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Pendant son règne, l'empereur fit la paix avec le royaume.

Pendant son règne, l'empereur fit la paix avec le royaume.
During his reign, the emperor made peace with the kingdom.
From Lesson 175:Irregular verbs in the literary past tense (il fut, il vit)·French

Questions & Answers about Pendant son règne, l'empereur fit la paix avec le royaume.

What verb tense is fit, and what does it mean here?
fit is the passé simple (literary past tense) form of faire (to do/make) for the third-person singular (il/elle/on). In everyday spoken French, you would use the passé composé and say a fait. You will see the passé simple frequently in books, historical texts, and stories.
Why is it faire la paix with the article la, when in English we just say 'make peace'?
In French, abstract concepts and general nouns like peace (paix), time, or justice almost always require a definite article (le, la, or les). Therefore, the phrase 'to make peace' must be constructed with the article, becoming faire la paix.
Are règne and royaume related words?
Yes, they are both part of the same vocabulary family relating to monarchy and ruling. Règne means reign (the period of rule), while royaume means kingdom. You can also see this same root in the everyday words roi (king) and reine (queen).
Could I use durant instead of pendant at the start of the sentence?
Yes, durant son règne means exactly the same thing. Pendant and durant are interchangeable when they mean 'during' a specific period of time. Durant sounds slightly more formal and literary, which fits perfectly with a historical sentence like this one.

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