This volume follows on chronologically from "Recherches sur l"histoire de la France medievale: des Merovingiens aux premiers Capetiens" and here Robert-Henri Bautier is concerned with the political and institutional history of the kingdom of France from the first years of the 12th century to the start of the 14th. Particular groups of studies focus on the periods of Philip Augustus, marking the fundamental importance of his reign in the history of France, and of Philip the Fair. These articles, amongst other points, emphasize the value of diplomatic sources demonstrating how effectively they can be used even for a study of the king"s personality, and re-examine his relations with papacy and the Church. A third topic, dealt with especially in the opening study, is the continued growth of Paris as the royal capital, and the role of different kings in shaping its expansion.