Representatives of the third royal dynasty, the Capetians ascended the throne as a result of a coup at the very time when France was experiencing a period of seigneurial fragmentation, and the king became first among equals. Starting with a small domain in the center of the kingdom and two cities, Paris and Orleans, the Capetian kings over the course of two centuries slowly and prudently, without being distracted by high-profile adventures, increased the crown lands, brought order to them, and lured large vassals of the crown to their side. On this path they had to overcome many difficulties - the resistance of small lords who settled in castles throughout the royal domain, the obstinacy of church hierarchs who tried to maintain their independence and church privileges. The culmination of this struggle for power was a large-scale confrontation between the Capetians and their vassals - the kings of England from the Plantagenet dynasty. Having defeated the Plantagenets in a duel that more than once threatened them with defeat, the Capetians reached the apogee of their power in the 13th century, becoming the most influential force in Western Europe. The history of the Capetian dynasty is inextricably linked with the history of France. The authors of the presented book write not only about the kings themselves, they immerse the reader in the world of the French Middle Ages - the world of the Crusades, flourishing cities, Gothic cathedrals and the cultural revival of the 12th–13th centuries.