Paris

Paris began with its founding by the Celtic tribe of the Parisians on an island in the Seine (Île de la Cité), where Notre Dame Cathedral is located today.

It was a fishing village that fell under the power of the Romans in 52 BC, who began to call it Lutetia.

The name Paris only came into being in the 4th century.

Paris resisted Attila’s invasion thanks to the intervention of Saint Genovese, who became the city’s patron saint.

Clovis, king of the Franks, made Paris the capital of his kingdom in 508.

The city gained importance throughout the 11th century, thanks to the silver trade and because it was part of the pilgrim and merchant route.

Over time, the city has experienced many revolutions, wars and diseases, such as:

At the beginning of the 12th century, when students and professors confronted the Pope, and he ended up authorizing the creation of a “university” corporation.

Louis IX granted Robert de Sorbon the right to found the “La Sorbona” college.

And so, Paris also became a university city.

In the 14th century, there were at least three revolts:

The Merchants’ Rebellion of 1358, the Maillots’ Revolt of 1382, and the Caboche Revolt of 1413.

In which a merchant led a mob that ended up storming the Bastille.

This period became known as the Hundred Years’ War.

In 1328, Paris, once the most populous city in Europe, saw its population decimated by the Black Death.

At the end of the Hundred Years’ War, Paris was devastated and Joan of Arc was unable to free the city from the English and their allies, the Bourguignons.

On August 24, 1572, the “St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre” took place, organized by the French kings against the Protestants (Huguenots).

That same year, Marguerite de Valois, sister of the King of France, married Henry of Navarre (head of the Huguenot dynasty).

This promised to reduce conflicts, but in 1588, French Catholics rose up against King Henry III on the Day of the Barricades.

The king was assassinated and Henry of Navarre was crowned.

In 1648, the second “Day of the Barricades” took place, marking the beginning of the “Fronde”.

A series of civil wars that took place in the country between 1648 and 1662. Fifteen years later, King Louis XVI decided to transfer the court to Versailles.

As a result of the “Fronde”, poverty spread throughout the city.

The prevailing current of thought at that time was also based on reason, equality and freedom.

Storming of the Bastille

On July 14, 1789, the Parisians stormed the Bastille fortress.

On September 3, 1791, the first Constitution in the history of France was approved.

On August 17, a new Constitution was approved, granting executive power to a Directory.

The new Constitution met with much opposition with several revolts, culminating on November 9, 1799, when General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the Directory and installed a Consulate.

Paris experienced a period of great expansion during the fifteen years of Napoleon’s empire.

It ended on November 20, 1815, after the final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and the signing of the second Treaty of Paris in 1815.

In 1851, a coup d’état took place and Napoleon II came to power, remaining at the head of the government for 17 years, during which he promoted growth.

The city was conquered by Prussian troops in 1871 and a few years later (at the end of 1800) the Third Republic was proclaimed.

A period of economic growth began, which led to the construction of the Eiffel Tower in 1889, an internationally renowned symbol of the city.

In the 20th century, the city began to undergo several changes.

The First and Second World Wars caused much destruction, but they were an opportunity for reconstruction.

It experienced several revolts and in “May ’68” a series of protests that were the largest student revolt in the history of France and, possibly, of Europe.

But enough of history and let’s see the Paris of our time.