History of Nice, France. Nice chronology

Nice Chronology

There is more to Nice than it's sunny beaches and turqoise waters. Before it became the luxurious resort it is today, Nice went a long way from the Greek settlement it once used to be, through turmoils and times of greatness, to the present-day capital of the French Riviera.

Early History
350 BC	Greeks of Marseille found a city called Nikaia named after Nike - the Greek goddess of victory, later to become Nice.
7th Century	Nice joins the Genoese League.
729	Nice repulses the Saracens.
859 and 880	The Saracens burn the city.
10th Century	Most of the time the Saracens remain in control of the surrounding country.
972	The traditions and origins of Nicois feasts form.
974	William of Provence chases the Saracens out of Eastern Provence and unites the region.

11-14th Century
1032	Provence joins the Holy Roman Empire.
1229	Nice is incorporated into the Catalan county of Provence.
1382	A civil war breaks out.
1388	The commune seeks the protection of the Counts of Savoy to escape their victorious rivals.

16-17th Century
1538	The two monarchs, Charles V and Francis I, conclude a ten-year truce.
1543	Nice is attacked by the forces of Francis I and Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha. The city surrenders after a long fight, it is pillaged and 2,500 captives are carried away.
1550 and 1580	There is pestilence in the city.
1600	Nice is taken captive by the duke of Guise.
1626	Charles Emmanuel opens the ports to all nations and proclaims free trade, thus providing stimulus to the city’s commerce.
1691	Nice is taken over by Catinat.
1696	Nice is restored to Savoy.

Modern History 18-20th Century
1705	Nice is besieged by the French.
1713	The city is given back to Savoy once again with the Utrecht treaty and the new town is built in the following peaceful years.
From 1744 to 1748	French and Spaniards claim ownership of the city.
1775	The king of Sardinia destroys all that remained of the ancient liberties of the commune.
1792	The County of Nice is conquered by the armies of the First French Republic and continues to be a part of France until 1814.
1793	Alps Maritimes department is created.
1814	Sardinia claims Nice again.
1821-1822	There is an unusually sharp frost which does not allow for any construction, consequently there's significant unemployment.
1860	A treaty concluded this year between Napoleon III and the Sardinian king gives Nice to France as a reward for the assistance of the French in the Second Italian War for Independence against Austria. 25,000 electors voted for such a solution.
20th Century	At the beginning of the Century new means of transport appeared.
1900	Tramway de Nice is powered by electricity for the first time and spreads its network to Menton and Cagnes-sur-Mer.
1920s	The region is a mecca for writers and artists, such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Mann and Aldous Huxley.
1922	Train Bleu- a luxurious train, makes its first run from Calais to the Cote d’Azur.
1927	The first casino on the coast is opened.
Second half of 20th Century	Jean Medecin and his son Jacques are mayors of Nice.
1942	Nazi Germany invades France; Nice is occupied by the Italians.
1944	Allied forces land on the coast in August that year and the area is liberated.
1962	Algeria negotiates its freedom from France.
October 16, 1979	The cost of Nice is hit by a tsunami that causes 23 deaths.
1990	Jacques Médecin escapes from France because of an accusation of political corruption.
1993	Jacques Médecin is arrested in Uruguay.
1994	Jacques Médecin is extradited and convicted.
1995	Jacques Peyrat, a member of UMP, becomes the mayor of Nice.

21st Century
2001	Jacques Peyrat is re-electd for mayor.
2003	Nice is the fifth most populated city in France with 345,892 inhabitants and receives more than 4 million visitors each year.