OVERVIEW - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette - page 9

Having lost much of their holdings, these 'Anglo-Normans'
wanted them—and France—back. The French barons said
“ non ” and put a Valois (a non-linear descendant of Hugues
Capet) on the throne in Paris, beginning a dynasty that lasted
about 250 years. Think of their rule however, and what comes
to mind initially is the disastrous plague and a 116-year war
against England.
It's hard now to imagine a war that could last so long,
but the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) saw decades of
victories and defeats on both sides in brief skirmishes and
major battles, intrigues and fluctuating allegiances. It saw
Joan of Arc initially victorious at Orléans, then burnt at
the stake by the English as a witch. It also saw Paris being
occupied by the English for some 15 years, allowing Henry VI
to be crowned king at Notre Dame. And finally, in 1437 it saw
Paris retaken by the Valois king Charles VII, who ultimately
regained the rest. And so, through the nascent nationalism
that united the disparate regional forces to defeat the English,
France started to become a nation with Paris as its major
cultural and administrative force.
The Early Modern Age
The Valois dynasty lasted until 1589, reigning through the
Reformation and the flowering of the Renaissance. In the
century after the end of the war, Paris' population grew to
about 400,000 and magnificent churches and mansions were
built, including the Hôtel de Cluny, now the popular Museum
of the Middle Ages. The Louvre began to be transformed
into the magnificent palace of today, and French officially
replaced Latin as the language for administrative and legal
acts throughout the realm. The first printing press appeared
and more people could read and write. Under François I—a
poet and patron of the arts—Leonardo da Vinci came to
France bringing with him the Mona Lisa, which visitors to
the Louvre now flock to see. In fact, the bulk of the art in the
Louvre today is from the collection of the Valois. François also
established the Collège de France, the first humanist (non-
religious) university, which is still going strong. Paris was a
city of culture and learning under the last Valois kings.