If Gothic cathedrals, troubadours, and the Crusades evoke a certain picture of medieval Europe, you might be surprised that these foundations of a shared French culture continue to shape European society, all beginning with a single dynasty. Reigning from 987 to 1328, the Capetians transformed an insecure foothold around Paris into the most powerful European monarchy of the Middle Ages.

Today’s guest is Justine Firnhaber-Baker, author of “House of Lilies: The Dynasty That Made Medieval France.” She tells the epic story of the Capetian dynasty, showing how their ideas about power, religion, and identity are all-too-relevant to the Europe we know today. The Capetians were the first royal house to adopt the iconic fleur-de-lys, displaying this lily emblem to signify the belief that their nation was chosen by God to fulfill a great destiny. By 1250, Capetian France stood as the richest and most prestigious kingdom in Europe, with Paris lauded as a new Rome, a new Athens, and—due to a tradition of both profound piety and violent persecution of religious minorities—even a new Jerusalem.