The Kingdom of France, ruled by Philip IV the Fair of the Capetian dynasty, is a centralised monarchy of roughly 15 to 20 million inhabitants, mostly peasants living under the feudal and manorial system. In 1306 the crown carries out the expulsion of the Jews from the royal domain and a monetary revaluation, both of which mark the year.
🏛️ Politics
Philip IV governs through legists and royal councillors such as Guillaume de Nogaret and Pierre Flote's successors, and expands royal authority and finances. Relations with Pope Clement V, installed in France and not yet at Avignon, remain close. The king orders the arrest of the Jews of the kingdom and the seizure of their property in July, followed by their expulsion from the royal domain.
⚖️ Economy and society
The kingdom's economy is mainly agrarian, with active fairs and cities in Flanders-adjacent regions, Paris and Languedoc. Currency debasement under Philip IV in previous years provoked discontent and unrest among the urban population. In 1306 the king restores strong money, returning to the coinage of the time of Saint Louis, which causes a sharp rise in rents calculated in the revalued currency and triggers a riot in Paris in December directed at the provost Étienne Barbette.
🔬 Science
The University of Paris is a leading centre of scholastic theology and philosophy, and the milieu of masters trained in Aristotelian and Thomist thought continues to develop. No specific scientific advance can be reliably dated to 1306.
🎭 Culture
Gothic building continues in cathedrals and churches across the kingdom, and vernacular literature and chronicle writing flourish at court and in the cities. No specific work can be reliably dated to 1306 here.
Key events
- Philip IV orders the secret arrest of the Jews of the kingdom, with their expulsion and the confiscation of their goods following.
- After the monetary revaluation, rioting breaks out in Paris against the high rents, and the house of the provost Étienne Barbette is attacked and looted.
Historical context
- 1285–1314
Reign of Philip IV the Fair, marked by the strengthening of royal power, administrative growth and heavy fiscal demands.
- 1296–1303
Conflict between Philip IV and Pope Boniface VIII over royal taxation of the clergy, ending with the Anagni incident in 1303.
- 1305–1314
The pontificate of Clement V, a Frenchman, leads the papacy to settle outside Rome, a prelude to the Avignon papacy, and to the later suppression of the Templars.