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A Traveller's History of France by Cole,Robert. [2001,6th Edition.] Paperback
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August 23, 2025
Good overview of French history. We start with the Stone Age people who left cave paintings in Lascaux. After 1000 B.C., the land of France was populated by the Celts, or Gauls. It was Julius Caesar who conquered the Gauls and "Gaul" became Romanized as a province of the Roman Empire. With the Fall of Rome in the 5th Century, a Germanic people called the Franks entered Gaul. With Frankish domination, the foundations of France were laid.
The Merovingians provided the first ( and weak) dynasty, from the 5th C. to 751. Then Pepin the Short took power and this was the beginning of the Carolingians, the greatest of whom was Charlemagne, who ruled from 768-814. He ruled much of western and central Europe and was crowned by the Pope as the new Roman Emperor. With his death, his empire broke up. There would be no revival of the Roman Empire. The Carolingians were followed by the Capetians and then the Valois. A system of feudalism was developed and, under this system, the kings tended to have little power. Indeed, under the Valois, during the Hundred Years' War, France almost disappeared as a nation, divided between England and Burgundy. One of the most remarkable stories of history is that of Joan of Arc, the maiden who rallied the French in 1429 to defeat the English and save her nation.
During the Renaissance, France rose to be a cultural leader in Europe. Under the Bourbons, France rose to become the leading political and military power of Europe. Louis XIV (1643-1715) was known as "Roi de Soleil," the Sun King, the absolute monarch of France. But Louis fought war after war for his own glory...
France led the way in the Enlightenment, with its great philosopher Voltaire. You could say France led the way to the Modern Age with the French Revolution of 1789 and the overthrow of the monarchy. A republic was established, followed by an empire, under Napoleon, who ruled from 1804-1815. He went down to defeat in the Napoleonic Wars and the monarchy was restored. A second republic was established after revolution in 1848, only to be followed by a second empire, under Napoleon III. He went down to defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and a third republic was established. This French Republic was one of the victors of World War I, along with Britain, the USA, Italy, and Serbia. But it was defeated in 1940 by Adolf Hitler's Germany during World War II and a regime was then set up in Vichy to collaborate with Germany ( Charles De Gaulle led the "Free French"). Following Liberation, there was a fourth and then a fifth republic, which is the one existing today (2025).
The book was published in 2001 and the story ends in 2000. Vive La France!
The Merovingians provided the first ( and weak) dynasty, from the 5th C. to 751. Then Pepin the Short took power and this was the beginning of the Carolingians, the greatest of whom was Charlemagne, who ruled from 768-814. He ruled much of western and central Europe and was crowned by the Pope as the new Roman Emperor. With his death, his empire broke up. There would be no revival of the Roman Empire. The Carolingians were followed by the Capetians and then the Valois. A system of feudalism was developed and, under this system, the kings tended to have little power. Indeed, under the Valois, during the Hundred Years' War, France almost disappeared as a nation, divided between England and Burgundy. One of the most remarkable stories of history is that of Joan of Arc, the maiden who rallied the French in 1429 to defeat the English and save her nation.
During the Renaissance, France rose to be a cultural leader in Europe. Under the Bourbons, France rose to become the leading political and military power of Europe. Louis XIV (1643-1715) was known as "Roi de Soleil," the Sun King, the absolute monarch of France. But Louis fought war after war for his own glory...
France led the way in the Enlightenment, with its great philosopher Voltaire. You could say France led the way to the Modern Age with the French Revolution of 1789 and the overthrow of the monarchy. A republic was established, followed by an empire, under Napoleon, who ruled from 1804-1815. He went down to defeat in the Napoleonic Wars and the monarchy was restored. A second republic was established after revolution in 1848, only to be followed by a second empire, under Napoleon III. He went down to defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and a third republic was established. This French Republic was one of the victors of World War I, along with Britain, the USA, Italy, and Serbia. But it was defeated in 1940 by Adolf Hitler's Germany during World War II and a regime was then set up in Vichy to collaborate with Germany ( Charles De Gaulle led the "Free French"). Following Liberation, there was a fourth and then a fifth republic, which is the one existing today (2025).
The book was published in 2001 and the story ends in 2000. Vive La France!
Displaying 1 of 1 review