Paris in the Medieval Times 1

The Merovingian Clovis, king of the Franks, settled into his capital in 508 following his victory over the Romans. Despite numerous bloody conflicts among his successors, the city remains the undivided capital of the Kingdom of France until the beginning of the seventh century. From the sixth century, we note the presence of a place of worship located on the right bank: the church of Saint-Gervais (now located behind City Hall).

In the ninth century, the speakers are built on the right bank to protect the parishes of Saint-Gervais and Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois (now located near the Louvre). The walls of Saint-Gervais should be roughly at the level of street roads, de Rivoli and the Tacherie. In the ninth century, the Vikings plundered and spread terror along the coasts of the Channel, through their drakkars, ships which draft easy to maneuver, they travel up the rivers far inland. They come for the first time to Paris in 845. The city was abandoned by its inhabitants and looted, King Charles the Bald payed 7 000 pounds of silver to evacuate the city. The Counts of Paris, the heriditay dynasty of the Robertiens had much to do as the Viking came back from 856-857 and burned all the churches with the exception of Saint-Denis, Saint-Etienne and Saint-Germain-des-Prés which remained because they were paid a high ransom. But yet they take it into 858. In 861, the abbey and the city is burned. In 865-866, Saint-Denis is falling victim to a fire. In 870, the king decides to organize the defense of the city in 885, Gozlin, Bishop of Paris, repaired the Gallo-Roman wall just before a new attack and the people took refuge in the Ile de la Cité. The left side is completely destroyed by the Normans during the attack in 885 during a siege of a year. Raids do end with the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte which was concluded in 911

When the crown falls to the Capetians line of kings in 987, Paris is one of the two major cities of the French region their field staff for the kings leave Orleans but rmove to Paris. Their ancestors Eudes had shown he was good leader in defending the Paris from the Vikings. Hugues Capet fixed his residence in the Island of the City but spent little time in Paris. By contrast, his son and successor Robert the Pious lived frequently in Paris confirming its leadership and its role as the capital. He went about restoring the palace of the Town and abbeys. The city of Paris became an important center of religious teaching in the early eleventh century.