History of France reveals many ups and downs that occurred in the country in the past. After the disintegration of Roman Empire in the Fifth century, Gaul, which became the heart of Charlemagne’s Frankish empire in eighth and ninth centuries, was settled by Germans who migrated from the east. Frankish empire stretched from the Pyrenees to Baltic. The following centuries saw gradual increase in the area of French empires.
Amongst the most powerful of French empires were Dukes of Normandy who got hold of England and western France by the 12th century. However, in 1328, the extinction of direct line of the Capetian royal house manifested. That was one of the claimants to the throne was Edward III of England. The war that was named “Hundred Years’ War” lasted with the defeat of England in 1453. During the reign of the astute Louis XI (1460-83) France flourished extensively and looked greatly similar as it is today.
Fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were the periods when France got distracted by the foreign adventures, including the Italian Wars and several other grandiose pan-European schemes initiated by François I, and internal troubles (the Wars of Religion). The conflict lasted only by interference of a Protestant-turned-Catholic named Henry IV. Even after the assassination of Henry in 1610 France continued to flourish rapidly under the administration of Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin. France witnessed great colonial expansion in 18th century.
France again got into conflict with England in 18th century over their possession in the new world. The reign of Louis XV (1715-74) was in general a time of great prosperity in France, but the age also witnessed a widening gap between rich and poor. Three main reasons why French revolution occurred in 1789 were:
- The inequality of the taxation system (in particular the aristocratic and clerical exemption from the taille (tax)
- The lack of political representation for the increasingly wealthy middle class
- The inefficiency and profligacy of central government
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