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France Chronology
From Clovis, the first French king who became a Christian, through victorious Joan of Arc and Napoleon, possibly the most famous French leader in history, to Charles de Gaulle's ideas for rebuilding the country after World War II, France has faced glorious and tragic moments alike, all of which have contributed to its rich history, which is still being written.
| Ancient and Medieval |
| 58 - 481 AD |
Inhabited by Celtic peoples, present-day France is part of the Roman Empire (the province of Gallia). |
| 481 |
Clovis I becomes king of the Salian Franks, and subsequently unites the Frankish tribes in northern and central France. He is considered the founder both of France and the Merovingian dynasty. |
| 751 |
The Carolingian dynasty succeeds the Merovingians. |
| 768 - 814 |
Frankish king Charlemagne (Charles the Great) is the first ruler of united Western Europe since the Roman Empire, crowned by Pope Leo III as Roman Emperor in 800. |
| 987 |
Hugh Capet becomes the King of France and founds the Capetian dynasty. |
| November 27, 1095 |
At Clermont, Pope Urban II calls the First Crusade. |
| 11th - 13th Centuries |
Towns flourish, agriculture and trade develop. Strong feudal lords rule some of the provinces. |
| 1337 - 1453 |
Hundred Years’ War with England over claims of the English kings to the French throne. |
| 1347 - 1350 |
The Black Death takes a heavy toll on the population of France.
|
| May 30, 1432 |
Joan of Arc, the heroine of the Siege of Orleans, is tried for heresy and burned at the stake in Rouen. |
| 15th Century |
From a feudal country, France develops into an increasingly centralised state, a powerful absolute monarchy. |
| 1494 - 1559 |
Italian Wars |
| 16th - 17th Century |
| August 24, 1572 |
St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, a culmination of the religious conflict between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants). Huguenots were slaughtered in the thousands, first in Paris, then in the provinces. |
| 1598 |
Edict of Nantes issued by King Henry IV in order to restore internal peace. |
| 1643 - 1715 |
Reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King. France as the dominant power in Europe.
|
| 18th - 19th Century |
| 18th Century |
The ideas of the Enlightenment begin to spread, paving the way for the French Revolution. |
| July 14, 1789 |
The Storming of the Bastille, a landmark event of the French Revolution. The monarchy is abolished and the First Republic is proclaimed. |
| 1799 |
Napoleon Bonaparte becomes First Consul, then Emperor. |
| 1802 - 1815 |
Napoleonic Wars. The French Empire extends over much of Europe until Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo and his exile to Saint Helena. The monarchy is restored. |
| 1845 - 1852 |
Second Republic. |
| 1852 - 1870 |
Second Empire. |
| 1870 - 1871 |
Franco-Prussian War. France loses Alsace and Lorraine. |
| May 1871 |
Paris Commune. Third Republic proclaimed.
|
| 20th Century - Present |
| 1914 - 1918 |
World War I. Much of it is fought on French territory, and some 1.4 million are killed, including civilians. France regains Alsace ands Lorraine. |
| June 24, 1940 |
After six weeks of fierce fighting, France surrenders to Nazi Germany. Three fifths of its territory is occupied by the Nazis, the rest remains under the Vichy government. |
| 1945 |
France is liberated by the Allied forces. |
| October 13, 1946 |
The new Constitution establishes the Fourth Republic. |
| 1946-58 |
The Fourth Republic undergoes economic reconstruction and the beginning of the process of gaining independence for the colonies. |
| 1954 |
End of First Indochina War. The French lose the battle in West Vietnam. |
| March 25, 1957 |
The Treaty of Rome. France is one of the founding members of the European Economic Community. |
| 1958 |
De Gaulle forms the Fifth Republic |
| 1962 |
Algeria gains its independence from France |
| May 1968 |
Students revolt, mass strikes erupt, the protesters demand educational, labor and governmental reforms and freedom. |
| 1969 |
Georges Pompidou succeeds De Gaulle as a president of France
|
| 1981 |
F. Mitterrand is elected for president
|
| 2002 |
The national currency, the French franc, is replaced by the Euro.
|
| 2005 |
More than 20 people of African origin find their death in a hostel fire in Paris |
| October-November 2005 |
Immigrant minorities cause chaos in Paris. |
| May,16 2007 |
Nicolas Sarcozy becomes president of France and a new epoch of peace begins in the country. |