A Brief History
France is located in western Europe. France is derived from the Latin Francia,
meaning "country of the franks." It became its own country in the 9th century.
France has six over sea departments: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique,
Mayotte, Reunion, Saint Pierre, and Miquelon.
In ancient time France was part of the Celtic era, known as Gual.The Middle Ages
were the birth years of the Gothic architecture.The 16th Century welcomed many Italian
artists. Among those artists was Leonardo da Vinci.
In the years between 1562 and 1598 the number of Protestans grew, which grew into the
the Wars of Religion. The Wars of Religion were between the Catholics and the Protestans.
The war ended witb Henry IV and the Edict of Nanates.
The 17th Century is known as an era of extravagance and power for the French monarchy.
Louis XIII's extravagance would leave most of France in a financial mess by the end of his
regin.The 17th Century is also known for the genius writers, architects, and musicians.
The French Revolution had began in 1789. The Revolution endedin 1799 when Napolean entered
Paris. The Franco-Prussian war began in 1870. The Third Republic emergedin 1871, which eventually
ended the monarchy in France.
The Universal Exhibition of 1889 was held to commermorate the centennial of the French
Revolution. As a result of the exhibition the Eiffel Tower was born. The Eiffel Tower is the most
well-known and visited monument in France.
In 1914 World War One beagan in the north-east of France. In 1917 the United States entered the
war and helping the French to defeat the Germans. In 1940 Germany invades France ounce again. The
allied forces invaded Normandy June 6th of 1944, defeating the Germans yet again. In the late 1904's
and 1950's the African and Asian colonies were claiming their independence, which led to wars in Algera
and Indochina.