Paris not the capital

Paris, situated on the Seine River, became the capital of France in 508 under King Clovis I.
Suppose Paris is not the capital. What city shall be the capital of France?
 
none, the name of the area where paris is located is called Île de France, if any other capitol, i think the country would also have another name
 
none, the name of the area where paris is located is called Île de France, if any other capitol, i think the country would also have another name

According to wikipedia, Île de France is named after the polity of France, not the other way around.
 
According to wikipedia, Île de France is named after the polity of France, not the other way around.

the name has been around since 1387 at least

and the ile de france and france are pretty much intertwined since the capetians. the first one to call himself king of france was philip II(around 1200), who originated from the same ile de france, before that it was called francia.

no capitol in paris (which would also mean another ruling dynasty), and the name might well change.
 
Pretty much impossible, Paris has been the main hub of France for thousands of years; it's asinine to have the capital anywhere but there.
 
If the Capetians come to power, Paris is the capital. It's their power base: they were counts of Paris (earl does not really apply to France, I think). And with its natural avantages, its momentum is unstoppable. The Renaissance Valois preferred a moving court along the Loire (Amboise, Blois, Tours, Orléans, depending on the king and the time in his reign), the Bourbons from Louis XIV preferred to be safe in Versailles, but Paris was the biggest city in Europe until the late 18th century: as soon as power was grabbed by the people, Paris was going to be the centralizing hub and capital we all know and love.

But the late Carolingians were mostly centered on Laon (snort) and the Capetians (properly Robertians before they were crowned) were far from the only family to dispute them the throne. You could have a POD during the Norman siege of Paris: Eudes/Odo is felled early on or disgraces himself in a similar way to Charles III the Fat. He is thus never elected King and the succession goes back to Charles III the Simple without credible challenges to his kingship. Paris still develops as a strong trading city but lacks the political push that being capital under the Capetians would give it during the 1000-1300 period.

Alternatively, Raoul/Rudolph has a son and the centre of France shifts to his county of Burgundy. Find a new name for the dynasty, though: Bivinids is simply ghastly.

But the bottom line is you have to move the capital and make it stick quickly. At least a thousand years ago.
 
Paris, situated on the Seine River, became the capital of France in 508 under King Clovis I.
Suppose Paris is not the capital. What city shall be the capital of France?

You could even go back to emperor Julian the apostate but it would not make sense. The sons of Clovis and the carolingians chose other capital than Paris.

It's in the 12th century that Paris really began becoming the capital. But even after, the Valois and the Bourbons chose other cities as capital.

Consider that in the first years of the french revolution, the national Assembly stood at Versailles.
 
But the late Carolingians were mostly centered on Laon (snort)

Laon cannot ever be the capital of France, in the same way Ravenna cannot ever be the capital of Italy. It is basically a big hill standing in the middle of a huge plain: a refuge fortress, but not good as a capital (out of center and waterways - though it does have a good agricultural hinterland).

The two main contenders for Paris are, in my view,
Lyon - strategic Rhône/Saône confluence, but a bit remote from the center
Orléans - well situated on the Loire with good access to the Beauce, important post-Roman city, right in the center of Gaul, but not an impressive defensive position (the Loire islands are notoriously sandy: impossible to build such a good defensive position as the Île de la Cité). Alternatively, Tours also makes some sense, for access to the Cher river.

But all of these cities are plausible only if Gaul is more southern-focused than France. Which probably means only limited influence from the Frankish invasions. But as long as France is France, its capital is going to be located where the Franks are, i.e. in the center-north part.

Well, if you want something really exotic:
* Visigoths focus north.
* They beat the Franks, the border between them is now roughly at the Seine & Oise rivers.
* Visigoths now control most of Gaul and move their capitol from Bordeaux to Orléans.
* The northern part is now called Kingdom of Francia. Its capitol is Amiens.

There, you have both capitols at Orléans (for most of OTL France) and Amiens (for this ATL France entity). But this is probably not stable in the medium-long term.
 
What about versialle being the capital or a new Roman settlement being used as a capital located in the heart of France?
 
How about Orléans? Geographically, it's located a bit more towards the centre of France. It's also situated on the Loire river, with direct access to the Atlantic.
 
Laon cannot ever be the capital of France, in the same way Ravenna cannot ever be the capital of Italy. It is basically a big hill standing in the middle of a huge plain: a refuge fortress, but not good as a capital (out of center and waterways - though it does have a good agricultural hinterland).

Which is why I was snorting: Laon was not a contender for capital of France. But its bishop was powerful and not usually too friendly with the bishopric of Reims. But Louis IV, Lothaire and Louis V spent lots of time there, probably because it was one of the only power bases available to them. Which says a lot about the late Carolingians.

But if a POD butterflies away the Robertians' challenge, another capital than Paris might appear: as has been suggested, Orleans could be a good choice, being located on the biggest river in France and having a really central location. I have my doubt about Lyon without Burgundy playing a more important role inside the Kingdom of France.
 
Arles maybe

By the time it becomes French, France is looking for a capital and it is important and strategic

Rouen maybe

If we are looking at a Norman-ruled France

Poitiers maybe

If we are looking for a powerful noble to rule France

Bordeaux maybe

If Aquitaine comes to dominate France


Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
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