Fall of Roman EmpireTo

The French Revolution

France:Early History

France after Roman Empire:(460 A.D.)

Fall of Western Roman Empire

(470 A.D.)The Franks

control most modern day

France

(500 A.D.)France is

virtually free of Rome

Roman Empire

(511)Clovis ,

leader of the

Franks died

(751)Pepin the

Short takes the

throne

(771)Charles

the Great reunites

the Franks

(814)Charles

the Great dies

(845)Vikings

ransacked Paris

Charlesmagne( Charles the Great)

(1027)William the Conqueror

is born

(1066)William invades England

(1214)England

losses control of French territory

(1337)Hundred

Year’s War begins

Hundred Year’s War

France near defeat(1337-1429).

(1337-1360) French losses, included the loss of control over the English Channel, the defeat at Crecy, and losing Calais, which gave England a base in N.France.

(1369-1396) Reverses for the English, has the dying English king Edward 3 lost control of the Anglo-Flemish alliance a peasant revolt in England started in 1381, this followed savage French raid across the front.

The French victories were short lived, in 1407 a civil war broke out between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians over which royal family should take the crown. This left a weak and divide France.

France’s last stand(1429)

Joan of Arc was born in 1412 Domremy, France. Legend says that she was born to auspicious signs held to be a forecast of national triumph. However, what is more certain is that her family were poor and her region had suffered from the long conflict between England and France.

From the age of 12 she began to have mystical visions. In these visions she said she felt the voice of God commanding her to renew the French nation.

Joan of Arc

At the time of Joan’s childhood, France was seriously divided with a lack of national unity. In 1415 King Henry V of England had invaded France and defeated the French army at Agincourt. This famous victory over the French nobility left the country weak and divided.

Joan of Arc had led the French army to victories at Orleans, Patay and Troyes. Many other towns were also liberated from English control and it allowed a triumphal entry into Dauphin for the coronation of King Charles VII on 17 July 1429.

(1431) Joan of Arc was captured and burned alive in England.

One by one, the French captured the last remaining English strongholds in France.

In 1450 the French king captures Cherbourg, England’s last stronghold in Normandy.

French capture Bordeaux in 1453 bringing an end to the war.

The Black Death

Coming out of the East, the Black Death reached the shores of Italy in the spring of 1348 unleashing a rampage of death across Europe unprecedented in recorded history. By the time the epidemic played itself out three years later, anywhere between 25% and 50% of Europe's population had fallen victim to the pestilence.

The Plague’s Progress

(1494-1559)

War with Italy

(1562)Massacre

OfHuguenots

(1598)Edict

OfNantes

(1618-1648) Thirty

Year’s War

1700’s France

American Revolution: France joins the fight.

The reign (1715-1774) of Louis XV saw an initial return to peace and prosperity under the regency (1715-1723) of Philippe II, duke of Orléans, whose policies were largely continued (1726-1743) by Cardinal Fleury, prime minister in all but name, renewed war with the Empire (1733-1735 and 1740-1748) being fought largely in the East. But alliance with the traditional Habsburg enemy (the "Diplomatic Revolution" of 1756 against the rising power of Britain and Prussia led to costly failure in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).

But peace was short lived, a decade later a much more difficult struggle will start,

right at the very heart of France:The French Revolution

Cultural history.French colonies in America

Part 2: coming soon