Post by yevie on Jul 4, 2011 7:14:48 GMT
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=style,border:2px solid #302427; background-image:URL('http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll219/aniskylupus/wapappbackground.png'); padding:5px] République Française And just to lay with you, there's nothing that I wouldn't do, save lay my rifle down  the basics And I am nothing of a builder, but here I dreamt I was an architect Name » Francis Bonnefoy Francis - French, English; Frenchman Bonnefoy - French; Descendent of Bonnefoi Nation » République Française (French Republic) Aliases ↓ national nicknames Gaul - Childhood name, out of use West Francia - Short-lived tittle, out of use Royaume de France (Kingdom of France) - Out of use Empire Français (French Empire) - Out of use, but he wouldn't mind being called that Big Brother France - Of course you can call him that personal nicknames Mr. Bonnefoy - Unless at the world conference (or if you are a certain man with Apparent Age » 26 Actual age » 2211(from time as Proto-Nation); 1525 (from unification under the Franks); 1168 (From liberation from the Franks) Gender » Male THE EXTERNAL But the angles and the corners, even though my work is unparalleled, they never seemed to meet Eye Color » Light Blue, a bit icy blue at times Hair Color » Golden Blond Height » 175 cm (5'9") Weight » 63 kg (139 Ibs) Skin Tone » A pale, pinkish tone that goes grayish during especially hard times Defining Features ↓ When looking at France, people tend to be drawn to his eyes first and foremost. Like most nations, they have an ancient look to them, but in his eyes there is something a little beyond that. An odd, mischievous twinkle can be found there that looks a tad creepy at times (though no where near as creepy as some other nations As for scars, France, like most other nations, is littered with them. But, his most defining scars run across his torso from his long history of internal strife. But, ironically, the scars from the internal strife of the French Revolution are not there. Instead they are a series of lumpy cross hatched marks and gashes right over his heart. They look as if someone had been trying to claw out his heart, though France would deny the idea. Another defining scar is on his shoulder. It is a big, jagged circle with shriveled stitches around it, as if it had been sewn back in. This is from all the times Alsace-Lorraine got taken and given back to him. The last of his defining scares is a series of burns down his arms with a almost heart shaped one near the bottom from the Hundred Years War with England. Additional Features ↓ France's has golden, shoulder length and wavy hair that tends to be what France considers stylishly tousled. It curves around his delicate features in a way that looks very natural and has a vaguely perfume-y scent to it. Though, if closely examined, one can tell it has been carefully styled to look as such. In more recent times, one can find many traces of hair products in it. His face is long and rather effeminate with a softly curved, slender nose, fully, pink lips and almond eyes with long, thick leashes. In his youth this would cause him to him to be at times mistaken for female, so he has since then grown out a little bit of stubble on his chin. His cheek bones protrude a bit due to the fact that France weighs a little less than he should. Some people have claimed to have found traces of make-up on his face, but France denies that as well, claiming to just be naturally beautiful. While not exactly tall, France has a slender figure figure that at times makes him appear taller than he actually is. And while most people would consider him to have a rather feminine build due to the way he carries himself, France actually has somewhat broad shoulders and is fairly muscular due to all the fighting he has done. Also, due to having a When seen around casually France is always wearing what is considered the most fashionable in his country, usually in either shades of blue or pink. Even when the economy is down and luxuries are hard to afford, he finds some way to acquire tasteful clothing. Often this means sacrificing practicality or things he may "need", but that does not bother the man much. His favored uniform also reflects this policy; the double-breasted tail coat is a bright navy blue with a matching shawl attached to it. There is a black leather belt around his waist onto which his weaponry is at times attached. His pants are an almost obnoxious shade of red and are tucked into stylish leather boots. Though, the uniform is slightly baggy on France and makes him look a tad bulky, a fact which he resents. He also resents the fact that his uniform makes him an easy target, but that is a more minor issue. Overall, if one looks at France, one would see an effeminate, slightly overdressed, but typical Frenchman. . THE INTERNAL This structure fell about our feet and we were free to go Personality ↓ The first impression France gives makes most nations want to slap him. Bold, perverse and flirtatious, he does not hesitate to come on to someone of either gender, even if said person is an enemy, dangerous or Yet, despite, or maybe because of, his boldness, he has yet to find love. There was one time he came close with Jeanne D'Arc, but England took her away and he doesn't really like to think about it much. Somewhere deep down though, he does long for love and is a bit of a hopeless romantic. But, a strange sort of negativity makes him think that such thoughts are ridiculous and prefers to make a show of being flirtatiously romantic instead of genuinely affectionate. That is not to say he never shows genuine affection though; to his colonies he was actually tried hard to demonstrate his (mostly platonic) love for them, even if his efforts were misguided at times. His demonstration of pseudo-romance is hardly the only way he is bold though. In general, France enjoys being dramatic, making a mock show of how wounded he is, making outlandish claims about how much he needs something, or even just dressing in clothes that are completely impractical (yet very stylish). He loves the attention he receives from this, be it positive or negative. To an extent, he is even addicted to this attention. His vanity makes him think quite highly of himself, yet at the same time, he has odd bouts of low self esteem. When in one of those moods, not only does the attention he receives make him feel pleased, but it reaffirms his vanity. This show he puts on also serves another purpose; to cover up to the way he truly feels. He would rather have others believe he is just making a spectacle of himself than to show true vulnerability. A part of him even fears that if others were to know when he feels weak or helpless that he would be taken over or invaded or crushed. France is also downright obsessed with beauty, it is like another drug to him. Art, music, fashion or just beautiful people, it doesn't matter. He can't get enough of it. Despite any impracticalities or dangers he will go to seek it out, often ending up getting himself hurt because of it. But, the beauty of other people and objects isn't quite enough for him either, he feels that he himself must be beautiful. In order to do this he will go through even greater lengths than he does to seek out the beauty of other things. He spends much longer than necessary to get his hair to lay just right, makes sure his clothes is just so and takes extremely good care of his skin. Often times he will sacrifice eating to get a new, expensive piece of jewelry or the latest fashions. Though, that is not saying much either. In his quest to be beautiful he eats less than he should to keep his weight down. Health is often the last of his concerns. But this does not stop France from being a hedonist. In fact, it encourages such behavior. Since he does not eat much, he makes sure what he does eat is the most pleasurable (and expensive) food he can get and will not hesitate to make it himself if the food available is not up to snuff. Wine, due to its ability to quickly satisfy and cravings he has is quite staple around him and he will often chose to drink instead of eat. This kind of behavior makes him quite tired, so he indulges himself by lazing around, naked, on his sofa. Sex is also something France enjoys greatly, but his sex life is too "interesting" to describe. Pride might be one of France's biggest weaknesses and greatest strengths. On one hand, his pride prevents him from ever giving up. Even when he was a small child and controlled by a nation as powerful as Rome he attempted to run away and establish himself on his own. Even when England kept winning at every turn, he kept on fighting until he achieved some measure of success. And he would not give into Germany, even after he had been taken over. On the other hand his pride often turns into an almost frightening ego. At one point he even considered himself so great that he attempted to take over the world, and even when crushed afterwards he rose again a few years later and once more tried to build an empire. Change is also something France's pride prevents from going smoothly. He believes to change is to loose and when he has changed he will deny it. He prefers to believe himself as having always been correct from the start. Compromise is also something France's pride prevents him from doing easily and he will often just be difficult because of it. Yet, ego and pride aside, France is far from immune from self esteem issues. There have been points in time when French identity felt lost in the country, though it has been getting better recently. Often, he is also torn up by internal strife. There have been very few points in his history when two ideologies had not been fighting and often it has quite literally torn him apart. At points, such as his revolution, he was nearly driven mad from it. It is also just his nature to be pessimistic and self depreciating, so even at his highest highs France expects the worst to happen latter. Expecting anything else just seems naive to him. But, France not all edges. Inside he has a soft, idealistic vulnerability (though it often gets twisted into something quite dangerous). He believes in liberty, fraternity and equality above all (having originally had many of the ideas that inspired America's revolution, he would like to point out). Even when he is colonizing he truly believes that he is helping those he colonizes by giving them the opportunity to have these values. He also believes these ideals must be protected against all else, even when stability is at stake. Likes ↓ |
- Ugly Clothing - Really, why make clothes if they do not look good?[/ul]Fears ↓
- To get revenge on Germany somehow, maybe not now, but someday.
- To make sure that his people are all very linked in a cultural identity without.
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THE PAST
Countess and courtesan have fallen 'neath my tender hand when their husbands were not around
Proto-Nation/Child
- France started of being called Gaul 200BC
- Gallic Wars (58 BC to 51 BC) - Julius Caesar fought agains the Gallic Tribes for politically motivated Reasons. Gaul resisted being conquered as best as he could, but Rome took over Gaul in 52 BC at the Battle of Alesia and it was the end of Celtic dominance in Gaul.
- Gallic Empire - from 260 to 274; Gaul ran away from Rome and felt quite happy about himself, but the Romans took back Gaul in the Battle of Châlons
Pre-Teens
- During the 5th century Rome was being attacked by Barbarians and Gaul found himself broken up. Gaul liked them a lot better than Rome and was
-Taken under the wing of the Franks and united.
- 486 AD - The Franks (Francia) broke away from Rome and took Gaul with it.
- 496 Clovis I is baptized, and many of his soldiers were baptized with him, intruding Christianity to Francia and therefore Gaul to Christianity. Over the next two centuries the conversion continued and rebel Pagans got executed.
- 507 - Battle of Vouillé; Clovis defeated Visigoth army, conquered Gallia Anquitania and formed the basis of Modern day France
- 511- Clovis died and his kingdom was split among his 4 sons. Gaul felt a bit like a possession at this point, but had grown to accept himself as such
- 524 - Clovis's son, Chlothar I; killed two of his bros and one ran away and hid
- 558 - Last bro died and Chlothar inherited all of Francia
- 561 - Clothar died and kingdom once more divided to four sons, the sons fought until one remained, then he divided kingdom in two between his two sons.
- 561 to 613 - things continued as such until Clothar II took over as sole king of Franks.
- 614 - Edict of Paris was signed; which helped correct some legal issues in Francia, made Jews not able to hold high office (but the could still sue Christians) and woman could not be married against will.
- 623 - Austrasia wanted their own king so Clothar II's son got the job; but Clothar II still ruled
- 661 - Slowly the kings of Austrasia and others died and it all eventually came to Clothar II. Franks once more had only one king, but he died soon after and devised the kingdom. Francia kept getting split up and rejoined for the time being and Gaul was getting sick of being owned by Francia.
- 714 - Francia had a civil war
- 730s - Francia fought against the Arab conquerors of Spain
- 732 - Battle of Tours thought to have pushed away the Muslims from ruling Europe.
- 741 - Francia was once more split up between sons
- 751 Pepin the Short became king and in 754 allied with Pope Stephen II so Francia became tied to the Papal state
- 768 - Once again Francia was split
- 771 - Charlemagne took over
- 772 - Conquered and converted; fought a lot with Saxons
- 787 - Ordered killing of Pagans
- 795 - Realm expanded from North Spain to Germany and North Italy and Austria.
- 800 - Charlemagne got crowned King of the Romans
Teens
- 843 - Empire gets dived again, but this time Gaul found himself shifting into just being West Francia, finally becoming an independent Nation under the rule of the (not bald) Charles the Bald
- 843 to 922 were some rough years for West Francia, but nothing far outside the normal
- 987 - West Francia changed his name to France and really began to feel his destiny as a Nation.
-10th to12th century:
- Rise of Capetian Dynasty
- France's political institutions started to form; Feudal System
- Pieces broke away, conflict with England
- 1202 to 1214 - Anglo French War - France and England fight over Normandy
- 1213 to 1214 - Battle of Bouvines - France halted England in Normandy
- 1226 to 1270 - Louis IX took over when he was 12, and while there were many people trying to take his power, but he held on.
- Much fighting occurred during this era; but it finally ended when Louis was old enough to rule
- 1337 to 1453 - The Hundred Years War
- It was a battle for who ruled France (French king or English King); England tended to kick France's butt and 1429 was one of the worst years; France lost most of his land.
- 1429 - But, Joan of Arc saved France by inspiring moral. France felt himself falling in love with her and when England killed her he never forgave him.
- In France there were civil wars, epidemics, black death (1348 to 1350) and mercenaries cut population in half
Late Teens and Early 20s
- 1492 - Peace of Etaples - A treaty Was signed between England and France; England would stop invading France if France stopped support of Perkin Warbeck who had a false claim to English throne
- 1494 - 1559 - Wars over who would control Italy
- 1495 - France took Naples, but Spain, the Pope and the Holy Roman Empire took it away from him
- 1499 - France took Milan and Genoa, then partitioned Naples with Spain and with the consent of Pope
- But France and Spain got pissed with each other over how to divid territory and fought in 1502.
- France had to give up Naples to Spain; got to keep Milan and Genoa though (Treaty of Blois 1504 to 1505)
- 1508 to 1516 - More fighting and allying and re-allying happened and France didn't know who to trust at the time because of it until treaty was signed in 1516; France got Milan and Spain got Naples
- More fighting started 1521, then in 1526 Treaty of Madrid, France lost all Italian claims
- France tried to regain territory, but failed, leaving Spain in control of Italy
- 1562 to 1598 - French Wars of Religion - The Protestant Huguenots fought against the Catholics in France. France (he liked to think a part of him was not just a Nation and that part of him could choose what to believe) did consider himself Catholic but he would have preferred peace and wasn't bothered by the Huguenots. Actually, it was painful to have the fighting within himself.
- 1562 - Edict of Saint Germain - A short lived treaty was signed and the Catholics got special privileges, but the Huguenots were still allowed to practice in private. - Neither the Catholics nor the Huguenots were happy
- 1562 - Massacre of Vassy; many Huguenots murdered by Duke of Guise
- 1562 to 1563 - England sided with Protestants, but the Protestants were still defeated. Major players on both sides were defeated afterwards. A treaty was negotiated; it limited Huguenot worship, but they could still worship
- 1567 to 1568 - More fighting and the treaty was reinstated but not for long
- 1568 to 1570 - More fighting and another Huguenot massacre; Huguenots moved South
- 1574 - Huguenots created an independent state (Languedoc)
- More fighting and the Huguenots ended up getting more concessions in the Treat of Monsieur 1576
- But king lost support of the Catholics and couldn't get Huguenot support so he decided to throw his support to the Catholics and Huguentos lost their new found gains
- More fighting went on between the two groups
- 1594 to 1598 - War with Spain by the Catholic king of France to show that he was not controlled by Spanish Catholics. The war ended with Spain giving up most conquests in treaty
- 1598 Edict of Nantes ended war and Huguenots got some rights
- 17th and 18th century - Conflict between Huguenots and Catholics continued, Huguenots got political rights revoked in 1629 and in 1685 Protestantism became illegal, but Protestants still remained but by 1715 they were finally left in peace
- 15th to 18th century - France began attempting to centralize his government, but that was hard and didn't end for a while
- 17th to 18th Century:
- 1610 - war with Spain was threatened
- France began trading with India and Madagascar
- France founded Quebec and established colonies in West Indies
- 1618 to 1648 - Thirty Years war
- France fought against Spain and Germany. Allied with Sweden
- 1635 France got directly involved in the war, but didn't have much success, though he (along with Sweden) did get Bavaria to sign the Truce of Ulm (which it soon broke) in 1647
- Peace in Europe was made with a series of peace treaties, though France and Spain kept pranking/fighting with each other until the treaty of Pyrenees in 1659
- 1643 to 1715 - Louis XIV reign, France was a dominant power, but no big industrial revolution occurred. France went into massive depts.
- 1667 to 1668 - War of Devolution - France fought Spanish controlled Netherlands and gained lands but England, Sweden and the Dutch Republic forced France to give it back.
- 1672 to 1678 Franco-Dutch War - France fought the dutch and latter the Spanish and the Holy Roman Empire, ended up stealing Spain's lands
- Art and Architecture flourished and France became the cultural center of Europe
- French Navy and army was built up
- 1688 to 1697 - Because of France's greediness and the repeal of the Edict of Nantes, England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and others ganged up on France. (Also France allied with Native Americans in America and they fought, but the treaty reverted things to status quo ante vellum). By 1696 France was near economic crisis
- 1697 - Treaty of Ryswick - France got to keep Alsace but had to give Lorraine back and give up rights to Rhine. France did gain Haiti.
- 1692 - France tried to attack England, but in the Battle of La Hougue, England proved himself tougher and France was no longer a major naval power
- 1701 to 1714 - War on Spanish succession - France didn't loose any territory, but in 1709 because of famine and war, France war on the brink of collapse
- 1715 to 1774 - King Louis XV's reign started of peacefully, but war soon came up. People began to grow very dissatisfied with the Monarchy and philosophers also perched for a change. No Industrial revolution happened yet.
- 1733 to 1738 - War of Polish Succession - France gained Lorraine
- 1740 to 1748 - War of Austrian Succession - France fought along with Spain and Prussia against Austria and England. He gave up all his conquered territories to defeated enemies. This made him feel proud though his people got angry. So much for being charitable.
- 1756 - Diplomatic revolution - France shifted Alliances to Austria because England was annoying him and had joined with Prussia
- 1756 to 1763 - Seven Years War - France got his butt kicked and had to give up Canada (and parts of Louisiana) to England
- 1774 - Louis XVI took power and started out liked, but turned disliked. Financially France improve for a little, but then things crashed.
- 1789 - French Revolution began and France was in a terrible state, though the enlightenment spread as well.
- 1789 to 1799 - France went sort of crazy at this point and began to attack himself, taking down his government. His mental sanity was kind of iffy for the next few years.
- 1789 Tennis Court Oath - The Assembly decided they would not separate until France had a constitution
- 1789 - The Bastille is seized
- 1789 - Feudalism is abolished
- 1789 - Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is drafted based on America's Declaration of Independence
- 1791 - Louis XVI tried to escape, but was captured and brought back. Meanwhile Prussia and the Holy Roman Empire tried to tell the revolutionaries not to interfere with Louis XVI
- 1792 - King Louis was arrested for conspiring with enemies for this and condemned to death in 1793
- 1792 - The French Republic was established. France's sanity slowly started back, but his ego grew as well.
- 1792 - France attacked Austrian Netherlands and the Rhine
- 1793 - English and Netherlands declared war on France for beheading Louis XVI; France was driven out of Austrian Netherlands and Germany
- 1793 to 1794 - The Reign of Terror - And France's sanity slipped again. France killed many people with the guillotine for counter revolutionary activities, but eventually France got sick of this and snapped back to his senses.
- 1795 - A new constitution was signed and the first bicameral legislature (for France) was created
- 1795 - Once again took Austrian Netherlands and the Rhine
- 1799 - Napoleon took power through a Coup De Etat
- 1799 to 1801 - HRE, Austria, England and others fought France. France won and treaties settled peace.
- 1802 - Napoleon named himself first Consul for life, then in 1803 he was decided he was emperor. This proved to be a dangerous Ego boost for France. Most would say he was more insufferable than usual at this time.
Mid 20s
- 1804 to 1814 - France was and Empire
- A republic legal system was established, but things grew more restrictive and soon freedom of press and assembly began to fade. Religious freedom was generally good at the time. The nobility was recreated and the empire slowly became more and more despotic.
- 1803 to 1815 - Napoleonic Wars - France tried to take over the world and took over much of Europe (With the big exception of England), but after failing to invade Russia began to collapse. The French Monarchy was restored.
- 1815 - Louis XVIII took over again and began a constitutional Monarchy. THe old boundaries were restored and those who supported Napoleon were purged. But, the change in culture remained as well as Napoleon's bureaucratic reforms. Though, ultra-royalists pushed to the right
- 1818 - France, now peaceful, was admitted to the Concert of Europe.
- 1823 - France interfered in the Spanish civil war, helping the Royalists win, then leaving.
- 1824 - Charles X took power and he tried to be an absolute monarch and strengthen the power of the Catholic church in France. But, France was unhappy with this and he was overthrown in 1830.
- 1830 - Louis-Philippe took power as the King of the French, meaning his power came from the people, and was not of divine right rule. There was a major conflict between the liberals and conservatives for the up coming years. France sort of missed Napoleon around this time.
- 1848 - Louis-Philippe is over thrown and France becomes a republic once more, though a conservative Republic. France also established a right to work principle and built National Workshops. Yet, there was still strife between the Liberals and Conservatives and the constitution was very flawed.
- 1851 - Napoleon's nephew took power as Emperor Napoleon III through a coup d'etat. This was a very authoritarian time, but France also finally industrialized and urbanized. France also began to take colonies in Indo-China, Africa and the South Seas. Once more his ego was growing.
- 1854 - Allied with England and the Ottom Empire against Russia.
- 1859 - France helped Italy gain it's independence from Austria and gained some land
- 1860 - France supported the American Confederacy until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862
- 1862 - France instals a puppet state in Mexico, but is kicked out in 1865
- 1868 - France and Prussia's animosity grew and grew
- 1869 - France opens the Suez Canal
- 1870 - Napoleon establishes a parliamentary legislature, but the Empire collapses soon after.
- 1870 - Prussia provoked war on France and then laid a siege on Paris. France tried to fight back, but got his but kicked and had to give up Alsace and Lorraine to Germany as well as pay him money. Napoleon fled to England afterwards.
- 1870 - France established the third Republic and was occupied by Germany at the time. It kind of made France feel vengeful.
- 1871 - An uprising let by The Commune (they were a working class group) happened in Paris because of the siege. Then Prussia paraded through Paris and France got more mad.
- 1871 - France's government tried to strengthen it's own power and weaken the National guard and tried to have the regular troop move a cannon away from Paris. Many soldiers refused and the government lost power.
- The commune then passed many liberal acts and made legislation to separate church and state. The women's movement also began.
- 1875 - Commune is crushed and the Republic's constitution is established.
- 1879 - Moderate republicans took power
- 1880 - The French Workers Party (Marxist Party) was born
- 1881 to 1882 - A vote on free and mandatory public education took place
- 1894 - France began it's attempts to woo England and Russia by making and Aliance with Russia
- 1899 - Radicals gain power and France became a modern state and continued to colonize
- 1904 - France allied itself with England in the Entente Cordiale
- 1905 - France passed laws to create a complete separation of church and state
- 1907 - The Triple Entente was formed
- 1914 - World War I begins; much of it is fought on French soil. England helped France fight of Germany
- 1919 - World War I ended and France was pretty pissed of and harsh on Germany. It also got back Alsace and Lorraine.
- 1920 - The Socialist party is split into two and the majority of them formed the French Communist Party
- 1934 - Extreme conservatives made a anti-parliament demonstration and the socialists feared a fascist coup d'etat. France began to create anti-fascist organizations.
- 1936 - The Popular Front ( a socialist, communist and radical party alliance) won the elections. The government collapsed within a year because of economic policy opposition and it's support of the Spanish Republicans in the Spanish civil war.
- 1939 - Germany invades Poland and France and England declare war
- 1940 - France signed an armistice with Germany and Germany occupied three-fifths of France and the rest formed Vichy France which collaborated with Germany
- Charles de Gaulle refuses to collaborate with Germany and gores the Free French Forces and made resistance movements
- 1944 - France is liberated and a provisional government is installed
- 1945 - World War II ends
- 1946 - The Fourth Republic is Formed. Wars occurred in Indochina and Algeria.
- 1954 - France withdrew from Indo Chine
- 1958 - In fear of a Coup d'etat France formed a new government (Fifth Republic) with a strengthened presidency
- 1959 - First time in the 20th century France held an election
- 1962 - Algerian War ends - Algeria gets to be independent, but still remained closely tied to France
- 1968 - Student protest movements occurred and France became more socially liberal. Socialist movements continued afterwards
- 1992 - European Union is created, France begins to use the Euro
- 1995 - France tries to combat its very high unemployment rate
- France started of being called Gaul 200BC
- Gallic Wars (58 BC to 51 BC) - Julius Caesar fought agains the Gallic Tribes for politically motivated Reasons. Gaul resisted being conquered as best as he could, but Rome took over Gaul in 52 BC at the Battle of Alesia and it was the end of Celtic dominance in Gaul.
- Gallic Empire - from 260 to 274; Gaul ran away from Rome and felt quite happy about himself, but the Romans took back Gaul in the Battle of Châlons
Pre-Teens
- During the 5th century Rome was being attacked by Barbarians and Gaul found himself broken up. Gaul liked them a lot better than Rome and was
-Taken under the wing of the Franks and united.
- 486 AD - The Franks (Francia) broke away from Rome and took Gaul with it.
- 496 Clovis I is baptized, and many of his soldiers were baptized with him, intruding Christianity to Francia and therefore Gaul to Christianity. Over the next two centuries the conversion continued and rebel Pagans got executed.
- 507 - Battle of Vouillé; Clovis defeated Visigoth army, conquered Gallia Anquitania and formed the basis of Modern day France
- 511- Clovis died and his kingdom was split among his 4 sons. Gaul felt a bit like a possession at this point, but had grown to accept himself as such
- 524 - Clovis's son, Chlothar I; killed two of his bros and one ran away and hid
- 558 - Last bro died and Chlothar inherited all of Francia
- 561 - Clothar died and kingdom once more divided to four sons, the sons fought until one remained, then he divided kingdom in two between his two sons.
- 561 to 613 - things continued as such until Clothar II took over as sole king of Franks.
- 614 - Edict of Paris was signed; which helped correct some legal issues in Francia, made Jews not able to hold high office (but the could still sue Christians) and woman could not be married against will.
- 623 - Austrasia wanted their own king so Clothar II's son got the job; but Clothar II still ruled
- 661 - Slowly the kings of Austrasia and others died and it all eventually came to Clothar II. Franks once more had only one king, but he died soon after and devised the kingdom. Francia kept getting split up and rejoined for the time being and Gaul was getting sick of being owned by Francia.
- 714 - Francia had a civil war
- 730s - Francia fought against the Arab conquerors of Spain
- 732 - Battle of Tours thought to have pushed away the Muslims from ruling Europe.
- 741 - Francia was once more split up between sons
- 751 Pepin the Short became king and in 754 allied with Pope Stephen II so Francia became tied to the Papal state
- 768 - Once again Francia was split
- 771 - Charlemagne took over
- 772 - Conquered and converted; fought a lot with Saxons
- 787 - Ordered killing of Pagans
- 795 - Realm expanded from North Spain to Germany and North Italy and Austria.
- 800 - Charlemagne got crowned King of the Romans
Teens
- 843 - Empire gets dived again, but this time Gaul found himself shifting into just being West Francia, finally becoming an independent Nation under the rule of the (not bald) Charles the Bald
- 843 to 922 were some rough years for West Francia, but nothing far outside the normal
- 987 - West Francia changed his name to France and really began to feel his destiny as a Nation.
-10th to12th century:
- Rise of Capetian Dynasty
- France's political institutions started to form; Feudal System
- Pieces broke away, conflict with England
- 1202 to 1214 - Anglo French War - France and England fight over Normandy
- 1213 to 1214 - Battle of Bouvines - France halted England in Normandy
- 1226 to 1270 - Louis IX took over when he was 12, and while there were many people trying to take his power, but he held on.
- Much fighting occurred during this era; but it finally ended when Louis was old enough to rule
- 1337 to 1453 - The Hundred Years War
- It was a battle for who ruled France (French king or English King); England tended to kick France's butt and 1429 was one of the worst years; France lost most of his land.
- 1429 - But, Joan of Arc saved France by inspiring moral. France felt himself falling in love with her and when England killed her he never forgave him.
- In France there were civil wars, epidemics, black death (1348 to 1350) and mercenaries cut population in half
Late Teens and Early 20s
- 1492 - Peace of Etaples - A treaty Was signed between England and France; England would stop invading France if France stopped support of Perkin Warbeck who had a false claim to English throne
- 1494 - 1559 - Wars over who would control Italy
- 1495 - France took Naples, but Spain, the Pope and the Holy Roman Empire took it away from him
- 1499 - France took Milan and Genoa, then partitioned Naples with Spain and with the consent of Pope
- But France and Spain got pissed with each other over how to divid territory and fought in 1502.
- France had to give up Naples to Spain; got to keep Milan and Genoa though (Treaty of Blois 1504 to 1505)
- 1508 to 1516 - More fighting and allying and re-allying happened and France didn't know who to trust at the time because of it until treaty was signed in 1516; France got Milan and Spain got Naples
- More fighting started 1521, then in 1526 Treaty of Madrid, France lost all Italian claims
- France tried to regain territory, but failed, leaving Spain in control of Italy
- 1562 to 1598 - French Wars of Religion - The Protestant Huguenots fought against the Catholics in France. France (he liked to think a part of him was not just a Nation and that part of him could choose what to believe) did consider himself Catholic but he would have preferred peace and wasn't bothered by the Huguenots. Actually, it was painful to have the fighting within himself.
- 1562 - Edict of Saint Germain - A short lived treaty was signed and the Catholics got special privileges, but the Huguenots were still allowed to practice in private. - Neither the Catholics nor the Huguenots were happy
- 1562 - Massacre of Vassy; many Huguenots murdered by Duke of Guise
- 1562 to 1563 - England sided with Protestants, but the Protestants were still defeated. Major players on both sides were defeated afterwards. A treaty was negotiated; it limited Huguenot worship, but they could still worship
- 1567 to 1568 - More fighting and the treaty was reinstated but not for long
- 1568 to 1570 - More fighting and another Huguenot massacre; Huguenots moved South
- 1574 - Huguenots created an independent state (Languedoc)
- More fighting and the Huguenots ended up getting more concessions in the Treat of Monsieur 1576
- But king lost support of the Catholics and couldn't get Huguenot support so he decided to throw his support to the Catholics and Huguentos lost their new found gains
- More fighting went on between the two groups
- 1594 to 1598 - War with Spain by the Catholic king of France to show that he was not controlled by Spanish Catholics. The war ended with Spain giving up most conquests in treaty
- 1598 Edict of Nantes ended war and Huguenots got some rights
- 17th and 18th century - Conflict between Huguenots and Catholics continued, Huguenots got political rights revoked in 1629 and in 1685 Protestantism became illegal, but Protestants still remained but by 1715 they were finally left in peace
- 15th to 18th century - France began attempting to centralize his government, but that was hard and didn't end for a while
- 17th to 18th Century:
- 1610 - war with Spain was threatened
- France began trading with India and Madagascar
- France founded Quebec and established colonies in West Indies
- 1618 to 1648 - Thirty Years war
- France fought against Spain and Germany. Allied with Sweden
- 1635 France got directly involved in the war, but didn't have much success, though he (along with Sweden) did get Bavaria to sign the Truce of Ulm (which it soon broke) in 1647
- Peace in Europe was made with a series of peace treaties, though France and Spain kept pranking/fighting with each other until the treaty of Pyrenees in 1659
- 1643 to 1715 - Louis XIV reign, France was a dominant power, but no big industrial revolution occurred. France went into massive depts.
- 1667 to 1668 - War of Devolution - France fought Spanish controlled Netherlands and gained lands but England, Sweden and the Dutch Republic forced France to give it back.
- 1672 to 1678 Franco-Dutch War - France fought the dutch and latter the Spanish and the Holy Roman Empire, ended up stealing Spain's lands
- Art and Architecture flourished and France became the cultural center of Europe
- French Navy and army was built up
- 1688 to 1697 - Because of France's greediness and the repeal of the Edict of Nantes, England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and others ganged up on France. (Also France allied with Native Americans in America and they fought, but the treaty reverted things to status quo ante vellum). By 1696 France was near economic crisis
- 1697 - Treaty of Ryswick - France got to keep Alsace but had to give Lorraine back and give up rights to Rhine. France did gain Haiti.
- 1692 - France tried to attack England, but in the Battle of La Hougue, England proved himself tougher and France was no longer a major naval power
- 1701 to 1714 - War on Spanish succession - France didn't loose any territory, but in 1709 because of famine and war, France war on the brink of collapse
- 1715 to 1774 - King Louis XV's reign started of peacefully, but war soon came up. People began to grow very dissatisfied with the Monarchy and philosophers also perched for a change. No Industrial revolution happened yet.
- 1733 to 1738 - War of Polish Succession - France gained Lorraine
- 1740 to 1748 - War of Austrian Succession - France fought along with Spain and Prussia against Austria and England. He gave up all his conquered territories to defeated enemies. This made him feel proud though his people got angry. So much for being charitable.
- 1756 - Diplomatic revolution - France shifted Alliances to Austria because England was annoying him and had joined with Prussia
- 1756 to 1763 - Seven Years War - France got his butt kicked and had to give up Canada (and parts of Louisiana) to England
- 1774 - Louis XVI took power and started out liked, but turned disliked. Financially France improve for a little, but then things crashed.
- 1789 - French Revolution began and France was in a terrible state, though the enlightenment spread as well.
- 1789 to 1799 - France went sort of crazy at this point and began to attack himself, taking down his government. His mental sanity was kind of iffy for the next few years.
- 1789 Tennis Court Oath - The Assembly decided they would not separate until France had a constitution
- 1789 - The Bastille is seized
- 1789 - Feudalism is abolished
- 1789 - Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is drafted based on America's Declaration of Independence
- 1791 - Louis XVI tried to escape, but was captured and brought back. Meanwhile Prussia and the Holy Roman Empire tried to tell the revolutionaries not to interfere with Louis XVI
- 1792 - King Louis was arrested for conspiring with enemies for this and condemned to death in 1793
- 1792 - The French Republic was established. France's sanity slowly started back, but his ego grew as well.
- 1792 - France attacked Austrian Netherlands and the Rhine
- 1793 - English and Netherlands declared war on France for beheading Louis XVI; France was driven out of Austrian Netherlands and Germany
- 1793 to 1794 - The Reign of Terror - And France's sanity slipped again. France killed many people with the guillotine for counter revolutionary activities, but eventually France got sick of this and snapped back to his senses.
- 1795 - A new constitution was signed and the first bicameral legislature (for France) was created
- 1795 - Once again took Austrian Netherlands and the Rhine
- 1799 - Napoleon took power through a Coup De Etat
- 1799 to 1801 - HRE, Austria, England and others fought France. France won and treaties settled peace.
- 1802 - Napoleon named himself first Consul for life, then in 1803 he was decided he was emperor. This proved to be a dangerous Ego boost for France. Most would say he was more insufferable than usual at this time.
Mid 20s
- 1804 to 1814 - France was and Empire
- A republic legal system was established, but things grew more restrictive and soon freedom of press and assembly began to fade. Religious freedom was generally good at the time. The nobility was recreated and the empire slowly became more and more despotic.
- 1803 to 1815 - Napoleonic Wars - France tried to take over the world and took over much of Europe (With the big exception of England), but after failing to invade Russia began to collapse. The French Monarchy was restored.
- 1815 - Louis XVIII took over again and began a constitutional Monarchy. THe old boundaries were restored and those who supported Napoleon were purged. But, the change in culture remained as well as Napoleon's bureaucratic reforms. Though, ultra-royalists pushed to the right
- 1818 - France, now peaceful, was admitted to the Concert of Europe.
- 1823 - France interfered in the Spanish civil war, helping the Royalists win, then leaving.
- 1824 - Charles X took power and he tried to be an absolute monarch and strengthen the power of the Catholic church in France. But, France was unhappy with this and he was overthrown in 1830.
- 1830 - Louis-Philippe took power as the King of the French, meaning his power came from the people, and was not of divine right rule. There was a major conflict between the liberals and conservatives for the up coming years. France sort of missed Napoleon around this time.
- 1848 - Louis-Philippe is over thrown and France becomes a republic once more, though a conservative Republic. France also established a right to work principle and built National Workshops. Yet, there was still strife between the Liberals and Conservatives and the constitution was very flawed.
- 1851 - Napoleon's nephew took power as Emperor Napoleon III through a coup d'etat. This was a very authoritarian time, but France also finally industrialized and urbanized. France also began to take colonies in Indo-China, Africa and the South Seas. Once more his ego was growing.
- 1854 - Allied with England and the Ottom Empire against Russia.
- 1859 - France helped Italy gain it's independence from Austria and gained some land
- 1860 - France supported the American Confederacy until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862
- 1862 - France instals a puppet state in Mexico, but is kicked out in 1865
- 1868 - France and Prussia's animosity grew and grew
- 1869 - France opens the Suez Canal
- 1870 - Napoleon establishes a parliamentary legislature, but the Empire collapses soon after.
- 1870 - Prussia provoked war on France and then laid a siege on Paris. France tried to fight back, but got his but kicked and had to give up Alsace and Lorraine to Germany as well as pay him money. Napoleon fled to England afterwards.
- 1870 - France established the third Republic and was occupied by Germany at the time. It kind of made France feel vengeful.
- 1871 - An uprising let by The Commune (they were a working class group) happened in Paris because of the siege. Then Prussia paraded through Paris and France got more mad.
- 1871 - France's government tried to strengthen it's own power and weaken the National guard and tried to have the regular troop move a cannon away from Paris. Many soldiers refused and the government lost power.
- The commune then passed many liberal acts and made legislation to separate church and state. The women's movement also began.
- 1875 - Commune is crushed and the Republic's constitution is established.
- 1879 - Moderate republicans took power
- 1880 - The French Workers Party (Marxist Party) was born
- 1881 to 1882 - A vote on free and mandatory public education took place
- 1894 - France began it's attempts to woo England and Russia by making and Aliance with Russia
- 1899 - Radicals gain power and France became a modern state and continued to colonize
- 1904 - France allied itself with England in the Entente Cordiale
- 1905 - France passed laws to create a complete separation of church and state
- 1907 - The Triple Entente was formed
- 1914 - World War I begins; much of it is fought on French soil. England helped France fight of Germany
- 1919 - World War I ended and France was pretty pissed of and harsh on Germany. It also got back Alsace and Lorraine.
- 1920 - The Socialist party is split into two and the majority of them formed the French Communist Party
- 1934 - Extreme conservatives made a anti-parliament demonstration and the socialists feared a fascist coup d'etat. France began to create anti-fascist organizations.
- 1936 - The Popular Front ( a socialist, communist and radical party alliance) won the elections. The government collapsed within a year because of economic policy opposition and it's support of the Spanish Republicans in the Spanish civil war.
- 1939 - Germany invades Poland and France and England declare war
- 1940 - France signed an armistice with Germany and Germany occupied three-fifths of France and the rest formed Vichy France which collaborated with Germany
- Charles de Gaulle refuses to collaborate with Germany and gores the Free French Forces and made resistance movements
- 1944 - France is liberated and a provisional government is installed
- 1945 - World War II ends
- 1946 - The Fourth Republic is Formed. Wars occurred in Indochina and Algeria.
- 1954 - France withdrew from Indo Chine
- 1958 - In fear of a Coup d'etat France formed a new government (Fifth Republic) with a strengthened presidency
- 1959 - First time in the 20th century France held an election
- 1962 - Algerian War ends - Algeria gets to be independent, but still remained closely tied to France
- 1968 - Student protest movements occurred and France became more socially liberal. Socialist movements continued afterwards
- 1992 - European Union is created, France begins to use the Euro
- 1995 - France tries to combat its very high unemployment rate
THE TRYOUT
And we are vagabonds, we travel without seat belts on, we live this close to death
The Execution of Jeanne D'Arc
May 30, 1431
Rouen, France
The rancid smell of sweat, grime and dust entered France's nose. People crowded in the center, their dully-colored tunics seeming to blend into one in front of the nation's icy blue eyes. Faces seemed to fade away into scenery, and the scenery itself became indistinguishable, not that the blonde cared to make out any of it. Sight did not matter to him for the moment. Around the nation, a garble of hushed voices filled the air with a thundering noise. He silently wished for all of them to be silent, they would all go to hell for this. Then, a bitter smirk tugged on his full lips as he thought, 'no, everyone should go to hell for this and I should be first in line.' A dark chuckle escaped his dry throat and he turned his eyes upwards to the clear blue sky.
On any other day, it would have been beautiful, but today France thought it to be a mockery. God was making a cruel, sick, twisted joke or maybe He was just punishing the nation. There could be no other reason to kill Jeanne. But, before the blonde could continue his thoughts, a pair of bright green eyes flashed before him. An instant later they were gone. It had probably just been his imagination, but the icy eyed man was sure it was also a sign. Today had not been God's will, but the Devil's, albeit the Devil with a change of name. England.
Sickness bubbled within the Frenchman's stomach and he felt something lurch up and into his throat. His frail looking body shook as he pushed it back. Curse that bastard. At his sides, his pale hands clenched into fists and more trembles fell over him. Why her? The ancient teen thought and not for the first time. There was a stinging pain in his eyes, as if tears would pour out any second, but none came. The trail was rigged, the nation wanted to scream. This shouldn't happen, he thought, contemplating throwing a tantrum. She's no heretic, he almost took off running. But no, none of those options would help; the blonde decided and forced himself to unclench his fists. For the next moment he stood perfectly still with his eyes firmly shut.
Suddenly, the noise hushed to a quiet whisper, only the sound quiet prayers could be heard now. Blue eyes pulled open and France turned his gaze to the left. Wooden buildings towered high above the cobblestone path as She made her way across it. The nation looked towards the calm, but undersigned grey eyes of his savior and watched as she slowly made her way step by step. One of her hands clutched a crudely made wooden cross and the blonde felt himself reaching up to clutch his own delicately cut golden one. Her simple white dress hung loosely on her tall frame, blowing in the light breeze. Her cropped brown hair mimicked the dress. Each step made by her bare feet was resolute and confident, so much so that the Frenchman wanted to step forward with her. But, he held himself still.
Taking deep breaths, France watched as the young hero was led up the steps of a creaking platform. Watched as she crossed the straw and stood against a tall pillar and chains were rapped around her body. In the back of a his throat, a scream once more threatened to come out, but he bit his lip and re-clenched his fists. The nation forced himself to keep his eyes open and watched as Jeanne began to pray quietly. He found himself praying along with her, though his prayers were far from holy. He prayed for the destruction of England, for vengeance for fire and brimstone to fall upon the accursed island. But the only fire that fell then was a lit torch next to the feet of the young woman.
A silver cross, held by two friars, was slowly raised up and the flames began to dance towards the sky. The fire crackled, laughed, and mocked the nation then. It ate at Her dress and raced up to her face. France could no longer bear to look. He turned his head up towards the sky once more, watching the dark pillars of smoke rise up and whirl together. Darkness filled in overhead and finally the heavens matched the scene, mussed the blonde while trying to ignore Jeanne's muffled cries. On his right arm, he felt a pain, as if someone had taken a branding iron and pressed it to his elbow. Somehow, that made him feel relieved. He focused on that spot, focused until the young woman's cries died away, until the fire stopped laughing. Then the spot stopped burning and was replaced by a dull ache.
Blue eyes once more turned to the stand, and numbness hit France, as the charred remains of his heroine were uncovered. His entire face went blank and he just stood there as the burned her body twice more, as they gathered her ashes into a sack. The men then began to walk forward and France followed them through the streets, not bothering to look at his surroundings. Instead he kept his gaze firmly at the now reddening sky. After what felt like an eternity of walking, the rush of water came into the blonde's ears. He finally looked down and saw the men gather along the banks of the Seine. The water rushed quickly past, dyed crimson by the sky. It was perfect, a work of art sarcastically mused the nation as one man reached into the bag containing Jeanne and tossed her ashes into the water. They rushed down, swirling in the river and out of sight. For a moment, the gathered crowd stood still, but one by one they all left.
Only France remained by the time the moon rose high into the sky. Icy eyes turned up towards the stars and the nation promised himself that for this England would pay. That he would regain the rest of his territory and more should he get the chance. That somehow, someday, he would get revenge. Then finally, he let tears spill out of his eyes, sat down at the waters edge and sobbed.
OOC
But I won, so you lose, guess it always comes down to
Name » Yevie or Jenna
Time Zone » Pacific Time (UCT - 8)
Time Zone » Pacific Time (UCT - 8)
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And will do. 