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Charles VII's Centralization of French Royal Power
After the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII systematically strengthened French royal power in the 1450s, using a standing army (compagnies d'ordonnance…
Timeline
- 1450–1453Normandy and Gascony · FranceAfter French victories at Formigny (1450) and Castillon (1453), large swathes of lost territory were recovered, and the crown rebuilt governorships and financial offices in Normandy, Gascony, and elsewhere, reclaiming local governance to the center.
- 1454–1460Paris · Île-de-FranceRelying on the compagnies d'ordonnance established in the 1440s and the royal tax system, Charles VII maintained a standing military force after the war, weakened noble private troops, and coordinated finance and justice through the royal council, strengthening direct royal control over the provinces.
- 1456–1460Loire Valley · FranceFacing the dauphin Louis's exile to Burgundy and the aftermath of the noble 'Praguerie' revolt, Charles VII used military and diplomatic means to restrain great princes such as Burgundy and Brittany, preventing royal power from being hollowed out by regional forces again after the war.
Sources
- A History of France — Jeremy Popkin (2014)
- The Cambridge Medieval History, Vol. VII (1932)