Prehistoric Menhirs
Early Civilization, Revolution

The Ancient Gauls and the Modern French

prehistoric menhirs left behind by the ancient Celts who once inhabited Brittany. The menhirs, which are numerous (more than 3,000), are located in Carnac, a coastal town in Brittany. The purpose of the Carnac stones remains unknown. However, some historians think that the monuments were prehistoric calendars used by the druids.


The Renaissance

With England no longer a threat, France prospered during the early 1500s. King Francois I was a great art lover. He hired various great Italian Renaissance artists to come to France. Many of the artists built splendid palaces, or chateaux, particularly in the Loire Valley region, where the king himself lived. In the mid-1500s, conflicts occurred between the growing number of Huguenots (French Protestants) and Catholics. This led to the Wars of Religion, a series of bloody battles fought among members of both religions. The violence continued until 1589, when Henri of Navarre was crowned Henri IV, king of France. Henri IV ended the Wars of Religion and stabilized the country when he signed the Edict of Nantes in 1598. This edict was a written command that guaranteed religious freedom to all French citizens. The earliest traces of humans to be found on the territory that became known as France date back to 90,000 BC. However, the first records of a human civilization date back to around 25,000 BC, when a Stone Age people known as Cro Magnons developed a sophisticated culture in this area.[1]

Renaissance Costume Clothing

At the consecration of Louis IX., in 1226, the nobles wore the cap(_mortier_) trimmed with fur; the bishops wore the cope and the mitre, and carried the crosier. Louis IX., at the age of thirteen, is represented, with his hair short, and wearing a red velvet cap, a tunic, and over this a cloak open at the chest, having long sleeves, which are slit up for the arms to go through; this cloak, or surcoat, is trimmed with ermine in front, and has the appearance of what we should now call a fur shawl. The young King has long hose, and shoes similar in shape to high slippers. In the same painting Queen Margaret, his wife, wears a gown with tight bodice opened out on the hips, and having long and narrow sleeves; she also has a cloak embroidered with fleurs-de-lis, the long sleeves of which are slit up and bordered with ermine; a kind of hood, much larger than her head, and over this a veil, which passes under the chin without touching the face; the shoes are long, and seem to enclose the feet very tightly.[2]


The Gauls

although the Romans believed they were primitive wild men, the scraggly haired Gauls were far from uncivilized. The Gauls invented soap and wooden barrels. They made ornate jewelry out of gold and traveled in carts with metal wheels. However, after years of conflict, the Gauls' chief, Vercingetorix, was defeated by Julius Caesar in 52 BC. Gaul became a province of Rome, and the Gauls became Roman citizens. Over the next few centuries, the Gauls farmed and traded the many objects they made. They were exposed to Roman culture, learned to speak Latin, and converted to Christianity. They traveled on Roman built roads (some of which still exist) and worked and lived in Roman built cities such as Lutetia (Paris) and Lugdunum (Lyon). In many ancient French cities such as Arles, Marseilles, and even Paris, the ruins of Roman buildings and monuments are still standing.

The Franks

The Roman Empire began its decline in the third century In the fifth century Germanic groups from the east began to invade Gaul. The most powerful of these invaders were the Franks, from which the name "France" originated. The king of the Franks, Clovis, was crowned as the first king of France in 485. He became the first king of the Merovingian dynasty. This was France's first royal family in which power was passed from father to son. Clovis converted to Christianity and succeeded in unifying most of Gaul. In 507, he made the tiny trading town of Paris into the capital of France. Over time, the Merovingian dynasty became weak. In 732, the king's chancellor, Charles Martel, was responsible for turning back Arabic Muslims who had invaded France from Spain. In 754, Martel's son, Pepin, had himself crowned king by the pope. This was the beginning of the Carolingian dynasty and of the idea of divine monarchy in which the king was seen as a direct link to God. Pepin's son, Charlemagne, expanded his control over all of Gaul and, soon after, much of Europe. In 800, he was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, an area that included present day France, Germany and Italy. However, when Charlemagne died, the Holy Roman Empire and France split into tiny kingdoms ruled by local counts and dukes. By the time the last Carolingian king died in 987, the French monarchy (based in Paris) was very weak.


Revolution

The successors of the Sun King, Louis XV and Louis XVI, had to struggle with the growing resentment of their citizens, who demanded more rights. As a result of war, France lost important colonies in North America and India to England. Financial problems led the court to increase taxes. This unfair measure only deepened people's anger against the monarchy. The resentment grew, and on July 14, 1789, hundreds of armed Parisians invaded the Bastille, a prison that was a symbol of the French kings' unjust rule. This event marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Throughout the countryside, peasants attacked aristocratic lords' chateaux. In August, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was written and adopted. The document included the famous French concepts of Liberte, Egalite, et Fraternite (Liberty Equality and Brotherhood), which all French citizens treasure to this day. Both the revolution and the declaration served as inspirations to many other countries and their politicians for example, to Thomas Jefferson, when he wrote the United States' Declaration of Independence. In 1792, Louis XVI and his extravagant wife, Marie Antoinette, were thrown into jail. For a while, France was controlled by a mild group of revolutionaries known as the Girondists. However, there was fighting between the Girondists and the more radical revolutionaries, the Jacobins. Eventually, the Jacobins seized control of France. They declared the First Republic the first of France's five democratic governments, each with its own constitution. Led by three radicals, Robespierre, Danton, and Marat, the chaotic Reign of Terror began and was characterized by mass executions, bloody street battles, and much fear. In 1793, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed by guillotine, as were many others at Place de la Revolution (today Place de la Concorde) in the center of Paris. Murders and executions continued to claim many lives, including those of many Jacobin leaders. Finally, in 1794, even Robespierre himself was guillotined for his bloody practices.[1]

Extracts from
[1].“Primary Source of World Cultures FRANCE”, Written by Michael A. Sommers. The Rosen Publishing Group, New York, 2005.
[2]."Manners, Custom and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period", Written by Paul Lacroix. February 4, 2004 [EBook #10940]

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