INTERVIEW: The Kings Who Built France in Blood

Crusades, cathedrals, and kings who fought their way to empire.

Historian Justine Firnhaber-Baker joins Why Wars Happened to reveal how France was built through power struggles, chivalry, and wars that set the stage for centuries of European conflict.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:49 – Meet Justine Firnhaber-Baker

01:38 – The Capetian Dynasty’s legacy

02:39 – Personal research insights

04:16 – Medieval maps & shifting borders

06:56 – Power dynamics in France

13:37 – Origins of the Hundred Years’ War

16:29 – The Mayor of the Palace’s role

22:30 – Sources & historical debates

29:07 – Closing thoughts

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