France

## **History:**

**Before the 1st Republic:**

The Flag of the Republic of France

*The region of which we know as France today, goes back centuries, from Germanic tribes, to roman conquerors, to the middle ages, and now the age of discovery. Before the times of Rome, France was known as Gual, and was inhabited mainly by the Guals, a Germanic tribe. The Guals were a semi-nomadic people, they did use the technology of agriculture, but also largely hunted their food, especially in the winter time. However, the lives of the Gallic people had been forever changed in 50 BC, when Roman proconcul Giaus Julius Caesar, launched a series of military campaigns on the Gallic tribes, known as the Gallic Wars.
These campaigns lasted until 58 BC, and ended in Gallic defeat, and a Roman victory. After Caesar's success in Gaul, he returned to Rome and declared himself dictator for life, abolishing the republic. Under Roman rule, native Gallic people faced harsh lives, some became slaves to rich Roman aristocrats, some became gladiators in Roman arenas, and some were forced into military service, fighting against many otehr Germanic tribes, across the Rhine. Over the time of Roman rule though, many Romans immigrated to the new Gallic lands, and founded cities in Gaul, and began to spread Roman ideas and culture to Gaul.
By the 1st century AD, however, Gaul as a frontier land faced threats, mainly from Vandals, Visigoths, and the Huns. By the time 476 AD came around, the western half of Rome had fallen to barbarians.*
*After the fall of Rome, various lords around Europe fought for control, and in the area known as modern-day France, the Franks had become the most powerful clan, and by the time of the Islamic Age, had united all of modern France to fight off Arab invaders in Iberia, and pushed them back into the Iberian peninsula. By 800 AD, Charlemagne, or Charles I, King of the Franks had conquered France, and most of Germany, and on Christmas Day, 800 AD, Pope Leo III invited Charlemagne to Rome, and crowned him the Holy Roman Emperor, a title he held until his death in 814 AD. After the death of Charlemagne, the Frankish Empire began to fall, as the Vikings form Scandinavia began to raid villages along European Rivers, and the Mediterranean. By the time of the East-West Schism in 1054 AD, France had become a kingdom in Europe, strictly Catholic. The young France faced many problems, such as English aggression, as well as German aggression. During the middle ages, France would see many invasions, as well as a be an active member of the crusades. After the age of the crusades, France faced the Black Death, as well as the threat from Hapsburg Spain and Austria, as Charles V was King of Spain, and the Holy Roman Emperor. The Hapsburg-French rivalry then led to various different wars. Most of them were a series of wars, such as the Italian Wars. In the Italian Wars, both the House of Hapsburg and France fought for influence over the Italian peninsula. Another war was the Thirty Years' War, triggered by the Protestant Reformation, and ended up being one of Europe's most devastating conflicts, with participation from France, England, the HRE, Russia, Spain, Austria, and many more. The Nine Years' War, was also triggered by the conflict in which France alone fought Austria, England, Spain, Savoy, and the HRE. By 1600, Europe had a new sight, they had their eyes on the Americas. France took no time in hesitating, and began to colonize the areas known as Canada, and the Mississippi Valley. France began to have huge economic growth though the sales of furs and the lumber industry, as well as fishing and mining around the Great Lakes. However, by the mid 1700's both France and Britain had claimed the area known as the Ohio Valley, which then erupted into war, known as the Seven Years' War, or the French and Indian War. The war ended in French defeat, and France losing all it's land east of the Mississippi River to Britain. However, with Britain becoming broke from the war, they began to heavily tax their American colonies, who then took up arms, and France helped the Americans kick Britain out, making France broke.*

### **The First Republic:**

*With a weak government and chaos in France, a young leader by the name of* Jaqueline Alouette *Agnès began to speak against the monarchy and went on to form the Democratic Liberation Party of France (DLPF), and lead the French Revolution, city by city running out the French government, finally reaching Paris with a heavily weakened French Amy, the DLPF easily took the city in July 1796, and capturing the monarchs. Finally, after a vote to execute the monarchs, on September 17, 1796, the King and Queen were beheaded and in October a constitution was ratified. However on November 9, 1796, French General and Governor of Marseilles, Napoleon Bonaparte, along with Vice President Robert Surcouf assassinated the President, Jaqueline Alouette Angès, and installed a consulate on November 10, 1796. This was known as the Coup of 18 Brumarie.*

### **The Consulate:**

*After the assassination of Jaqueline Alouette Agnès on November 9, 1796, First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and his armies swiftly captured French government facilities. With this, the consulate was established, with two leading consuls, Napoleon Bonaparte, in charge of military affairs, and Robert Surcouf, in charge of diplomatic affairs. Napoleon was swift to declare war on the Holy Roman Empire, however, during opposition rose, even outside of France. Nephew of Former President Agnès, Robert Daniel Agnès, the Director of the FBI in the United States attempted an assassination of Napoleon, and failed, but safely returned to the United States. After being exposed, and seen as a corrupt official, he resigned as FBI director and was then killed by assassins. Then, on an exploration trip, Second Consul Robert Surcouf was murdered by who were believed to be pirates, although with him having no contact there is speculation. After the death of the second consul, Napoleon declared himself Emperor.*

### **The French Empire and Napoleonic Rule:**

*Under Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, the Ottomans and Polish were quick to declare war, then leading to the Franco-Turk War of 1767, in the Battle of Bastille Napoleon and his army easily overran Ottoman and Polish forces capture the Bastille, however, in the Battle of Paris, Ottoman forces killed Napoleon and defeated the French, ending the empire.*

### **The January Wars:**

*After the death of Napoleon in December 1796, January of 1797 was a heavy time for uncertainty. The Turk-Pole Coalition was taking Marseilles, and various parties fought for power. Over the course of the month, a man by the name of Alain Chavanne led a movement to re-establish a republic and captured France within three weeks of the new year. By January 29, 1797, Chavanne had united most of France under the Second Republic, except for land in the south that the Ottomans and Pole kept from the Franco-Turk War of 1796.*

### **The Second Republic:**

*Under the Second Republic of France, so far President Chavanne has called for elections in 1797, as well as called to reinstate all relations the First Republic held.*

## **Important People:**

### **Jaqueline Alouette Agnès:**

-*President of the First Republic of France (July 24, 1796 - November 9, 1796)*

### **Robert Surcouf:**

-*Vice President of the First Republic of France (October 24, 1796 - November 9, 1796)*

-*Second Consul of the French Consulate (November 9, 1796 - December 2, 1796)*

### **Napoleon Bonaparte:**

*-Head of the French Armed Forces in the First Republic of France (September 17, 1796 - November 9, 1796)*

*-Governor of Marseilles in the First Republic of France (September 17, 1796 - November 9, 1796)*

- *First Consul of the French Consulate (November 9, 1796 - December 3, 1796)*

-*Emperor of the French Empire (December 3, 1796 - December 15, 1796)*

### **Alain Bogart Chavanne:**

*-President of the Second Republic of France (January 1797 - )*