History of France (From Brest To Strasbourg)

The history of France dates back thousands of  years ago when the earliest human being arrived in the area. In ancient times, France was part of the Celtic territory known as Gaul or Gallia. Later,  Gaul was subject to barbarian raids by the  Germanic Franks. 

                 The Frankish King Clovis I.

 In the late 5th century, the  Frankish king Clovis I united most of Gaul under  his rule , setting the stage for Frankish dominance  in the region for hundreds of years. France  became separate country in the 9th century. 

              French Before The Revolution.

The French society was divided into three separate castes known as estates. The first  estate was made up of priests, and reglious  leaders. The second estate was made up of the  nobility, while third and lowest estate consisted of  everyone else, over 97% of the population of  France.  

In time, most of the western part of France was yielded to the British crown. After the death of the  last Capetian King Charles IV, Edward III of  England claimed the French Throne and started  the Hundred Years' War in 1337.

   Right - King Charles IV of France;Left - Edward III of England.

 With the help of  a France peasant girl, Joan of Arc, Charles VIII  emerged victorious in the war and drove the  English back to Calais. 

    Right - Joan of Arc; Left - Charles III of France.

France became a centralized state where an absolute monarchy was established. The long  Italian Wars ( 1494—1559 )marked the beginning  of early modern France.

France has six overseas departments: French  Guiana in South America; Guadeloupe and  Martinique in the West Indies; Mayotte, an island  formerly part of the Comoros, located in the  Indian Ocean; Reunion, an island in the Indian  Ocean; and Saint Pierre and Miquelon, islands off  the east coast of Canada. In addition, it has  numerous small possessions called overseas  territories and many small islands in the southern  oceans.

Since the 17th century, France has played a major  role in European and world events. In the 20th  century, it has experienced numerous crises, and  the loss of a large empire in Indochina, Algeria,  and West and Equatorial Africa. It has, however,  survived and emerged as an important world  supplier of agricultural and industrial products.  France has been a leading member in the United  Nations, the European Union and NATO, and  remains a strong economic, cultural, and political 

influence in 21st century. 

"You Write To Me That it's Impossible, The Word is not French." — Napoleon Bonaparte.