814

As customary in France, each of the heirs received a large of Charlemagne's lands, fragmenting the father's lands: France would not occupy as much of Europe until the days of Napoleon .  Compare this to the English system of true primogeniture, where younger sons receive next to nothing. Over the next hundreds of years, this process would the country and diminish the authority of the king

1461

The French king controls only those lands in the royal domain.  Much of the rest of what we now know as France is under the apanage system - lands previously given as inheritance to younger sons of the crown.  Most of the lands shown in light green will revert to the crown by the end of the century, causing immense growing pains

1585

The country divides nearly along an East - West axis - the south is Protestant and the north is Catholic

Spain under Charles V