History of France

thumb|Map of France in 1746 The first written records for the history of France appeared in the Iron Age. What is now France made up the bulk of the region known to the Romans as Gaul. The Roman Republic annexed southern Gaul in the late 2nd century BC, and legions under Julius Caesar conquered the rest of Gaul in the Gallic Wars of 58–51 BC. A Gallo-Roman culture emerged, and Gaul was increasingly integrated into the Roman Empire. In the later stages of the empire, Gaul was subject to barbarian raids and migration. The Frankish king Clovis I united most of Gaul in the late 5th century. Frankish power reached its fullest extent under Charlemagne. The medieval Kingdom of France emerged from the western part of Charlemagne's Carolingian Empire, known as West Francia, and achieved increasing prominence under the rule of the House of Capet, founded in 987. The monarchy initially wielded only limited authority, but Philip II of France brought the Angevin Empire to an end by defeating a coalition of his rivals at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. Following this victory, France became the most prosperous and powerful kingdom in Europe. A succession crisis in 1328 led to the Hundred Years' War between the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet. A notable figure of the war was Joan of Arc, a French peasant girl who led forces against the English, establishing herself as a national heroine. The war ended with a Valois victory in 1453, strengthening French nationalism and increasing the power and reach of the French monarchy. During the Ancien Régime over the next centuries, France transformed into a centralized absolute monarchy through the Renaissance and Reformation. At the height of the French Wars of Religion, France became embroiled in another succession crisis, as the last Valois king, Henry III, fought against factions of the House of Bourbon and House of Guise. Henry, the Bourbon King of Navarre, won and established the Bourbon dynasty. A burgeoning worldwide colonial empire was established in the 16th century. By the mid-17th century, France had emerged as the dominant hegemonic power in Europe, building Europe's strongest army, engaging in a series of wars, and undergoing a period of artistic and scientific development. In the late 18th century the monarchy and associated institutions were overthrown in the French Revolution. The Revolutionary Tribunal executed political opponents by guillotine, instituting the Reign of Terror (1793–94). The country was governed as a Republic, until Napoleon's French Empire was declared in 1804. Following his defeat in the Napoleonic Wars, France went through regime changes, being ruled as a monarchy, then Second Republic, then Second Empire, until a more lasting French Third Republic was established in 1870. Quotes When the French monarchy, founded by Philippe-Auguste and Philippe-le-Bel, closed with Louis XVI, it had one consolation in its death. It perished in the midst of the vast glory of a young republic which, as its first trial of strength, conquered Europe and gave it new life. Jules Michelet, History of France, tr. G. H. Smith (New York, 1882), vol. i, p. 343 External links Category:History of France