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Period: 121 to 510
The Roman Conquest
The Roman conquest of Gallia. The incorporation of what is now France into the Roman sphere brought the Latin language and Rome's civilization to the Celtic tribes forever altering their culture and mores. -
Jan 1, 732
Battle of Tours
This battle was to defeat the invading Muslim armies. Charles Martel lead this event saved France and Western Europe from the bad influences of Islam. -
Jan 1, 1066
Norman Conquest of England
The anomalous position of a vassal of the King of France becoming the King of England would take centuries to resolve. -
Jan 1, 1314
Death of King Philip IV
The dynastic turmoil that resulted from the death of the last direct male heir of the Capetian kings was the cause of the Hundred Years War when combined with item 4 above. -
Jan 1, 1429
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc leads French troops against the English at Orléans, ending a siege by the British during the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. -
Period: Jan 1, 1562 to
End of the French Wars of Religion
This war was fought between the Catholics and Protestants symbolizing a division in the church -
The Edict of Nantes
King Henry IV, whose conversion from Calvinism to Catholicism allowed him to ascend the throne, issued this decree of religious toleration which marks the end of the French Wars of Religion -
Period: to
Louis XIV's reign
Louis XIV reigns longer than any other French ruler. In this era, France gains power throughout Europe. -
Period: to
French Revolution and the Rice & Fall of Napoleon
The French Revolution and its development into a military dictatorship (albeit a very progressive one) would influence not only French political thinking but that of the world for generations to come. -
Napoleon Bonaparte
Military hero Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself emperor after leading France to victory over Europe's strongest nations. -
Napoleon is defeated
Napoleon is finally defeated at Waterloo in Belgium. -
Period: to
The Franco Prussian War
The loss of Alsace-Lorraine to the newly created German Reich would be the a cause of war twice in the following century. The creation of the Third Republic and the suppression of the Paris Commune dictated the attitudes and alternatives in French politics even to this day. -
Henry Desgrange founds the Tour de France
Henry Desgrange founds the Tour de France, the world's most popular and important bicycle race. -
Period: to
World War I
Over 5 million casualites, the destruction of an entire generation of young men, spelled the beginning of the end of France as one of the dominant world powers. It changed French focus from Bergsonian illusions about the military value of the élan vital to the defensive posture of the Maginot line. -
Period: to
World War II
- World War II (September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945 ) France continues to struggle with the question of its performance in World War II. The fact of the collaboration of many and the relatively small numbers who were active in the Resistance still gnaws at many people. It is reflected in the impulse of some to dislike America (with its self described role as savior) more than Germany (whose bestial behavior received help from an uncomfortably large number of Frenchmen).
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Paris is freed from German occupation
After four years, Paris is freed from German occupation. General Charles de Gaulle heads a provisional government in Paris. -
Death of Louis the Pious and Division of the Frankish Empire
Louis divided his Kingdom into three parts which roughly corresponded to modern France and German with a narrow strip running from the North Sea into Italy (was also known as Lotharingia). The history of western Europe for more than a millennium would be affected by the struggle of France and the German states to resolve the ownership of Lotharingia.
