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Period: 121 to 510
The Roman conquest of Gallia
Gallia The incorporation of what is now France into the Roman sphere brought the Latin language and Rome's civilization to the Celtic tribes, altering their culture. -
Oct 10, 732
Battle of Tours
The Battle of Tours This event involved the defeat of invading Muslim armies by Charles Martel. It saved France and Western Europe from the threatening influences of Islam. -
Jan 1, 1066
Norman conquest of England
Invasion of England, 1066 The invasion and settlement of England by the Normans under William the Conqueror. -
Jan 1, 1314
Death of King Philip IV
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. -
Jan 1, 1429
Joan of Arc leads French troops against the English at Orléans
Joan of Arc This event ended a siege by the British during the Hundred Years War between France and England. -
Period: Jan 1, 1562 to
French Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion This event was a series of religious and political conflicts in France involving the Protestant Huguenots on one side and Catholic groups on the other. The wars was complicated by interventions from Spain, Rome, England, the Netherlands, and elsewhere. The settlement of the Edict of Nantes brought an end to the interventions. -
The Edict of Nantes
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 During this time period, Louis XIV reigned longer than any other French ruler. In this era, France gained power throughout Europe. -
Period: to
The French Revolution & the rise and fall of Napoleon
The rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte On July 14, citizens stormed the Bastille, a Paris prison. This marked the start of the French Revolution, which eventually lead to end of the royal family's rule.The French Revolution and its development into a military dictatorship influenced not only French political thinking, but that of the world for generations to come. -
Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself emperor
Napoleon's Coronation This military hero crowned himself emperor after leading France to victory over Europe's strongest nations. -
Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo
Napoleon defeat at WaterlooThis battle took place in a small town in central Belgium called Waterloo. British and Prussian forces were lead under the Duke of Wellington. Blücher routed the French under Napoleon. -
Period: to
The Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War The loss of Alsace-Lorraine to the newly created German Reich caused 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. -
Discovery of the Tour de France
History of the Tour de France Henri Desgrange founded the world's most popular and important bicycle race. -
Period: to
World War I
World War I Over 5 million casualties and the destruction of an entire generation of young men introduced the beginning of the end of France as one of the dominant world powers. This war 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 During this war, Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, the United States, China, and other allies defeated Germany, Italy, and Japan. -
Paris is freed from German occupation
Paris liberated After four years, Paris is liberated from Nazi occupation. General Charles de Gaulle began to head a provisional government in Paris. -
Death of Louis the Pious & Division of the Frankish Empire
Louis the Pious Louis divided his Kingdom into three parts. These parts roughly corresponded to modern France and Germany by a narrow strip running from the North Sea into Italy (Lotharingia). The history of western Europe for more than a millennium was affected by the struggle of France and the German states to resolve the ownership of Lotharingia. -
Period: to 511
Franks rule the region
The Frankish Kingdom These Germanic tribes ruled the region which was later on named after themselves.
