This period of the country's history began in the wake of the French Renaissance and ended with the French Revolution. In these years, France evolved from a feudal into a centralised country, both politically and economically. Notwithstanding the regional differences, France was organised around a mighty absolute monarchy entailing beliefs in the divine right of kings (the king as God’s counterpart on Earth) and the support of the Catholic Church.

The legal and administrative system in France of this period is referred to as the Ancient Regime. In terms of language, many regional, social and local dialects were spoken in France. Interestingly, no unified linguistic standard was adopted until the late 19th Century.

It’s claimed that early Modern France began with the Peace of Etaples in 1492 which ended the Hundred Years’ War. Barely was that over when France plunged into the long Italian Wars. Over the previous five decades, the country had amassed great wealth and new territories, but these gains were now in jeopardy. France’s efforts to gain dominance resulted in the greater authority of the Habsburgs.

Francis I of France hoped to become Holy Roman Emperor, but Charles of Spain was granted that title instead. The Spanish invaded Navarre in 1519, which gave Francis a reason to declare war on Spain. French troops marched into Italy and launched a campaign to drive Charles away from Naples. Sadly, they suffered defeats at Sesia and Bicocca. In 1525, Francis led an army into Lombardy. Not only did he lose the battle of Pavia, but he was also captured and imprisoned in Madrid. He was thus forced to concede his Italian territories, won during the Italian wars, under the Treaty of Madrid in 1526.

France suffered greatly from Protestant Reformation attempts to destroy the unity of Catholicism in Europe. As a result, the Huguenots, a Protestant minority in France, faced severe repression under Henry II of France, son of Francis I. After Henry II’s sudden death, France was ruled by his widow Catherine de Medici and her sons. The authoritative dukes of Guise led a Catholic revolt, which resulted in a massacre of Huguenots in 1562. This sparked the first French War of Religion, in which German, English and Spanish forces took part. The conflicts ended with Henry IV’s rise to the throne. He was Protestant and the first of the Bourbon dynasty. Subsequently, he abandoned Protestantism and issued a decree of religious tolerance, the Edict of Nantes.

During the 17th Century, France began trading in Madagascar and India, established plantations in the West Indies and enlarged its merchant navy. France was the leading European power up until the early 18th Century. However, it had lapsed into a huge social and financial crisis by 1789, which was the year of the French Revolution. In 1792, the monarchy was abolished and the First French Republic was proclaimed.