9781422285831

Originally called Gaul, the country of France was populated by Celts who arrived from the east to settle with the farmers already working the land. In 51 bce , Julius Caesar conquered Gaul and the area was gradually integrated into the Roman Empire. Towards the end of the fifth century, Gaul was overrun by the Germanic Francs who dominated the region for hundreds of years. In 911, the Normans (Norsemen) from Scandinavia then began to rule, and in 1066, the Duke of Normandy, or William the Conqueror, invaded England, and for over 400 years French became the language of the upper classes of England. During the Middle Ages, roughly from the 900s through the 1400s, the Capetian Dynasty ruled in France, though it struggled to control independent rulers in across the country. During this time, the feudal system developed in France, through which vassals pledged loyalty to their lords and serfs worked the land. A key development in this period was the marriage of the Capetian king Louis VII to Eleanor of Aquitaine, which gave him considerable power. Their marriage failed, however, and was eventually annulled by the Pope. Eleanor married again in 1154, this time to the young English king, Henry II of the House of Plantagenet. After 1328 with the death of Charles IV “the Fair,” a crisis followed as there was no direct successor, which led to the Hundred Years’ War between the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, but effectively a war between France and England. The tide turned to the Valois later in the war, and a sense of nationalism was awakened when a young peasant girl, Joan of Arc, led the Evidence of Roman rule—amphitheaters, aqueducts, temples—can be seen across France. Pictured here is the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct built over the Gard River in the southeast.

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MAJOR NATIONS IN A GLOBAL WORLD: FRANCE