Paris

Paris

The Age: under the sign of the Gauls

Although the site of Paris is occupied by humans for 700,000 years, the city's history really begins to be written in the third century BC At that time, the Gallic tribe of the Parisii decided to move to the Ile de la Cité, strategic crossing point north of the country and the tin trade. Aware of the strategic challenge site, Julio Cesar sent troops to crush the Gauls and takes over the place.

We are in the year 52 B.C. It's the battle of Lutetia. Then, the city is rebuilt by the occupants of the Cité and, on the left bank, along the northern slope of Mount St. Genevieve.

Lutecia takes shape. In the first and second centuries, the ancient amphitheater was built and the Baths of Cluny. The baths are fed by an aqueduct that runs the Bièvre, a river that runs beneath the city after. The monument is a reflection of a typical Roman way of life. In 280, the city was destroyed by the barbarian invasions. Since the fourth century, Handily renamed Paris. In 451, an event marks turn lasting memories: St. Genevieve gets religious divert greed of Attila the Hun. It will become the patron saint of Paris.

The Middle Ages: in the center of the kingdom of France

In 508, Clovis, king of the Franks, made Paris the capital of his kingdom. In the eighth century, the center of the Carolingian Empire moves northeastward. But the city takes on a new dimension with Hugh Capet. The Count of Paris was elected king of France in 987 and founded a new dynasty, the Capetians. Then Louis VI the Fat builds a fortress, the Châtelet, around the Grand-Pont restored (now Pont au Change).

In 1163 began the construction of the cathedral Notre-Dame (ending in 1345). Then Philip Augustus, great planner, made his mark surrounding Paris and building the fortress walls of the Louvre. Under his reign was devoted Paris as capital. In the thirteenth century, Paris is the most populous city (about 200,000 inhabitants) and the richest of the West. At this time, the city is run by one man, the provost of the king. In 1268 the powerful corporation of boatmen takes its motto, "nec mergitur Fluctuat" (the ship is hit by the waves but does not sink), which later became the Paris. In the fourteenth century, the city has a real authority. But will regularly stuck in sidewalk by the real power in the following centuries.

In the fifteenth century, Paris was occupied by the British for sixteen years.

The modern era: the birth of real places

A mid-sixteenth century, under the reign of Francis I, the capital is embellished with Renaissance buildings, such as the new Louvre and the City. At this time, there are several monuments, including the Natural History Museum and the Luxembourg Palace. From King Henry IV, the city should honor and exalt his sovereign power. So, there are real squares: the square Douphin to Henry IV, Place de la Concorde to Louis XV, the Place des Vosges for Louis XIII, etc.

In 1648, begins the Fronde, the rebellion of the people, which will run until 1653. In 1680, Louis XIV abandoned the Louvre Palace, till then mansion of the kings of France, to settle in Versailles, west of Paris. They die after 72 years of reign.

The Bastille: symbol of the Revolution

On July 14, 1789, Parisians revolted by the king's pressure on the new assembly formed by the Third Estate, storm the fortress of the Bastille, symbol of absolutism. This event inaugurates the French Revolution and the decline of divine right monarchy in France. On July 17, Louis XVI in the City adopts the tricolor national flag with the colors of Paris (blue and red) and King (white). Jean-Sylvain Bailly is the first mayor. He was elected on 15 July 1789. The Republic is proclaimed for the first time in 1792. In 1793, Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were executed in the Place de la Concorde. The Terror is installed. After the

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