Paris is Rome in Our Kingdom. Political and Symbolic Bases of the Status of the Capital of France

The article examines the process of the formation of Paris as the capital of France. The analysis is based on two directions. On the one hand, the main milestones of the history of Paris are explored, from ancient Lutetia in the era of Julius Caesar to the principal city of the French Kingdom under Philip II Augustus and the capital in the 14th — 15th centuries. By the 12th century, the city was given priority by its gigantic population, economic power, convenient location at the intersection of river and land trade routes, and its transformation into the intellectual capital of the West thanks to the fame of the Paris schools and university. No less important were the symbolic merits of the city: antiquity, the function of protecting the population, and the heroic past. The combination of these advantages determined the Capetians’ choice of Paris as the capital of the kingdom. On the other hand, the article examines the formation of the concept of “capital” and its meaning in the context of the formation of a centralized state. The political center of the country made the city the seat of the person of the monarch and his authorities. The status of the capital was expressed by the concept of “common homeland”, taken from Roman law. The primary weapon for gaining this status in the Middle Ages was the function of justice as a guarantee of the protection of the common interest and a resort for all. In this context, the symbol of the capital in the 13th — 15th centuries became the royal Palace on the island of Cité, where the supreme court of the country, the Parliament of Paris, administered justice regardless of the presence of the king. The analogy of the Parliament with the Roman Senate reinforced the political and social claims of the parliamentarians. The transformation of the Palace of Cité into a Palace of Justice now symbolizes this significant political heritage of medieval urbanism.

Keywords

Kingdom of France, capital, Paris, justice, Parliament of Paris, Roman Senate, common homeland

Received

09.09.2021

Publication date

18.10.2021

Number of characters

49406

Cite

GOST	Tsaturova S. “Paris is Rome in Our Kingdom”. Political and Symbolic Bases of the Status of the Capital of France // ISTORIYA – 2021. – V. 12. – Issue 9 (107) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840017095-3-1 (circulation date: 23.07.2024). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840017095-3
MLA	Tsaturova, Susanna "“Paris is Rome in Our Kingdom”. Political and Symbolic Bases of the Status of the Capital of France." ISTORIYA 12.9 (107) (2021) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840017095-3
APA	Tsaturova S. (2021). “Paris is Rome in Our Kingdom”. Political and Symbolic Bases of the Status of the Capital of France. ISTORIYA 12(9 (107)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840017095-3

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