which the select few women like Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabelle of Navarre, and Blanche of Castile can exercise power and agency in a super rigid patriarchy are truly fascinating and Firnhaber-Baker does an excellent job of telling these stories and analyzing their roles and ways in which they displayed their power.

However, I felt this book felt far short of what I maybe expected of it. For one, it’s extremely brief and airs on the side of popular rather than academic history. Not a bad things by any means, but I find that history geared more for popular audiences sacrifices good analytical commentary for entertainment value. What pains me is that Firnhaber-Baker displayed at ability for good analytical commentary with her sections on the impactful monarchs of the Capetian dynasty. I can’t learn enough about a given subject in 13 pages with more attention devoted to the storytelling than to the critical analysis of the history itself. It makes the book feel a little devoid of personality which disappointed me. Additionally, the brevity takes away from clarity in a lot of instances. Often these chapter-long mini biographies of each given French monarch needs to pack so much in that I don’t get a strong idea of who the monarch was, what their major accomplishments were and how they served to advance or damage the Capetian dynasty. They are predominantly filled with either military or court drama which seems important, but ends up being not super critical to the advancement of the story. Perhaps this is the very nature of Medieval literature. The accounts and records are admittedly poor and a lot of important historical nuance is lost, but there is still ample room for good commentary if one can read between the lines of the chronicles and I didn’t feel Firnhaber-Baker did that consistently enough. There was little questioning of the validity of the chronicles themselves which is always something to consider when reading and writing on Medieval history and the writing seems to pander more towards the idealized medieval image of knights, castles, crusades and such. As is a common weakness for many dynastic histories, I also felt the book was devoid of broader social and cultural considerations. There is admittedly more love given here than in other dynastic histories I’ve read, particularly when it comes to the development of medieval French culture and the relationship between the state and clergy, but I wanted more particularly on the evolution of the societal structure as the Capetians captured more power and influence.

All in all, though I was disappointed in this book, I got the gist of it. I know more now than I did going into it as well. It was a rather light read that may not be directly targeted at someone who has been seeped in academic history for quite some time. The Capetians were the dynasty that took the small kingdom of Isle de France and expanded it to encompass much of what we recognize today as France, conquering the land politically and militarily. These kings were fundamental to establishing a conception of French kingship that persisted into the eighteenth century prior to the Revolution. They originated the idea of France as the most holy and Christian kingdom in Europe and in certain respects set the precedent for the future adoption of absolutism in pre-modern France.

[Xavier Ruiz Trullols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firnhaber-Baker brings the Capetian dynasty vividly to life, capturing their dramatic and complex story across four centuries. The book effectively conveys the flow of history, allowing readers to feel the impact of key events. Firnhaber-Baker’s writing is clear and engaging, making intricate historical details accessible even for those without a deep background in medieval history.

The book stands out for its thorough research and detailed coverage of the Capetians, including the often-overlooked contributions of women in the dynasty. The additional notes, maps, and family trees are invaluable for navigating the complex web of names and relationships, enhancing the reader's understanding of the period.

While the wealth of information can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially for readers new to the topic (like me), the book’s comprehensive approach ensures a deep and enriching exploration of France's medieval history.

[Mark Zhang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fleur de Lys ⚜️

With the election of Hugh Capet as King of the Franks in 987, the Capetian dynasty would go on to rule and shape the destiny of Medieval Europe’s most powerful nation for over three hundred years - its senior line culminating in the reign of Charles IV (1328).

Starting as weak figureheads possessing only a minor core demense in the Ile de France, successive Capetian monarchs would go on to challenge and outmaneuver the great nobles of the realm - particularly the Anglo-Norman Plantagenets, to mold France into a highly centralized early modern state, capable of exerting major influence through crusades and church politics.

Firnhaber-Baker does a particularly good job covering the many women of the royal family in her narrative, which was concise and well researched for the most part, if a little lacking on international developments occurring contemporarily.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and informative overview of the Capetian dynasty. Each chapter deals with a separate king, with Philip II, Louis IX and Philip IV getting several chapters each due to their greater impacts. Naturally there is a challenge with covering so broad a period, as it can be difficult to strike the balance between providing too much or too little - Firnhaber-Baker walks this tightrope well. Any reader will get a decent understanding of both the lives of the monarchs, and events that surrounded and shaped them. Highly recommended as an introduction to studying medieval French history.

[Julie Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent starting place for a general overview of the Capetian Kings, laser focused in France with just enough of what is happening in England to round out each King's thinking. Full of dry humor, which I greatly enjoyed. Hits the highlights. Probably too broad for anyone with actual knowledge of the era, but since I am a newbie and generally coming from the English Chronicles, I found this really useful.

[Alistair Harford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable account of the Capetians. I have struggled to find many English sources on this era so will be digging into the notes on this one. Reads very well and is informative with a nice pace. I guess much like anywhere in Europe at this time.... Don't go to feasts or hunt

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are just too many Louises and Philips in the medieval kings of France to keep straight, but the underlying story is a great one.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but had several chapters that were very boring