Paris in the Middle Ages Paris in the Middle Ages In the 10th century, Paris was a provincial cathedral city of little political or economic significance, but under the kings of the Capetian dynasty who ruled France between 987 and 1328, it developed into an important commercial and religious center and the seat of the royal administration of the country. The Île de la Cité became the site of the royal palace and the new cathedral of Notre-Dame, begun in 1163. The Left Bank was occupied by important monasteries, including the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Abbey of St Genevieve. In the late 1100s, the
Le Ménestrel it had two serious competitors, "Le Ménestrel" established in 1833 and Maurice Schlesinger's "Gazette Musicale" established in 1834. "Le Ménestrel" was founded by the Paris publisher Joseph-Hippolyte l'Henry, with the first edition (printed by Poussièlgue) appearing on 1 December 1833. In 1835, Schlesinger bought "La Revue Musicale" from Fétis and merged the two journals into "La Revue et gazette musicale de Paris". Until "La Revue et Gazette" ceased publication in 1880, "Le Ménestrel" was to be its main rival in terms of influence and breadth of coverage. E. D'Arlhac took over the directorship of "Le Ménestrel" in July 1835, but