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
Félix Le Pelletier de La Houssaye Félix Le Pelletier de La Houssaye Félix Le Pelletier de la Houssaye (25 March 1663, Paris – 20 September 1723, Paris) was a French statesman who became Controller-General of Finances. From a family with a long history of service to the French king, Le Pelletier de la Houssaye held several posts, including "Intendant" (representative of the royal power in the provinces), a post he held in Soissons (1694), at Montauban in Rouergue (1698 - 1700) and at Strasbourg in Alsace (1700 - 1715). Under the Regency, the protection of d'Aguessau allowed him to enter the entourage of Philippe II, Duke