France Overview

Cards · 30

French Revolution

Began in 1789 with the storming of the Bastille, leading to the overthrow of the monarchy and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Joan of Arc

A peasant girl who led the French army to victory at the Siege of Orleans in 1429 during the Hundred Years War.

Eiffel Tower

Designed by Gustave Eiffel and completed in 1889 as the entrance arch for the Exposition Universelle (World's Fair).

Palace of Versailles

Transformed into the principal royal residence by King Louis XIV (the Sun King) starting in 1661.

Norman Conquest

Led by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, who defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

D-Day (Operation Overlord)

Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, beginning the liberation of Western Europe in WWII.

Charlemagne

King of the Franks who was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day in 800.

Impressionist Painting

Claude Monet presented Impression, Sunrise in 1874, giving a name to the radical French art movement.

Notre-Dame de Paris

Construction began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully, becoming a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture.

French Impressionist Cinema

Pioneered by Auguste and Louis Lumiere, who held the first public movie screening in Paris in 1895.

May 68 Protests

A volatile period of civil unrest across France in May 1968, sparked by student protests and massive general strikes.

The Sun King's Absolutism

Louis XIV ruled France from 1643 to 1715, famously encapsulating absolute monarchy with the phrase I am the State.

The Enlightenment (Les Lumieres)

Philosopher Voltaire championed freedom of speech and religion in 18th-century France, deeply influencing modern democracy.

Battle of Verdun

Fought in 1916 during WWI, it became one of the longest and deadliest battles in history under General Philippe Petain.

First French Republic

Proclaimed on September 22, 1792, by the National Convention following the abolition of the French monarchy.

Paris Peace Conference

French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau helped draft the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 at the end of WWI.

Free France (La France Libre)

Formed by General Charles de Gaulle in London in 1940 to continue fighting against the Axis powers.

Napoleonic Code

Established under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804, this legal code influenced modern civil law in many countries worldwide.

Existentialism

Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir popularized this philosophy in mid-20th century Paris.

Fifth Republic

Established by Charles de Gaulle in 1958, introducing a semi-presidential system of government still used today.

Arc de Triomphe

Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 after his victory at Austerlitz to honor those who fought for France.

French Culinary Tradition

Auguste Escoffier modernized and simplified traditional French haute cuisine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Louvre Museum

Originally built as a fortress by King Philip II in 1190, it opened as a public museum during the Revolution in 1793.

Treaty of Rome

Signed in 1957 with French diplomat Robert Schuman acting as a founding father of European integration.

Chateaux of the Loire Valley

Chateau de Chambord was built in 1519 by King Francis I, showcasing Renaissance architecture influenced by Leonardo da Vinci.

Edict of Nantes

Issued by King Henry IV in 1598, granting Calvinist Protestants substantial rights in a predominantly Catholic nation.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

Passed by France's National Constituent Assembly in August 1789, defining individual and collective rights.

Cannes Film Festival

First held in 1946, it grew into the world's most prestigious international film festival.

Tour de France

First organized in 1903 by Henri Desgrange to increase sales for the newspaper L'Auto.

Avignon Papacy

From 1309 to 1376, seven successive popes resided in Avignon rather than Rome under the influence of the French Crown.