France History

In 1066, William of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror extended French rule to England following the Battle of Hastings. Following that England and Normandy were ruled as one. Tensions arose out of this and different claims on the land and the throne emerged from the French and English sides. Edward III of England and Charles Philip of France were the rivals to the throne who precipitated the start of the hundred years’ war between the two sides. This was a series of conflicts between the countries lasting a total of 116 years ending only in 1453 with the expulsion of the English from France.

1453 – 1598 was the period of the French Renaissance which saw artists such as Da Vinci move from Italy to France to continue their work. It is also the period that conflicts between Protestants and Catholics came to a head ending only when Henri IV became the first Bourbon King; converting to Catholicism and granting political and religious rights to the Huguenots.

1598 – 1715 was the period in which Louis XIV and Louis XV both reigned. Louis XIV had a reputation for extravagance both in terms of his own wealth and surroundings but also the wars he fought in order to increase France’s influence; when he ascended to the throne Louis XV granted increasing rights to the bourgeoisie.

The Storm of the Bastille was a prime cause of the French Revolution (1789), and therefore also the reign of terror that followed, ended only by the violent deaths of Louis XVI and others in 1793. Napoleon Bonaparte gained power and tried to conquer Europe but was defeated at the famous Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Further significant events in the nineteenth century were the Franco-Prussian War beginning in 1870, the emergence of the Third Republic in France and therefore end of the monarchy, and the many industrial triumphs of the time including the building of the Eiffel Tower in 1889.

After WWI the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 causing long lasting tensions with Germany. For a period of time during WWII, France was occupied by Germany, but following liberation by US, British and Canadian troops, Charles de Gaulle established a provisional government. Over the next 50 years there were several important French presidents, such as Georges Pompidou, Francois Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac who was elected president in 1995.

In 2005 there were serious clashes between the French police and unemployed young people in deprived areas of several major French cities. In 2006, huge student demonstrations took place followed by a new (largely unpopular) law designed to fight France’s high unemployment rate.

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