The Capetian Patrimony

The Capetians needed three centuries before they could call themselves ‘emperors in their own kingdom’ without appearing ridiculous. They succeeded in the end because, in a society in which the possession of land was the only source of power, they were able to build up a domain greater than that of any of their great vassals or of any contemporary ruler in Europe. In 1328, the last year of Capetian rule, an official document drawn up at the close of a scrupulously exact enquiry estimated that the domain included 23,671 parishes and 2,469,987 hearths. Its total area appears to have been 313,663 square kilometres. This was about three times the area of the appanages and the great fiefs outside the domain, which amounted to 110,721 square kilometres. 1

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