508: In the Merovingian period Clovis makes Paris the capital of his kingdom.
8C and 9C: The Carolingians let Paris decline in importance. It is the time of the Norman invasions.
987: Hugues Capet, Count of Paris, is crowned King of France.
1163: Beginning of the construction of Notre Dame Cathedral.
1180 - 1210: Philippe Auguste surrounds Paris with walls and has the fortress of the Louvre built.
1248: Saint Louis consecrates the Sainte Chapelle, built to receive the Crown of Thorns of Christ.
1257: Founding of the University of the Sorbonne by Robert de Sorbon. The city becomes one of the cradles of European culture.
1268: The powerful boatmen’s guild adopts “Fluctuat Nec Mergitur” as its motto (“the boat is beaten by the waves but does not sink”), which later becomes that of Paris.
1345: Completion of the construction of Notre Dame.
1364-1380: Building of the Bastille, of a new curtain wall for Paris, and transformation of the Louvre into a royal residence under the reign of Charles V.
1420-1436: The city is occupied by the English.
