But the poor financial situation of the French government and internal turmoil in the French kingdom prevented any military reinforcements from being sent.

In 1396, the Republic of Genoa had joined the French kingdom but regained its independence on March 21, 1413.

Eventually, though, the independent duchy of Normandy was incorporated back into the French kingdom in the Middle Ages.

In the south-west, the French kingdom extended no further than poitiers.

One striking characteristic of the French kingdom throughout this period (1259-1340) was its fluctuating size.

It was French in language and culture, but it did not become an integral part of the French kingdom till 1766.

The region was almost an enclave, and for a long time on the margins of the French kingdom politically as well as geographically.

The French kingdom granted the title "marquis" to the family by 1708.

Its principal outcome was the absorption of Brittany into the French kingdom.

King John was now faced by two rivals who, for the next few years, acted together with the possibility of partitioning the French kingdom between them.