<P> Some of the king's vassals would grow sufficiently powerful that they would become some of the strongest rulers of western Europe . The Normans, the Plantagenets, the Lusignans, the Hautevilles, the Ramnulfids, and the House of Toulouse successfully carved lands outside France for themselves . The most important of these conquests for French history was the Norman Conquest of England by William the Conqueror, following the Battle of Hastings and immortalised in the Bayeux Tapestry, because it linked England to France through Normandy . Although the Normans were now both vassals of the French kings and their equals as kings of England, their zone of political activity remained centered in France . </P> <P> An important part of the French aristocracy also involved itself in the crusades, and French knights founded and ruled the Crusader states . An example of the legacy left in the Middle East by these nobles is the Krak des Chevaliers' enlargement by the Counts of Tripoli and Toulouse . </P> <P> The monarchy overcame the powerful barons over ensuing centuries, and established absolute sovereignty over France in the 16th century . A number of factors contributed to the rise of the French monarchy . The dynasty established by Hugh Capet continued uninterrupted until 1328, and the laws of primogeniture ensured orderly successions of power . Secondly, the successors of Capet came to be recognised as members of an illustrious and ancient royal house and therefore socially superior to their politically and economically superior rivals . Thirdly, the Capetians had the support of the Church, which favoured a strong central government in France . This alliance with the Church was one of the great enduring legacies of the Capetians . The First Crusade was composed almost entirely of Frankish Princes . As time went on the power of the King was expanded by conquests, seizures and successful feudal political battles . </P> <P> The history of France starts with the election of Hugh Capet (940--996) by an assembly summoned in Reims in 987 . Capet had been "Duke of the Franks" and then became "King of the Franks" (Rex Francorum). Hugh's lands extended little beyond the Paris basin; his political unimportance weighed against the powerful barons who elected him . Many of the king's vassals (who included for a long time the kings of England) ruled over territories far greater than his own . He was recorded to be recognised king by the Gauls, Bretons, Danes, Aquitanians, Goths, Spanish and Gascons . </P>

Who owned the majority of land in 18th century france