This is atimeline of French history, comprising important legal changes and political events in France and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, seeHistory of France. See also thelist of Frankish kings,French monarchs, andpresidents of France.
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 418 | Honorius gave land inGallia Aquitania to hisVisigothfederates in which to settle, forming the nucleus of the futureVisigothic Kingdom under kingWallia and then his son and heirTheodoric I. | |
| 426 | Clodio, the earliest recorded king lord of theSalian Franks, began his reign. | |
| 448 | Clodio died. He was succeeded byMerovech. | |
| 451 | 20 June | Battle of Châlons:Romans,Visigoths underTheodoric I and their allies (including the Franks) definitively stop furtherHunnic invasion inGaul. Theodoric I died during the battle, he was succeeded by his sonThorismund who also had a decisive role during the battle. |
| 453 | Thorismund was murdered by his younger brotherTheodoric II who succeeded him in the throne of theVisigothic Kingdom. | |
| 457 | Merovech died. His sonChilderic I succeeded him as king. | |
| TheDomain of Soissons, last Roman province ofGaul, was created withAegidius asmagister militum of therump state. | ||
| 462 | Roman territory ofSeptimania was ceded to theVisigothic Kingdom. | |
| 463 | Gothic war against Aegidius:Aegidius andChilderic I defeated the invadingVisigoths inOrléans. | |
| 464 | Aegidius died. His sonSyagrius succeeded him asmagister militum of theDomain of Soissons. | |
| 466 | Theodoric II was murdered and succeeded by his younger brotherEuric as king of theVisigoths, declaring total independence from Roman influence and extending during his reign theVisigothic kingdom to most of theIberian Peninsula. | |
| 469 | Revolt of EuricEuric takes possession of parts of Spain and conquers the south of Gaul. | |
| 481 | Childeric I died. His sonClovis I succeeded him. | |
| 485 | Euric died and was succeeded by his sonAlaric II as king of theVisigoths. | |
| 486 | Franco-Roman War of 486:Battle of Soissons: AFrankish army underClovis I defeatedSyagrius and conquered theDomain of Soissons. Syagrius sought refuge inAlaric II's kingdom, but was later handed back to Clovis and beheaded. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 507 | Franco-Gothic War (507–511):Clovis defeated aVisigoth army underAlaric II in theBattle of Vouillé, and conqueredGallia Aquitania, thus forming the basis of modern-dayFrance. | |
| 511 | 27 November | Clovis died. His kingdom was divided among his four sons; the territory with its seat atParis went toChildebert I, the kingdom ofSoissons went toChlothar I, the kingdom ofOrléans went toChlodomer, and the kingdom ofRheims (Austrasia) went toTheuderic I. |
| 524 | 25 June | Battle of Vézeronce: The united armies ofClovis' sons inflicted a serious defeat on theBurgundian kingGodomar.Chlodomer, the king of Orléans, was killed in battle. |
| Chlothar I, the king ofNeustria, had two ofChlodomer's sons killed and forced the third into hiding thus inheriting his kingdom. | ||
| 534 | Theuderic I died, his sonTheudebert I succeeded him as king ofAustrasia. | |
| 547 | Theudebert I died, his sonTheudebald succeeded him as king ofAustrasia. | |
| 555 | Theudebald died, his realm passed to his great-uncleChlothar I. | |
| 558 | 13 December | Childebert I died. His brotherChlothar I inherited his territory, thus becoming soleKing of the Franks and reunitingClovis' kingdom. |
| 561 | 29 November | Chlothar I died. The kingdom was divided among his four sons;Paris went toCharibert I,Burgundy toGuntram,Austrasia toSigebert I,Soissons toChilperic I. |
| 567 | November | Charibert I, king of Paris, died. With no heir, his realm was partitioned among his brothers. |
| 575 | Sigebert I of Austrasia died, his son,Childebert II, inherited his kingdom. | |
| 584 | September | Chilperic I of Soissons (Neustria) was assassinated. His infant sonChlothar II became king and his wifeFredegund became regent. |
| 592 | 28 January | Guntram of Burgundy died, his realm was passed on toChildebert II who was his adoptive son. |
| 8 December | Fredegund died so the 13-year-oldChlothar II started his reign as King ofNeustria. | |
| 589 | 17 October | Charibert II, Franco-Lombard-Byzantine war over thePo Valley. The war was stopped by breachingdam in Cucca, transferred to the Lombards by the Byzantine emperorMaurice, which caused a severe flood, that blocked the franks' army advance into Italy. |
| 595 | Childebert II died, his kingdom was divided between his two sons. The kingdom ofAustrasia went toTheudebert II, thekingdom of Burgundy toTheuderic II. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 612 | Theudebert II, the king ofAustrasia, was assassinated. His realm went to his brotherTheuderic II, king ofBurgundy. | |
| 613 | Theuderic II died. His bastard sonSigebert II briefly inherited his kingdom. | |
| Sigebert II, the king ofBurgundy andAustrasia, was executed byChlothar II, who inherited his kingdoms thus becoming soleking of the Franks. | ||
| 623 | Chlothar II gaveAustrasia its independence under the kingship of his son,Dagobert I. | |
| 629 | Chlothar II died. Under an agreement forged after his death,Dagobert I succeeded him as king ofNeustria but ceded what would becomeAquitaine to his brother,Charibert II. | |
| 632 | 8 April | Charibert II died, possibly in an assassination ordered by his brotherDagobert I. His infant sonChilperic succeeded him as king ofAquitaine. |
| Chilperic was also killed.Dagobert I reacquiredAquitaine and became sole king of the Franks. | ||
| 639 | 19 January | Dagobert I died. Austrasia went to his sonSigebert III, and the Kingdom of Neustria and Burgundy toClovis II. Both of these new kings are considered earlyrois fainéants. |
| 655 | Clovis II died. He was succeeded by his sonChlothar III (roi fainéant). | |
| 656 | 1 February | Sigebert III died. He was succeeded byChildebert the Adopted. |
| 661 | Childebert the Adopted died.Chlothar III annexed his kingdom, and became sole king of the Franks. | |
| Chlothar III died. His kingdom was divided between his two younger brothers;Austrasia toChilderic II, andNeustria toTheuderic III (roi fainéant). | ||
| 673 | Childeric II annexedTheuderic III's kingdom, and became sole king of the Franks. | |
| 675 | Childeric II died.Theuderic III inherited Neustria,Clovis III (roi fainéant) inherited Austrasia. | |
| 676 | Clovis III died.Theuderic III inherited his kingdom, becoming sole king of the Franks. | |
| 691 | Theuderic III died. He was succeeded by his sonClovis IV (roi fainéant). | |
| 695 | Clovis IV died. He was succeeded by his brotherChildebert III. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 711 | 23 April | Childebert died. He was succeeded by his sonDagobert III. |
| 715 | Dagobert died. He was succeeded byChilperic II, the youngest son ofChilderic II. | |
| 721 | 13 February | Chilperic died. He was succeeded byTheuderic IV,Dagobert III's son. |
| 732 | 10 October | Battle of Tours:Frankish andBurgundian soldiers under theMayor of the PalaceCharles Martel inflicted a significant defeat on the invading armies of theUmayyadCaliphate. |
| 737 | Theuderic died.Charles Martel was prevented succession. | |
| 741 | 22 October | Charles Martel died and his realm was divided between his two sons,Pepin the Short andCarloman, acting asMayors of the Palace. |
| 743 | Childeric III was finally proclaimedking of the Franks thanks toPepin the Short's influence, after the throne was vacant for 7 years. | |
| 747 | 15 August | Carloman renounced his position asMayor of the Palace and withdrew to monastic life, his realm was given to his brother,Pepin the Short. |
| 751 | Childeric III was dethroned as the last king of theMerovingian dynasty,Pepin the Short was later crownedking of the Franks, thus starting the rule of theCarolingian dynasty. | |
| 768 | 24 September | Pepin the Short died. |
| 9 October | Charlemagne andCarloman I were proclaimedKings of the Franks after their father's death. Each brother obtained half of their father's kingdom. | |
| 771 | 4 December | Carloman I died,Charlemagne annexed his kingdom. |
| 774 | Following successful conquests, Charlemagne becameking of the Lombards. | |
| 795 | TheSpanish March was created byCharlemagne as a buffer zone between theFrankish kingdom andAl-Andalus. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 800 | 25 December | Charlemagne iscrownedImperator Augustus byPope Leo III. |
| 811 | Thetreaty of Heiligen is signed between Charlemagne and theDanish king establishing the boundary betweenDenmark and theFrankish Empire. | |
| 812 | Frankish conquests in Spain were recognized by EmirAl-Hakam I. | |
| 814 | 28 January | Charlemagne dies and his only legitimate son,Louis the Pious, inherits the Empire. |
| 840 | 20 June | Louis the Pious dies, theFrankish Empire is claimed by his eldest sonLothair I, over his two brothers,Louis the German andCharles the Bald. |
| 843 | Treaty of Verdun: An alliance between Louis the German and Charles the Bald, and their victories over Lothair I, compelled the elder brother to negotiate the division of the Frankish Empire. It was divided in three parts;West Francia for Charles the Bald,Middle Francia for Lothair I andEast Francia for Louis the German, hence laying the foundations of modernFrance andGermany. | |
| 875 | 29 December | Charles the Bald is crownedHoly Roman Emperor byPope John VIII. |
| 876 | 8 October | Battle of Andernach: AfterLouis the German's death, Charles the Bald is badly defeated atAndernach by Louis' successor,Carloman of Bavaria, in an attempt to conquer his late brother's kingdom. |
| 877 | 6 October | Fleeing Northern Italy fromCarloman's army,Charles the Bald falls ill and dies. His sonLouis the Stammerer (Louis II) succeeds him as King ofWest Francia. |
| 879 | 10 April | Louis the Stammerer dies of illness. His two sonsLouis III andCarloman II succeed him as joint kings of West Francia. |
| 880 | March | Louis III and Carloman II sign a treaty inAmiens dividing the kingdom between each other. Louis III obtainsNeustria, Carloman II receivesBurgundy andAquitaine. |
| 882 | 5 August | Louis III dies,Carloman II becomes sole king ofWest Francia. |
| 884 | 12 December | Carloman II dies, his cousinCharles the Fat (Louis the German's youngest son) already king ofEast Francia, succeeds in the rule of West Francia reviving until his death the entireCarolingian Empire. |
| 888 | 13 January | Charles the Fat dies, with no legitimate or recognized heir, the Empire falls apart never to be reunited again. |
| February | Odo of France is crowned King of the Western Franks for his successes infighting off the Normans.Ranulf II becameKing of Aquitaine. | |
| 898 | 1 January | Odo of France dies leaving no surviving heir.Charles the Simple, son ofLouis the Stammerer, is declared king ofWest Francia, theCarolingian dynasty is thus again ruler of France. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 911 | Charles signed theTreaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte withRollo, the king of theVikings, allowing their settlement in what would become theDuchy of Normandy. | |
| 922 | Charles was overthrown by a noble revolt and replaced byRobert I,Odo's brother. | |
| 923 | 15 June | Battle of Soissons (923):Robert was killed.Charles was captured byRudolph, the duke of Burgundy. |
| Rudolph was elected king of France by an assembly of nobles. He left the Duchy of Burgundy to his brother. | ||
| 936 | 15 January | Rudolph died. He was succeeded byLouis IV, a son ofCharles the Simple. |
| 954 | 10 September | Louis IV died. He was succeeded by his sonLothair. |
| 986 | 1 March | Lothair died. He was succeeded by his sonLouis V. |
| 987 | 21 May | Louis V died. With no heir,Hugh Capet was chosen as his successor for his noble blood and military successes, thus ending theCarolingian dynasty's reign, and starting theCapetian dynasty. |
| 996 | 24 October | Hugh Capet died. He was succeeded by his sonRobert II. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1004 | Robert annexed the Duchy of Burgundy. | |
| 1016 | 6 July | Battle of Pontlevoy |
| 1022 | Orléans heresy | |
| 1031 | 20 July | Robert died in a civil war against his sons. His second son,Henry I, succeeded him; his third,Robert I Capet, disputed the succession and led a new revolt. |
| 1032 | Henry purchased peace by reversing the annexation of the Duchy of Burgundy and giving it to his brother. | |
| 1047 | Battle of Val-ès-Dunes | |
| 1054 | Battle of Mortemer | |
| 1060 | 4 August | Henry died. The throne passed to his seven-year-old son,Philip I, with his wifeAnne of Kiev acting as regent. |
| 1066 | Philip entered his majority. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1108 | 29 July | Philip died. He was succeeded by his late sonLouis VI, the Fat. |
| 1131 | 25 October | Louis' son, the futureLouis VII, the Young, was crowned the junior king and heir to the throne. |
| 1137 | 22 July | Louis VII became duke of Aquitaine by a political marriage to the duchessEleanor. |
| 1 August | Louis the Fat died.Louis VII became king. | |
| 1152 | 21 March | The marriage ofLouis VII andEleanor was annulled. |
| 1180 | 18 September | Louis VII died. He was succeeded by his sonPhilip II. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1214 | 27 July | Battle of Bouvines: The French army defeated a combinedEnglish–Flemish force, enabling the kingdom to consolidate its control overAnjou,Brittany,Maine,Normandy and theTouraine. |
| 1223 | 14 July | Philip II died. He was succeeded by his sonLouis VIII, the Lion. |
| 1226 | 8 November | Louis died. He was succeeded by his sonLouis IX. |
| 1241 | June | Louis IX announced that the County of Poitiers would go to his brotherAlphonse – offendingIsabella of Angoulême, whose son would have inherited the territory had theEnglish won theBattle of Bouvines. |
| 1242 | 20 May | Saintonge War:Henry III of England arrived with an army in support ofIsabella's claim to Poitiers. |
| 1270 | 25 August | Louis IX died. He was succeeded by his sonPhilip III. |
| 1285 | 5 October | Philip III died. He was succeeded by his sonPhilip IV. |
| 1297 | Louis IX wascanonized byPope Boniface VIII, and was from then on better known as Saint Louis. He is the only French monarch to be declared asaint. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1302 | 18 May | Bruges Matins: The exiled citizens ofBruges, inFlanders, returned to their hometown and killed every Frenchman. |
| 11 July | Battle of the Golden Spurs:Flemish insurrectionists soundly defeated a French occupation force. | |
| 1314 | 29 November | Philip IV died. He was succeeded by his eldest sonLouis X, the Headstrong. |
| 1316 | 5 June | Louis X died, possibly of poisoning. His wife was pregnant with their first child; his brotherPhilip V was appointed regent. |
| 15 November | Louis X's son was bornJohn I, the Posthumous. He died 5 days later soPhilip V was crowned king of France. | |
| 1322 | 3 January | Philip V died. With no heir, his younger brotherCharles IV succeeded him. |
| 1328 | 1 February | Charles IV died. He was succeeded by his cousinPhilip VI. |
| 1350 | 22 August | Philip VI died. He was succeeded by his sonJohn II. |
| 1356 | 19 September | Battle of Poitiers a major battle of theHundred Years' War between England and France. |
| 1357 | TheStates-General passedÉtienne Marcel'sGreat Ordinance in an attempt to impose limits on themonarchy, in particular in fiscal and monetary matters. | |
| 1364 | 8 April | John II died. He was succeeded by his sonCharles V. |
| 1380 | 16 September | Charles V died. He was succeeded by his sonCharles VI. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1412 | 756 | Birth of Jeanne d'Arc (The Maid of Orleans) |
| 1415 | 13 August | Hundred Years' War (1415–1429): AnEnglish army underKing Henry V landed in the north of France. |
| 1415 | 25 October | Battle of Agincourt: A major loss to the French in theHundred Years' War (1415–1429)[1] |
| 1418 | 30 May | The army ofJohn the Fearless, duke ofBurgundy, capturedParis. Thedauphin, the futureCharles VII, fled. |
| 1419 | 20 September | John the Fearless was assassinated by companions of thedauphin. He was succeeded by his sonPhilip the Good, who would ally himself with theEnglish against the French crown. |
| 1420 | 21 May | TheBurgundians compelledCharles VI to sign theTreaty of Troyes, under which the throne was to pass toHenry V. |
| 1422 | 31 August | Henry V died. He was succeeded as King ofEngland by his infant sonHenry VI. |
| 21 October | Charles VI died. He was succeeded by his sonCharles VII as king of France, a title disputed forHenry VI of England. | |
| 1438 | 7 July | Charles VII issues thePragmatic Sanction of Bourges, requiring Church councils to be held every 10 years, and confirming the right of theGallican Church to appoint ecclesiastical officials. |
| 1453 | 17 July | Battle of Castillon: In what is considered the last battle of theHundred Years' War, the French inflict a decisive victory on the English army, eventually gaining back all English-held territories of France. |
| 1461 | 22 July | Charles VII died. He was succeeded by his sonLouis XI. |
| 1483 | 30 August | Louis XI died. He was succeeded by his sonCharles VIII. |
| 1494 | Charles VIII begins thefirst of theItalian Wars by invading Italy, but is eventually repulsed by theLeague of Venice. | |
| 1498 | 7 April | Charles VIII died. With no heir, he was succeeded by his father's second cousin, theDuke of Orléans,Louis XII. |
| 1499 | Louis XII begins theItalian War of 1499–1504 in order to press his claims to theDuchy of Milan and theKingdom of Naples. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1508 | 10 December | War of the League of Cambrai: Representatives of thePapacy, France, and theHoly Roman Empire andFerdinand I of Spain established the League of Cambrai, whose purpose was to defeatVenice and partition its territory. |
| 1514 | 18 May | Claude, the duchess ofBrittany, was married toFrancis of Angoulême, the heir to the French throne. |
| 1515 | 1 January | Louis died.Francis of Angoulême succeeded him as Francis I. |
| 1524 | 20 July | Claude died. Her eldest sonFrancis, Dauphin of France, became Duke ofBrittany. |
| 1525 | 24 February | Battle of Pavia. Francis is defeated byImperial forces underCharles V and captured. |
| 1532 | Francis I issued an edict incorporatingBrittany into the kingdom of France. | |
| 1547 | 31 March | Francis I died. He was succeeded by his sonHenry II. |
| 1559 | 3 April | Henry II ends the Italian Wars by signing thePeace of Cateau-Cambrésis and renouncing all his Italian claims. |
| 10 July | Henry II died. He was succeeded by his sonFrancis II. | |
| 1560 | 5 December | Francis II died. With no heir, he was succeeded by his brotherCharles IX. |
| 1562 | 1 March | Massacre of Vassy begins theFrench Wars of Religion. |
| 1572 | 23 August | St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of French Protestants.[2] |
| 1574 | 30 May | Charles IX died. With no heir, he was succeeded by his brotherHenry III. |
| 1589 | 2 August | Henry III died with no heir, thus ending the reign of theValois branch of theCapetian dynasty. He was succeeded byHenry IV, the first monarch of theHouse of Bourbon. |
| 1598 | 13 April | Henry IV issued theEdict of Nantes to end theFrench civil war of religion.[3] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1610 | 14 May | KingHenry IV died, by assassination Francois Ravaillac. He was succeeded by his eldest sonLouis XIII, with de' Medici ruling as regent. |
| 1617 | Sixteen-year-oldLouis exiled his mother and took control of the government. | |
| 1624 | August | Louis tookCardinal Richelieu as his chief minister. |
| 1643 | 14 May | Louis died. His five-year-old sonLouis XIV succeeded him.Cardinal Mazarin became regent. |
| 1648 | August | Fronde:Cardinal Mazarin ordered the arrest of the leaders of theparlement ofParis, which provoked widespread rioting. |
| 24 October | Thirty Years' War: ThePeace of Westphalia ended the war with France obtaining the better bargain, and annexing eastern territories. | |
| 1659 | November | Franco-Spanish War: Victorious France signs theTreaty of the Pyrenees with Spain and annexes northernCatalonia andFrench Flanders. The war confirms France as the dominant continental power andBourbon strength over theHabsburgs. |
| 1668 | 2 May | Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle: end of theWar of Devolution. France obtainsLille and other territories ofFlanders fromSpain. |
| 1678 | Treaties of Nijmegen: A series of treaties ending theFranco-Dutch War. France obtains theFranche-Comté and some cities inFlanders andHainaut (fromSpain). | |
| 1684 | 15 August | Truce of Ratisbon: End of theWar of the Reunions. France obtains further territories in the north-west from Spain. |
| 1697 | 20 September and 30 October | Treaty of Ryswick: End of theNine Years' War between France and theGrand Alliance. Territorial changes were made in Europe and the colonial empires of the countries involved. |
| Year | Date | Event | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1701 | 9 July | Battle of Carpi: In what was the first battle of theWar of the Spanish Succession,Austrian invaders encountered the French army atCarpi, and defeated them. | |
| 1713 | 11 April | War of the Spanish Succession: France andEngland signed theTreaty of Utrecht, under whichPhilip V of Spain renounced for himself and his descendants any right to the French throne. Similarly, possible heirs to the French crown renounced all rights to the rulership ofSpain. | |
| 1713 | 7 March | War of the Spanish Succession: TheTreaty of Rastatt ended hostilities between France andAustria. | |
| 1715 | 1 September | Louis XIV died of gangrene. His five-year-old great-grandsonLouis XV succeeded him, with Louis XIV's nephewPhilippe II, Duke of Orléans, acting as regent. | |
| 1720 | 17 February | Treaty of The Hague: France and its allies signed a treaty with Spain, thus ending theWar of the Quadruple Alliance. | |
| 1723 | 15 February | Louis XV became the new King of France. | |
| 1738 | 18 November | Treaty of Vienna: The signing of the treaty ended theWar of the Polish Succession. France gained theDuchy of Lorraine and Bar. | |
| 1744 | 5–10 October | Louis XV visitsStrasbourg. It is the first time since 1681 that a monarch goes toAlsace. Sumptuous festivals are organized throughout the city, the wine flows in the fountains of the squares, fireworks are fired, and a huge screen 12 meters high and 30 wide is set up in front of theRohan Palace to partially hide the little-appreciated Gothic houses. This visit will leave the city ecstatic and indebted for many years. |  |
| 1745 | 23 February | The DauphinLouis of France marries InfantaMaria Teresa Rafaela of Spain at theChapel of Versailles. |  |
| 25–26 February | Yew Tree Ball: Masked ball given by theLouis XV in theGrand Gallery of theChateau of Versailles, on the occasion of the marriage of Louis, Dauphin of France with Maria Teresa, Infanta of Spain. Fifteen thousand people attended includingJeanne Antoinette Poisson who met with the King for a second time. |  | |
| 11 May | War of the Austrian Succession: French forces defeat an Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian army at theBattle of Fontenoy;Louis XV, and his son, theDauphin, were present at the battle. |  | |
| 6 December | Jean-Baptiste de Machault d'Arnouville becomesController-General of Finances at the age of forty-four. |  | |
| 1746 | 5 August | Christophe de Beaumont becomesArchbishop of Paris at the age of forty-three. |  |
| 1748 | 18 October | Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle: The signing of the treaty, dictated by France and Britain, ended theWar of the Austrian Succession. The French population was dissatisfied with the terms, considering the French conquests during the war. | |
| 1763 | 10 February | Seven Years' War: France and some allied and enemy nations sign theTreaty of Paris ending the Seven Years' War, resulting in a major blow on French colonial possessions. | |
| 1768 | 15 May | Treaty of Versailles: In order to pay its debts and being no longer able to suppress struggle for independence, theRepublic of Genoa cededCorsica to France. Corsica remained French ever since. | |
| 1770 | 16 May | The DauphinLouis Auguste of France marries ArchduchessMaria Antonia of Austria at theChapel of Versailles. |  |
| 1774 | 10 May | Louis XV died. He was succeeded by his grandsonLouis XVI. | |
| 1778 | February | France recognizes theAmerican colonies as independent from theUnited Kingdom, making its involvement in theAmerican War of Independence official. France will wage war with the United Kingdom in the Americas and other parts of the world assuring victory with thePeace of Paris. | |
| 1786 | 21–23 June | Louis XVI visitsCherbourg to see the construction site of the dam and the arsenal. |  |
| 1789 | 14 July | The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille. |  |
| 1792 | 21 September | The constitutional monarchy in France is abolished, and theFrench First Republic was declared. | |
| 1793 | 21 January | Former King of FranceLouis XVI wasexecuted by guillotine. TheNational Convention had taken power a few months earlier. |  |
| 7 June | Revolutionary Paris sections took over theConvention, calling for administrative and political purges, starting 1-year and 2 months of what is known as theReign of Terror. |  | |
| 16 October | Former Queen of FranceMarie Antoinette was executed by guillotine. |  | |
| 1795 | 2 November | TheDirectory seized power over theConvention. |  |
| 1797 | 17 October | War of the First Coalition – TheTreaty of Campo Formio is signed between France andAustria following decisive French military victories. The treaty marks the collapse of the First Coalition, composed of European powers which tried to containRevolutionary France. | |
| 1798 | 7 July | TheUnited States Congress rescinded treaties with France, a moment considered as the semi-official beginning of theQuasi-War. | |
| 1799 | 9 November | Coup of 18 Brumaire: GeneralNapoleon Bonaparte overthrew theFrench Directory, replacing it with theFrench Consulate. |
| Year | Date | Event | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 9 February | War of the Second Coalition: TheTreaty of Lunéville was signed after the victory of the French Republic against the Second Coalition states (led by theAustrian andRussian Empires), marking the end of the war with only Britain left fighting France. |  |
| 15 July | TheConcordat of 1801 was signed betweenNapoleon andPope Pius VII, solidifying theRoman Catholic Church as the majority church of France, returning most of its civil status, and restoring much power to the papacy. |  | |
| 1802 | 3 February | Saint-Domingue expedition: French Army GeneralCharles Leclerc and the first 5,000 of 20,000 troops arrive at Cap-François (nowCap-Haïtien) to suppressToussaint L'Ouverture and the rebellion of the black population in Haiti. | _-_d%25C3%25A9tail.jpg) |
| 25 March | War of the Second Coalition: TheTreaty of Amiens established a peace between France and theUnited Kingdom. |  | |
| 1803 | 2 May | Louisiana Purchase: France soldLouisiana to theUnited States of America, renouncing its last territorial possessions on continentalNorth America. |  |
| 18 November | Battle of Vertières: Theviscount of Rochambeau was defeated and forced to surrender to the revolutionary army ofJean-Jacques Dessalines. | ||
| 1804 | 1 January | Haitian Revolution:Dessalines declared the independence ofHaiti. |  |
| 18 May | Napoleon was declared Emperor by the Senate, marking the beginning of theFirst French Empire and the end of theFrench Consulate. |  | |
| 2 December | Napoleon crowned himself Emperor inNotre-Dame de Paris. Napoleon hadPope Pius VII in attendance to indicate approval of the Church. | .jpg) | |
| 1805 | 2 December | War of the Third Coalition: TheFrench Empire is victorious at the decisiveBattle of Austerlitz which marks the end of the Third Coalition (Austria,Russia,United Kingdom,Sweden and others) against France and itsclient states. |  |
| 1806 | 12 July | Napoleon dissolved theHoly Roman Empire, and created theConfederation of the Rhine, a union of Frenchclient states composed of 16 states in present-dayGermany. | |
| 1807 | 14 June | War of the Fourth Coalition: The French Empire is victorious at the decisiveBattle of Friedland which marks the end of the Fourth Coalition (mainlyPrussia,Russia,Saxony,Sweden, and theUnited Kingdom) against France and itsclient states. |  |
| 1808 | 2 May | Beginning of thePeninsular War which will last until Napoleon's defeat against theSixth Coalition in 1814. |  |
| 1809 | 5 July | War of the Fifth Coalition: The French Empire is victorious at the decisiveBattle of Wagram which marks the end of the Fifth Coalition (mainly theAustrian Empire and theUnited Kingdom) against France and itsclient states. (to 6 July) |  |
| 1812 | 14 September | War of the Sixth Coalition: TheFire of Moscow marks the beginning of French retreat after theFrench invasion of Russia. TheFirst French Empire reached the height of its power and declined henceforth with the disastrousBattle of Berezina. The Sixth Coalition will go on to win the war andNapoleon will be exiled in 1814 toElba. |  |
| 1813 | 26–27 August | Battle of Dresden, took place around Dresden, Germany, resulting in a French victory under Napoleon against forces of the Sixth Coalition of Austrians, Russians and Prussians under Field Marshal Schwartzenberg. However, Napoleon's victory was not as complete as it could have been. Substantial pursuit was not undertaken after the battle, and the flanking corps was surrounded and forced to surrender a few days later at the Battle of Kulm. |  |
| 1813 | 16–19 October | Battle of Leipzig, 600,000 soldiers are involved in the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I. Coalition routs the French. |  |
| 1814 | 4 April | Forced abdication of Napoleon and subsequent exile to Elba. |  |
| 1814 | 24 April | First Restoration: TheHouse of Bourbon was briefly restored withLouis XVIII as King of France in an intermediate period of theNapoleonic Wars. |  |
| 1815 | 21 January | The transfer of the coffins of KingLouis XVI and his wife,Marie Antoinette, to the churchSt. Denis in Paris. |  |
| 26 February | Hundred Days: Napoleon escapes fromElba. |  | |
| 7 March | Hundred Days: Napoleon greeted by the 5th Regiment atGrenoble after his escape fromElba. |  | |
| 18 June | Hundred Days:Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon is defeated bySeventh Coalition armies, definitively ending theFirst French Empire and theNapoleonic Wars, and marks the start of almost half a century of peace throughout Europe. |  | |
| 7 July | Second Restoration: WithNapoleon exiled inSaint Helena, theHouse of Bourbon was again restored.Louis XVIII became King of France until his death on 16 September 1824. |  | |
| 1820 | 13 February | Assassination of theDuke of Berry. |  |
| 1821 | 5 May | Death ofNapoleon. |  |
| 1823 | April | French invasion of Spain: France started its invasion of Spain, eventually succeeding and restoring the monarchy, ending theLiberal Triennium. |  |
| 1830 | 26-29 July | July Revolution or French Revolution of 1830: the conservativeHouse of Bourbon is overthrown and replaced by the more liberal Orleans Monarchy withLouis Philippe I becoming King of France. |  |
| 3 February | End of theGreek War of Independence; Greece wins their independence when Russia, France, and Britain finally agree on the terms of the Treaty of London. | ||
| 1831 | 22 November | First Canut revolt: first clearly defined worker uprising of theIndustrial Revolution. |  |
| 1832 | 5 June | June Rebellion: Unsuccessful Anti-monarchist insurrection inParis. |  |
| 1835 | 28 July | The Fieschi attentat: In Paris, the assassination ofLouis Philippe I is attempted byGiuseppe Marco Fieschi using a home-made volley gun. Eighteen are killed but the King escapes with a minor wound. |  |
| 1839 | 9 March | Pastry War: Victorious French troops withdraw fromMexico after their demands were satisfied. | .jpg) |
| 1848 | February | February Revolution or French Revolution of 1848: Republican riots forced King Louis-Philippe to abdicate and flee to England. |  |
| 20 December | Louis Napoleon Bonaparte starts his term as the first president of theFrench Second Republic. |  | |
| EuropeanRevolutions of 1848 | |||
| 1851 | 2 December | Exactly one year after hiscoup d'état, president Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte becomesNapoleon III, ending the Second Republic and creating theSecond French Empire with him as emperor. | |
| 1853–1856 | 28 March | Crimean War: France and Britain formally declared war on Russia. | |
| 1860 | Following the Franco-Sardinian victory over theAustrian Empire in theSecond Italian War of Independence, Italian regions ofNice andSavoy were transferred to the French Empire as a reward. | ||
| 18 October | Second Opium War: British and French troops entered theForbidden City inBeijing. | ||
| 1866 | 31 May | French intervention in Mexico: French troops start withdrawing from the country. | |
| 1870–1940 | Third Republic | ||
| 1871 | 10 May | The end of theFranco-Prussian War: France's loss marked the downfall ofNapoleon III and led to the end of theSecond French Empire. TheThird Republic was subsequently declared and Napoleon III went into exile in theUnited Kingdom until his death. | |
| 26 March | TheParis Commune was declared and lasted 2 months before being violently suppressed by the French army. | ||
| 31 August | Adolphe Thiers began his term as president of France. |  | |
| 1873 | 24 May | Patrice de Mac-Mahon began his term as president of France. |  |
| 1879 | 30 January | Jules Grévy began his term as president of France. |  |
| 1887 | 28 January | Work begins on the foundations of theEiffel Tower. |  |
| 3 December | Marie François Sadi Carnot began his term as president of France. |  | |
| 1888 | 20 March | First Stage of theEiffel Tower is completed. |  |
| 21 August | Second Stage of theEiffel Tower is completed. |  | |
| 1889 | 15 May | TheEiffel Tower is opened to the public. |  |
| 26 May | TheEiffel Tower lifts begin service. |  | |
| 1894 | 4 January | TheFranco-Russian Alliance was confirmed. | |
| 27 June | Jean Casimir-Perier began his term as president of France. |  | |
| November | TheDreyfus affair begins, creating a scandal which will mobilize intellectuals and divide the French population for a decade. | ||
| 1895 | 17 January | Félix Faure began his term as president of France. |  |
| 1899 | 18 February | Émile Loubet began his term as president of France. |  |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1904 | 8 April | TheEntente Cordiale was signed, as an agreement mainly based on imperial issues. With theAnglo-Russian Entente of 1907, France, Britain andRussia were known as theTriple Entente in opposition to theTriple Alliance of Germany, Austria and Italy.[4] |
| 1905 | 15 December | The1905 French law on the separation of Church and State ended government funding of religious groups.[5] |
| 1906 | 18 February | Armand Fallières began his term as president of France. |
| 1913 | 18 February | Raymond Poincaré began his term as president of France.[6] |
| 1914 | 3 August | French entry into World War I:Germany declared war on France. |
| 1918 | 11 November | World War I: Thefirst armistice at Compiègne was signed between France and Germany, ending the Great War. France regainedAlsace-Lorraine. |
| 1923 | January | Beginning of Franco-Belgianoccupation of the Ruhr. |
| 1924 | 13 June | Gaston Doumergue began his term as president of France. |
| 1931 | 13 June | Paul Doumer began his term as president of France. |
| 1932 | 10 May | Albert Lebrun began his term as president of France. |
| 1934 | 6 February | Riots by far-right leagues were repressed by the state in what was considered as a failed coup d'état, and a major political crisis of theThird Republic. |
| 1937 | 25 May | International Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life was opened in Paris in 1937. |
| 1939 | 3 September | Second World War:France declared war on Germany. |
| 7 September | Saar Offensive | |
| 1940 | 9 May | TheBattle of France begins. |
| 18 June | Charles de Gaulle makes hisAppeal of 18 June. | |
| 25 June | Second World War: TheSecond Armistice at Compiègne was put into effect after the French and British armies were heavily defeated in theBattle of France by the Germans. The northern half of France was occupied by German forces and the southern part was governed by the collaborationistVichy Government led by MarshalPhilippe Pétain. | |
| 27 October | Battle of Gabon | |
| 1941 | 8 June | Syria–Lebanon campaign |
| 1942 | 11 November | Case Anton |
| 1944 | 6 June | Normandy landings |
| 25 August | Second World War –Liberation of Paris: In what is considered the last battle of theAlliedOperation Overlord,Free French Forces and theFrench Resistance, liberatedParis from German occupation. | |
| 1945 | 22 April | Capture of theSigmaringen enclave |
| 24 October | Establishment of theUnited Nations (UN) with France having a veto on the Security Council. | |
| 8 May | Complete liberation of the rest of France as the Allies finish off the few pockets ofGerman Resistance | |
| 1946 | 13 October | France adopted the constitution of theFourth Republic. |
| 1947 | 16 January | Vincent Auriol began his term as the first president of theFourth Republic. |
| 1951 | 18 April | Treaty of Paris: Establishment of theEuropean Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) between France,West Germany,Italy, and theBenelux countries, producing diplomatic and economic stability in Europe between former enemy states. The ECSC is credited as one of the major "ancestors" of theEuropean Union. |
| 1954 | 16 January | René Coty began his term as president of France. |
| 1 August | End of the 8-year longIndochina War. The followingGeneva Conference (1954) agreed to dividingVietnam. France departed from the country in a move that started worldwidedecolonization of theFrench colonial empire. | |
| 1957 | 25 March | Treaties of Rome: TheInner Six countries (including France) signed two treaties establishing theEuropean Economic Community (EEC) and theEuropean Atomic Energy Community (EAEC). |
| 1959 | 8 January | Charles de Gaulle became the first president of theFifth Republic, whose new constitution greatly increased the President's powers (as opposed theThird andFourth Republics, in which the office of President of the Republic was a largely ceremonial and powerless one). |
| 1962 | 19 March | End of theAlgerian War, Algeria, a French colony, obtained independence from France after almost 8 years of official strife. |
| 1965 | 8 April | Merger Treaty: this treaty merged the ECSC, the EEC and the EAEC into a single institutional structure known as theEuropean Community. |
| 1967 | 24 July | Charles de Gaulle's famous "Vive le Québec libre" speech provoked a diplomatic crisis inCanada–France relations. |
| 1968 | May–June | May '68: a series of protests, occupations and strikes against capitalism, consumerism and traditional institutions, values and order (part of the1968 worldwide protests). |
| 1969 | 20 June | Georges Pompidou began his term aspresident of France. |
| 1974 | 27 May | Valéry Giscard d'Estaing began his term aspresident of France. |
| 1981 | 21 May | François Mitterrand began his term aspresident of France. |
| 1986 | 17 February | Single European Act : a major revision of theTreaty of Rome to establish a common market by the end of 1992. (to 28 February 1987) |
| 1992 | 7 February | Maastricht Treaty: Members of theEuropean Community (including France) signed a treaty creating what is now known as theEuropean Union. |
| 1995 | 17 May | Jacques Chirac began his term aspresident of France. |
| 1998 | 12 July | France won the1998 World Cup of football on home soil. This was their firstFIFA World Cup title. |
| 31 December | Introduction of the euro: the exchange rates between theeuro and legacy currencies (thefranc for France) in theeurozone became fixed. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "French government adopts a law that requires every FrenchWeb page to be officiallyarchived."[7] | |
| 2002 | 2 January | Introduction of the firsteuro coins and bills replacing the legacy currency, thefranc. |
| 2004 | 15 March | A law bans "conspicuous" religious symbols in schools. The law is renowned to target theIslamic headscarf, but forbids also Christian and Jewish symbols. |
| 2005 | October and November | 2005 French riots. |
| 2007 | 15 May | Nicolas Sarkozy began his term aspresident of France. |
| 2010 | 14 September | A law toban face covering from public space is passed by theSenate of France. The law had been previously passed by theNational Assembly of France on 13 July 2010. The law is renowned to target theburqa and theniqāb, that President Sarkozy declared "not welcome" in France. |
| 2011 | 19 March | France leads theNATO intervention in Libya to overthrowMuammar Gaddafi. The Libyan leader is eventually killed on 20 October 2011. |
| 2012 | 6 May | François Hollande began his term aspresident of France. |
| 2013 | 11 January | Beginning of the French intervention in Mali against Islamic militants known asOperation Serval (11 January 2013 – 15 July 2014) |
| 18 May | Same-sex marriage becomes legal in France, the 13th country worldwide to allow it. | |
| 2015 | 7–9 January | 17 people, including three police officers, are killed in two terrorist attacks by Muslim terrorists; theCharlie Hebdo shooting targeted a magazine which published cartoons of Mohammed.[8] |
| 10–11 January | Some 3.7 million peopledemonstrate nationwide against terrorism and for freedom of speech following the terrorist attack atCharlie Hebdo. | |
| 13 November | ISIS sends 3 teams of suicide bombers toattack multiple targets in Paris including a soccer stadium, a concert, and several restaurants; over 120 dead. | |
| 2016 | 14 July | 2016 Nice truck attack: A cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds of people celebratingBastille Day on thePromenade des Anglais, Nice resulting in the deaths of 86 people and the injury of 458 others. |
| 2017 | 14 May | Emmanuel Macron began his term aspresident of France. |
| 2018 | 15 July | France wins the2018 FIFA World Cup. |
| 17 November | The start of theyellow vests protests. | |
| 2020 | 16 October | Murder of Samuel Paty |
| 2024 | 18 January | 2024 French farmers' protests are held against French and EU agricultural policy.[9][10] |