Before my trip to France, I put together a brief history of France timeline. I did the same thing for Ireland. Check out the history of Ireland here.
58-51 B.C. Vercingetorix, chieftain of the Arverni tribe, united the Gauls in a revolt against the Romans. Roman emperor Julius Caesar conquered Gaul, which is France today.
486-511 A.D. A tribe called the Franks ruled the region which is how France got its name.
768-814 Charlemagne “Charles the Great” became Holy Roman Empire and united most of modern day Western Europe.
1429 Joan of Arc led French troops against the English at Orleans, ending a siege by the British during the Hundred Years’ War between France and England.
1483-1595 The Renaissance period culturally awakened France, bridging the gap between the Middle Ages and the modern era. “Renaissance” is a French word, meaning rebirth.
1534 French explorer, Francois Cartier, began exploring what is Canada today.
1539 King Francois I declared French as the official language in France.
1643-1715 Louis XIV, the Sun King, reigned longer than any other French ruler. He gained power throughout Europe.
1661 Louis XIV began construction of Versailles Palace.
1783 England and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the American Revolutionary War.
1789 On July 14th, French citizens stormed the Bastille, a Paris prison. The French Revolution began. Each year, France celebrates Bastille Day, the event that led to the royal family being overthrown.
1793 Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed by the French people.
1804 Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor after leading France to victory over Europe’s strongest nations.
1815 Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo and exiled.
1848 King Louis-Philippe fell and Louis-Napoleon, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, was proclaimed President of the Second Republic.
1852-1870 Louis-Napoleon took the title of Napoleon III in the Second Empire.
1870-71 The Franco-Prussian War ended in French defeat, loss of Alsace-Lorraine, and the end of the Second Empire; The Third Republic lasted until 1940.
1877 French Republicans won general elections, ending hopes of a monarchist revival.
1903 Henry Desgrange founded the Tour de France.
1914-1918 France battled Germany in World War I.
1919 The Treaty of Versaille was signed in France, ending World War I.
1940 Germany invaded France during World War II.
1945 France, Britain, the U.S. and allies defeated Germany, Japan, and Italy.
1946 DeGaulle resigned as provisional president and was replaced by Socialist Felix Gouin.
1946-1954 The French-Indochina War resulted in France losing control of its colonies in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.
1956 French colonial rule ended in Morocco and Tunisia.
1958 DeGaulle became the President of the Fifth Republic and was reelected in 1965.
1962 After a long struggle, France gave up control of Algeria, Africa.
1968 Students revolted against government policies and lack of social reform. The revolt resulted in a national strike.
1981 Francois Mitterrand was elected President. He stayed in office for 14 years — the longest serving President.
1991 Edith Cresson became France’s first female Prime Minister.
1994 The Channel Tunnel opened, connecting Britain and France under the English Channel.
1995 Jacques Chirac was elected president, ending 14 years of Socialist presidency.
2002 Euro bills and coins were introduced in France. The euro is now used throughout most of the E.U.
2003 U.S.-France relations were strained because France did not support U.S. and Britain’s use of military force in Iraq.
2006 Nicolas Sarkozy was elected President.
2012 Francois Hollande was elected President.
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