The Capetian royal city on the Seine and one of medieval Europe's major political, ecclesiastical, and university centers.
Paris was the primary royal capital of the French Capetian and Valois dynasties and the largest city in medieval western Europe by the thirteenth century. The University of Paris, developing from cathedral schools in the twelfth century, became the premier center of scholastic theology and philosophy in Europe.
Philip II Augustus transformed Paris during his reign, paving its streets, building the Louvre as a fortress, and expanding royal administration. The construction of Notre-Dame Cathedral — begun in 1163 — and the royal palace on the Île de la Cité made Paris the ceremonial and governmental center of French kingship.
During the Hundred Years' War, Paris was held by English and Burgundian forces from 1419 to 1436. Joan of Arc's unsuccessful assault on the city in 1429 and its eventual recovery by Charles VII in 1436 were central episodes in the war's later phase.