If you’re a passionate traveler, there’s one famous place that you must not miss visiting in your lifetime: The legendary and romantic France. France, the largest country in Western Europe, is well known, among other things, for its history, language, art, and fashion trend.
A country very rich in history, France had its roots more than a million years ago. Different events throughout the ancient period, middle ages, and towards the modern era have shaped France into a dynamic and ever evolving congregation of people.
Memorable historical episodes, such as the Battle of Tours, the Hundred Years’ Wars, the French Revolution, and the two World Wars have virtually been part of academic studies.
Both famous and infamous historical figures have risen from France as it witnessed the rise and fall of its existence. Clovis, Charlemagne, Louis IX, Napoleon Bonaparte, Bernadette Soubirous, and Charles de Gaulle are just a few of the extraordinary personalities whose deeds have captured the imagination of countless people.
With France’s historical value in mind, be sure to visit the historical places of France, like the La Conciergerie, Arc de Triomphe, Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris, The Catacombs of Paris, The Eiffel Tower, and the Musee du Louvre.
Another good reason to visit France is that it is home to the French language. French is used as a very significant diplomatic language in international organizations, such as NATO, the U.N. Secretariat, and the International Olympic Committee.
Many also consider French as the language of love. Movies, such as French Kiss and Forget Paris, often portray France as a very romantic place. Expressing love in French seems to heighten the romantic experience between two people.
France has its share of great artists. Jean Fouquet is considered the most famous medieval French painter. French painters, like Claude Monet and Georges Braque, contributed much to the development of French art. Foreigners who lived in France, like Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh, also made France famous in the art world.
Located in Paris and one of the world’s largest museums, The Louvre houses a vast collection of antiquities, sculpture, paintings, and drawings from around the world.
For many years, France has always been at the forefront of fashion trends. Considered as one of the fashion capitals of the world, France is headquarters to many foremost fashion establishments. Designer Yves Saint Laurent is one example of leading French fashion to global popularity.
French fashion is so popular that French-inspired clothing can now be purchased online. One such online store is nomorerack.com, an online shopping destination that offers a wide range of products from clothing to electronic gadgets. Nomorerack regularly offers special deals on selected items that you can buy at discounted prices. To satisfy its customers’ ever growing needs, nomorerack reviews its existing deals in order to come up with better ones.
Next time you plan to travel the world, put France on top of your list and be ready for an adventure into history, language, art, and fashion.
A brief history about France
When you talk about exquisite food and the latest in fashion, there’s one country that comes to mind – France. Famed places in France include the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre art museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral. You might have also heard of the highly revered Tour de France. France is well known for a lot of things, but it is more importantly a product of a long and interesting series of historical events.
France, or officially known as the French Republic, is an independent country located in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Paris is the capital and the largest city of France.
Pieces of evidence, such as the stone tools discovered at Chilhac in 1968 and in Lézignan-la-Cèbe in 2009, point out that the earliest humans inhabited France as early as 1.8 million years ago. Pre-historic cave paintings discovered at Lascaux and Gargas further confirmed the presence of the earliest dwellers of France.
Ionian Greeks from Phocaea founded a colony of Massalia, which is present-day Marseille, in 600 BC. This makes Marseille the oldest city of France. France used to be part of a region called Gaul which also encompassed Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerland, Northern Italy, parts of the Netherlands and Germany.
Frankish kingdoms were established from 486 to 987 AD. The name France actually came from the Latin “Francia” which literally means the “land of the Franks”. In 486, Clovis I unified most of northern and central Gaul. Clovis later adopted Catholicism to his kingdom. This was a period where Muslim invaders threatened the Frankish kingdoms. Other notable personalities during this period include Pepin the Short, Charlemagne, and Louis the Pious.
France was slowly built as a state into a kingdom from 987 to 1453 AD. This period saw the rise of strong leaders. The monarchy started to establish absolute sovereignty over France in the 16th century. There was a strong alliance between the Catholic Church and the kingdom. France became a truly centralized kingdom when Louis IX came to power in 1226-1270. In 1328-1453, the early Valois Kings reigned supreme and the Hundred Years War erupted.
In 1453-1789, France entered into early modern history with the establishment of the House of Valois and the House of Bourbon. The French Wars of Religion broke out in 1562-1598 as the feud between Protestants leading the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Church escalated. In 1789-1799, the French Revolution broke out as disgruntled citizens fought for radical social and political changes leading to the abolishment of the monarchy.
Napoleon Bonaparte became the emperor of the French in 1804-1814. After a series of battles, Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The Second Republic was established in 1848-1852 while the Third Republic happened in 1871-1914.
France played a major role in World War I and World War II. A new constitution marked the establishment of the Fourth Republic in 1946. The current constitution used today was formulated in 1958.