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
La Ville de Paris (airship) November, when a flight over central Paris was made. Further flights over Paris, including a visit to the military flying field at Issy-les-Moulineaux were made in November, including one carrying Charles Rolls and Frank Hedges Butler as passengers. Deutsch de la Meurthe then placed the airship at the disposal of the French Army, to replace the Lebaudy "Patrie" which had recently been torn from its mooring in a storm and lost, following which some flights were made carrying Army personnel in order to familiarise them with the airship. A longer flight was made on 18 December, when it was flown