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
Paris during the Bourbon Restoration instead of shopping only in their own neighborhood. It was soon followed by two similar stores, "Aux Trois Quartiers" (1829) and "Le Petit Saint Thomas" (1830). These are considered by historians the ancestor of the modern department stores, which appeared in Paris the 1840s and 1850s. Another retail innovation took place in December 1824, when the store "la Fille d'honneur" at 26 rue de la Monnaie became to first store in France to put price tags on items. The Passage des Panoramas, opened at the very end of the 18th century, was a model for the new Parisian covered shopping