For Gaul before the Roman conquest, see Gaul. The History of France has been divided into a series of separate historical articles navigable through the list to the right "Ancient" redirects here For other uses see Ancient_(disambiguation. Prehistoric France is the period in the human occupation (including early hominins) of the geographical area covered by present-day France which extended through Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group The Merovingians (also Merovings) were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region (known as Francia in Latin France in the Middle Ages covers an area roughly corresponding to modern day France, from the death of Charlemagne in 814 to the middle of the 15th The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolings, or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family with its origins in the For a full history of the Capetian family see Capetian dynasty. See also France in the Middle Ages, Early Modern France Unexpected inheritance The Capetian dynasty seemed secure both during and Early Modern France is the Early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century (or from the French Renaissance See also France in the Middle Ages, Early Modern France Unexpected inheritance The Capetian dynasty seemed secure both during and See also France in the Middle Ages, Early Modern France Unexpected inheritance The Capetian dynasty seemed secure both during and The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. 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For more information on historical cultural demographic and sociological developments in France see the chronological As of January 1, 2008, 64473140 people live in the French Republic. The military history of France encompasses an immense panorama of conflicts and struggles extending for more than 2000 years across areas including modern France, greater France was a dominant empire in the world from the 1600s to the late 1960s possessing many colonies in various locations around the world For practical purposes the history of French art has been divided into a series of separate articles accessible through the template to the right This article is a general introduction to French literature For detailed information on French literature in specific historic periods see the separate historical articles in the The Culture of France and of the French people has been shaped by its geography, by profound historical events, and by foreign and This is a timeline of French history. To read about the background to these events see History of France. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western

Roman Gaul consisted of an area of provincial rule in the Roman Empire, in modern day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and western Germany. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Roman control of the area lasted for 600 years. The Roman Empire began its takeover of what was Celtic Gaul in 121 BC, when it conquered and annexed the southern reaches of the area. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Julius Caesar completed the task by defeating the Celtic tribes in the Gallic Wars of 58-51 BC and the romanisation was quick and large; Latin was spoken by a majority of Gauls in the first century AD but with some remains of the Gallic language. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts The Gallic Wars were a series of Military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes, lasting from Events and trends First Triumvirate: a secret pact for mutual advantage between Roman politicians Julius Caesar, Pompey and Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Gaulish or Gallic is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became Following the Frankish defeat of the Romans at the Battle of Soissons in AD 486, Gaul came under the rule of the Merovingians, the first kings of France. The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group The Battle of Soissons in the year 486 was fought between the Frankish forces under Clovis I, and the Gallo-Roman Kingdom For the processor see Intel 80486. Events By Place Europe Roman rule in Gaul ends with the defeat at Soissons The Merovingians (also Merovings) were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region (known as Francia in Latin

Geographical divisions

• Gallia Cisalpina or "Gaul this side of the Alps", covered most of present-day northern Italy. Cisalpine Gaul ( Latin: Gallia Cisalpina, meaning " Gaul on this side of the Alps " was the Roman name for a geographical area (later Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

• Gallia Narbonensis, formerly Gallia Transalpina or "Gaul across the Alps" was originally conquered and annexed in 121 BC in an attempt to solidify communications between Rome and the Iberian peninsula. Gallia Narbonensis ( Narbonese Gaul) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. Gallia Narbonensis ( Narbonese Gaul) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial It comprised the present-day region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, most of Languedoc-Roussillon, and roughly the southeastern half of Rhône-Alpes. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA ( Provençal Occitan: Provença-Aups-Còsta d'Azur in classical norm or Prouvènço-Aup-Costo d'Azur in Mistralian Languedoc-Roussillon ( Occitan: Lengadòc-Rosselhon; Catalan: Llenguadoc-Rosselló) is one of the 26 regions of France. Rhône-Alpes ( Franco-Provençal: Rôno-Arpes; Occitan: Ròse Aups) is one of the 26 regions of France, located on the

• Gallia Comata or "long haired Gaul". Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Comata encompassed the remainder of present-day France, Belgium, and westernmost Germany, which the Romans gained through the victory over the Celts in the Gallic Wars. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts The Gallic Wars were a series of Military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes, lasting from The Romans divided Gallia Comata into three provinces:
  • Gallia Aquitania
  • Gallia Belgica
  • Gallia Lugdunensis

The Romans gave these divisions the term pagi (from which comes the French word pays, "region"); these pagi were organized into civitates (provinces). Gallia Belgica was a Roman province located in what is now the southern part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northeastern Gallia Lugdunensis was a province of the Roman Empire in what is now the modern country of France, part of the Celtic nation of Gaul In the history of the Roman empire, civitas (pl civitates mainly referred to the condition of Roman Citizenship It was also used to describe a type of settlement These administrative groupings would be taken over by the Romans in their system of local control, and these civitates would also be the basis of France's eventual division into ecclesiastical bishoprics and dioceses, which would remain in place -- with slight changes -- until the French revolution. French Ancien Régime Roman Catholic Dioceses and ecclesiastical provinces were heirs of Late Roman Civitates (themselves created out of

Gaul in the Roman Empire

Map of Gaul circa 58 BC

Language and culture

The Vachères warrior, a statue of a Gaulish warrior wearing roman clothing(ca. 1st century BC).

The Gaulish language and cultural identity would, in the five centuries between Caesar's conquest and the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, undergo a syncretism, and evolve into a hybrid Gallo-Roman culture. Gaulish or Gallic is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became Syncretism consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contradictory beliefs often while melding practices of various schools of thought This article covers the culture of Romanized areas of Gaul. For the political history of the brief "Gallic Empire" of the 3rd century see Gallic Empire Current historical research believes that Roman Gaul was "Roman" only in certain (albeit major) social contexts (the importance of which hindered a better historical understanding of the permanence of many Celtic elements). The Roman influence was most apparent in the following areas:

• The Druidic religion which existed in the area was ordered suppressed by Emperor Claudius I, and in later centuries Christianity was introduced. Celtic polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Celts, prior to the Christianization of the Celtic-speaking lands Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus or Claudius I ( August 1, 10 BC &ndash October 13, AD 54 ( Tiberius Claudius Drusus from birth to Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The prohibition of druids and the syncretic nature of the Roman religion led to disappearance of the Celtic religion (which remains to this day poorly understood: current knowledge of the Celtic religion is based on archeology and via literary sources from several isolated areas such as Ireland and Wales). Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world
• The Romans easily imposed their administrative, economic, artistic (especially in terms of monumental art and architecture) and literary culture, all the more so given that there was little in the pre-existing Celtic culture to compete with these areas.

After the Roman conquest of Gaul (finished in 51 BC), "romanisation" of the Celtic upper classes proceeded more rapidly than the "romanisation" of the lower classes. These classes may have talked a Latin language mixted with gallic. The gauls wore the roman tunic instead of local vestimentary inhabits. The roman-gauls generally lived in the vici, small villages built like in Italy or in villae, for the richest.

Surviving Celtic influences also infiltrated back into the Roman Imperial culture in the 3rd century. For example, the Gaulish tunic – which gave Emperor Caracalla his surname – had not been replaced by Roman vestimentary fashion. Caracalla ( April 4 188 &ndash April 8, 217) born Lucius Septimius Bassianus and later Similarly, certain Gaulish artisan techniques, such as the barrel (more durable than the Roman amphora) and chain mail were adopted by the Romans. An amphora (plural amphorae or amphoras) is a type of Ceramic Vase with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body Mail (also maille, often given as chain mail or chain maille) is a type of Armour or jewellery that consists of small metal rings linked

The Celtic heritage also continued in the spoken language (see History of French). French is a Romance language (meaning that it is descended from Latin) that evolved out of the Gallo-Romance Dialects spoken in Northern In the 5th century, a Gaulish spelling and pronunciation of Latin are apparent in several poets and transcribers of popular farces ^[1] The last pockets of Gaulish speakers appear to have lingered until the 6th century. The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era.

Germanic placenames were first attested in limitrophe areas settled by Germanic colonisers (with Roman approval) from the 4th to 5th centuries as the Franks settled northern France and Belgium, the Alemanni in Alsace and Switzerland and the Burgundians in Savoie. The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Main river ( Germany Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Burgundians or Burgundes were an East Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from mainland Scandinavia to the island of Bornholm, whose Savoie ( Arpitan: Savouè d’Avâl) is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes ( Rôno-Arpes

After the fall of Rome

The Roman administration finally collapsed as remaining troops were withdrawn southeast to protect Italy. Between 455 and 475, the Visigoths, the Burgundians, and the Franks assumed power in Gaul. The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini / Common Era. The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group Certain aspects of the ancient Celtic culture continued however after the fall of Roman administration.

Certain Gallo-Roman aristocratic families continued to exert power in episcopal cities (as the Mauronitus family in Marseille, or the Bishop Gregory of Tours). Marseille, ( English alt Marseilles mɑrˈseɪ — French: maʁsɛj locally — Provençal Occitan: Marselha maʀˈsijɔ Saint Gregory of Tours ( November 30, c 538 &ndash November 17, 594) was a Gallo-Roman historian and bishop of Tours The appearance of Germanic given and family names becomes noticeable in France from the middle of the 7th century on, most notably in powerful families, indicating thus that the center of gravity had definitely shifted.

The Gallo-Roman, or Vulgar Latin, dialect of the late Roman period evolved into the dialects of the Oïl languages and Old French in the north, and Occitan in the south. Vulgar Latin (in Latin sermo vulgaris, "folk speech" is a Blanket term covering the popular Dialects and Sociolects of the Latin Langues d'oïl is the linguistic and historical designation of the Gallo-Romance languages originating from the northern territories of Roman Gaul, Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan

The words "gaul" and "gaulois" continued to be used, at least in writing, until the end of the Merovingian period. The Merovingians (also Merovings) were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region (known as Francia in Latin Slowly, during the Carolingian period, the expression "Francie"' (first Francia, then Francia occidentalis) spread to describe the political reality of the Frankish kingdom (regnum francorum). The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolings, or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family with its origins in the

References and Notes

• Portions of this article are based on a translation of the article Gaule from the French Wikipedia on February 2007. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western The French Wikipedia (Wikipédia francophone Wikipédia en français is the French language edition of Wikipedia, spelled Wikipédia. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Notes

See also

• Gallo-Roman culture
• Asterix — French comic set in the 40s BC. This article covers the culture of Romanized areas of Gaul. For the political history of the brief "Gallic Empire" of the 3rd century see Gallic Empire The Adventures of Asterix ( French: Astérix or Astérix le Gaulois) is a series of French French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative