The dÈpartements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties and now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas rÈgions. They are subdivided into 342 arrondissements. Administrative role Each dÈpartement is administered by a Conseil GÈnÈral elected for six years, and by a prÈfet appointed by the French government and assisted […]
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Valois Dynasty
The Valois Dynasty succeeded the Capetian Dynasty as rulers of France. They were descendants of Charles of Valois, the second son of King Philip III of France. Philippe VI, the Fortunate 1328-1350 Jean II, the Good 1350-1364 Charles V, the Wise 1364-1380 Charles VI, the Well-Beloved 1380-1422 Charles VII, the Victortius 1422-1461 Louis XI 1461-1483 […]
Lascaux
The caves of Lascaux, in France, contain some of the earliest known representational art, dating to between 17,000 and 15,000 years before the present. These Paleolithic cave paintings consist mostly of realistic images of large animals, most of which are known from fossil evidence to have lived in the area at the time. The other […]
The Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of VersaillesFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Treaty of Versailles of 1919 was the peace treaty that was created as a result of the six-month-long Paris Peace Conference of 1919 which put an official end to World War I. The treaty was ratified on January 10, 1920 and required that Germany accept responsibility for […]
Bourbon Dynasty
House of Bourbon Descended from France’s ruling Capetian dynasty, the house of Bourbon became monarchs of France, Spain and southern Italy. The Bourbon Dynasty owes its name to the marriage (1268) of Robert, count of Clermont, sixth son of king Louis IX of France, to Beatrice, heiress to the lordship of Bourbon. Their son Louis […]
Celts
The Celts are an indigenous people of central Europe with large numbers in the United Kingdom, in France, and in Ireland where they are in the majority. The first literary reference to the Celtic people as keltoi or hidden people, is by the Greek Hecataeus in 517 BC. “Celt” is pronounced /kelt/, and “celtic” as […]
Alfred Dreyfus
Alfred Dreyfus (October 9, 1859 – July 12, 1935), French military officer best known for being the focus of the Dreyfus affair. [img]436|left|Capitaine Dreyfus[/img]Born in Mulhouse, Alsace, France, Dreyfus was the youngest of seven children in the family of a Jewish textile manufacturer who had accepted French nationality in 1871. The family had long been […]
French actor, singer Serge Reggiani dies at 82
PARIS, July 23 (AFP) – The French singer and actor Serge Reggiani died overnight of a heart atack at the age of 82, his agent said Friday.
Born in Italy in 1922, Reggiani came to France with his parents at the age of eight, and after acting schoo
Louis XVI
[img]737|left|Louis XVI|[/img]Louis XVI of France (August 23, 1754 – January 21, 1793) succeeded his grandfather (Louis XV of France) as King of France on May 10, 1774; he was crowned on June 11, 1775. His father, the dauphin, had died in 1765. On May 16, 1770 he married Marie Antoinette, daughter of Francis I of […]
The Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus Affair was a political cover-up which divided France for many years in the late 19th century. [img]435|left|J’accuse![/img]It centered on the 1894 treason conviction of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish artillery officer in the French army. Dreyfus was, in fact, innocent: the conviction rested on false documents, and when high-ranking officers realised this they attempted […]