History of France

Guide Note: The European republic of France's rich history is a central part of western civilization. Although marred by frequent military conflict, the progress of French history is marked by great cultural, scientific, and economic achievement. Today, France is a major G8 world power and a leading member of the European Union.

Fast Facts:

French history begins in ancient times with Celtic Gaul and its conquest by Julius Caesar's Roman Legions in 58 B.C.
Monarchs ruled France from the Middle Ages until the late 1800's
The French Revolution, 1789-1799, was influenced in part by the American Revolution
Major battles of both World War One and Two were fought in France
Several republican governments have ruled France from 1800's - present

The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: History of France | France Portal
Official Site: French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, History of France
University of North Carolina, Greensboro: French History Timeline
Infoplease: France History
Bartleby.com, Columbia Encyclopedia: France - Land, People, History, etc.
Frommers.com: France in Depth: History
France.com: French History 101

France History Timeline

950,000 B.C.- 2500 B.C.: Prehistoric times in France
2500 B.C - 57 B.C.: Celtic tribes dominate Gaul (ancient France)
58 B.C. - 480 A.D.: Roman conquest of Celtic Gaul
481-986: Frankish kings of Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties rule; Battle of Tours
987: Hugh Capet begins nearly 400 year House of Capet monarchy
1066: Norman conquest of England - historic rivalry begins
1000's-1200's: Agriculture, trade, and towns develop in medieval France
1300's: Black Death epidemic, Hundred Years' War against England, Avignon Papacy
1400's: Joan of Arc, House of Valois kings rule, Italian wars, the French Renaissance starts
1500's: The Protestant Reformation, religious wars, Edict of Nantes grants religious freedom
1600's: House of Bourbon kings rule, French culture spreads.
1700's: Age of Enlightenment flourishes, Baroque and Rococo artistic movements
1789-1803: French Revolution, Bourbon monarchy abolished, First Republic formed
1804-1813: Napoleon Bonaparte emperor of First French Empire, Napoleonic Wars
1814-1847: Bourbon monarchy restored and July Monarchy
1848-1851: Revolution, Second Republic formed
1852-1869: Second Empire established, economic growth and colonial expansion.
1870-1875: Franco-Prussian war, Paris Commune, Third Republic formed
1875-1914: Discoveries of Pasteur and Marie Curie, Impressionist and Post-impressionist art
1914-1918: First World War, Western Front fought mainly in France
1919-1939: Paris Peace Conference and League of Nations, the Great Depression, unrest in Europe.
1939-1945: Second World War, Charles de Gaulle leads resistance, Vichy government
1946-1957: Fourth Republic formed, French Indochina war, France joins European Union
1958-1967: De Gaulle creates the Fifth Republic, French Africa decolonized, nuclear weapons program
1968-1981: May 1968 uprising, Pompidou and Giscard d'Estaing presidencies
1981-1995: François Mitterrand presidency, cohabitation of political parties, Rainbow Warrior sinking
1995-2004 Jacques Chirac presidency, Euro adopted as national currency
2005-Present: Civil unrest, Nicolas Sarkozy elected president

France History Major Periods

Modern France

Official Site: Ministry of Culture: 1906 Dreyfus Rehabilitated exhibit
The Maginot Line: Maginot Line tour
European Resistance Archive: French Resistance during World War II
1944 The Battle of Normandy: D-Day History site
Paris.org: “Paris Libéré!” Liberation of Paris 1944 commemorative site
Nuclear Weapons Archive: France's "Force de Frappe" Nuclear Arsenal
NPR: 2005 French Civil Unrest

France Major Historic Figures

General

Wikipedia: List of French Kings | French Kings Family Trees | List of French Presidents
Bartleby.com: Columbia Encyclopedia: List of French Historic People

Medieval to Renaissance France

Encyclopedia Britannica: Charles Martel
Fordham University: "The Life of Charlemagne" by Einhard
Jeannedarc.info: Joanne of Arc online exhibit
Saint Joan of Arc Center: Joan of Arc Biography
University of St. Andrews: Rene Descartes Biography
Louis-xiv.de: Louis XIV, The Sun King

Enlightenment to Napoleonic France

Voltaire Foundation: Voltaire Biography
Washington State University: Jean-Jacques Rousseau & the Enlightenment
Lafayette College: Marquis de Lafayette at 250
Robespierre.org: L'incorruptible Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794)
PBS: Marie Antoinette & the French Revolution
Napoleon.org: Napoleon Bonaparte portal
Russell Etling Company: Napoleon: an Intimate Portrait
PBS: Napoleon series

Nineteenth Century to Modern France

Bibliothèque Nationale de France: Emile Zola exhibit
Encyclopedia Britannica: Louis Pasteur
American Institute of Physics: Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity
First World War.com: List of French wartime figures
Spartacus Educational: French World War II Resistance Figures
Axis History Factbook: French Word War II Volunteer & Collaborationist Forces
Charles-de-gaulle.org: Charles de Gaulle biography
CNN: Francois Mitterrand Dead at 79

France Historical Maps and Media

Réunion des Musées Nationaux: French national museum image database
Library of Congress: Treasures from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Hebrew University of Jerusalem: Historical images and maps from French cities
Gerard von Hebel: Historical Atlas of Europe 1519-2006
Official Site: Maps of France
Bibliothèque Nationale de France: Agence France press photos, 1944-2004
La Marseillaise.org: "Le Marseillaise," French National Anthem audio files

France Historic Buildings and Monuments

Official Site: Center for National French Monuments
Official Site: Roman Nîmes
Official Site: Ministry of Culture: Walled Town of Carcossonne
University of Pittsburgh: Medieval French Art & Architecture digital collection
Columbia University: Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral virtual tour
Columbia University: Amiens Cathedral virtual tour
Wikimedia Commons: Chateau Chambord images
Official Site: Palace of Versailles
Great Buildings: Paris Opera
Great Buildings: Eiffel Tower

France History Books and Research

Brigham Young University: History of France Primary Documents
Yale University Library: French History 1500-Present Research Guide
Gutenberg Project: History of France by Charlotte Mary Yonge (1882)
Gutenberg Project: France in the Nineteenth Century by Elizabeth Latimer (1892)
Google Books: The History of France from the Earliest Times to 1848 by Francois Guizot (1884)
Tufts University, Perseus Project,: The Gallic War by Julius Caeser
Online Medieval & Classical Library: The Song of Roland
OSU eHistory: Jean Froissart's chronicles
University of Michigan: Encyclopedia of Diderot & d'Alembert

France History in French Language

The following sites are written in French, but have useful content for non-French speakers.

Wikipedia (French): Histoire de France
Official Site: French Ministry of Culture: "L'Histoire par l'image, 1789-1939"
Official Site: French Ministry of Culture: National Archive of Images and Documents (ARCHIM)
R. Castelain: Histoire de France de Vercingétorix à nos jours
Nicolas Liger: L'Histoire de France
HdF: Histoire de France.net

France History Criticism

Marxists Internet Archive: Marx & Engels on France
YouTube: Battle of Algiers Film Trailer (Time: 2:16)
Socialist alternative.org: France 1968: Month of Revolution, by Clare Doyle
Google Video: The Boat and the Bomb Documentary documentary (Time: 11:05)
New Left Review: "Pyres of August" by Jean Baudrillard
French Communist Newspaper: L'Humanite (in English)

France History Satire and Humor

French Embassy in the U.S.: History of French & Francophone Comics
UnderstandingFrance: French Historical Anecdotes
UnderstandingFrance: French Attitudes & Humor
Official Site: Asterix Comics
YouTube: Monty Python and the Holy Grail - French Taunting (Time: 5:54)
YouTube: Mel Brooks' History of the World - The French Revolution" (Time: 9:36)
Brown University: Napoleonic Satires collection
Wikimedia Commons: "Bonaparte in Trouble" 1814 political cartoon