Paris Top 10 : Historical Events in Paris – Top 10 Events in the French Revolution

1. Arrival of the Parisii

   Although
   the remains of Neolithic settlements have been found dating back to
   4500 BC, the first inhabitants are considered to be a Celtic tribe
   called the Parisii, who settled on the Ile de la Cité in the 3rd century
   BC. Hunters and fishermen, they named their village Lutetia, meaning
   “boatyard on a river”. The tribe minted their own gold coins and a pagan
   altar was found beneath Notre-Dame.

2. Roman Settlement

   The
   Romans conquered the Parisii in 52 BC and destroyed their city. After
   rebuilding it as their administrative centre, they founded their own
   town on the Left Bank. The baths in the Hôtel de Cluny and the amphitheatre in rue Monge are the only remains. In AD 360 the
   Roman prefect was declared emperor and Lutetia was renamed Paris, after
   its original inhabitants.

3. Founding of France

   Roman
   rule weakened under Barbarian attacks. In 450 the prayers of a young
   nun, Geneviève, were credited with saving the city from invasion by
   Attila the Hun. She became the patron saint of Paris. But in 476 the
   Franks captured the city, Christianity became the official religion and
   Paris the capital of their new kingdom, France.

4. Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor

   In
   751 the Carolingian dynasty became rulers of France when Pepin the
   Short ascended the throne. His heir Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman
   Emperor in 800 and moved the capital to Aix-La-Chapelle (Aachen). Paris
   fell into decline until Hugues Capet became king in 987, moving the
   capital back to his home city.

5. St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre

   Catherine
   de’Medici, Henri II’s queen, bore three French kings and one queen,
   Marguerite de Valois, who married the Protestant Henri of Navarre in
   August 1572. Many Protestants came to Paris for the wedding and
   Catherine plotted their massacre. The killings began on 24 August and
   thousands died. Henri of Navarre survived and later became Henri IV, the
   first Bourbon king.

6. French Revolution

   Following
   decades of royal excess and the growing gulf between rich and poor,
   Paris erupted with the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 (see Top 10 Events in the French Revolution).

7. Napoleon’s Coronation

   As
   Paris rose from the ashes of the Revolution, a young general from
   Corsica, Napoleon Bonaparte, saved the city from a royalist revolt, then
   led military victories in Italy and Egypt. He crowned himself Emperor
   of France in Notre-Dame in 1804 .

8. The Second Empire

   In
   1851, Napoleon’s nephew, Louis-Napoleon, seized power as Emperor
   Napoleon III. He appointed Baron Haussmann to oversee massive building
   works that transformed Paris into the most glorious city in Europe. The
   wide boulevards, many public buildings, parks, sewer system and the
   first department stores date from 1852 to 1870.

9. The Paris Commune

   Following France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War
   in 1871, many citizens rejected the harsh terms of the surrender and a
   left-wing group revolted, setting up the Paris Commune. But, after 72
   days, government troops marched on the city. In a week of street
   fighting (21–28 May), much of the city burned and thousands of
   rebellious citizens were killed.

10. Liberation of Paris

    The
    occupation of France by Germany during World War II was a dark period
    for Paris. However, the city was also the centre for the French
    Resistance. Allied forces liberated Paris on 25 August 1944; just two
    days earlier, the German commander Von Choltitz had ignored Adolf
    Hitler’s order to burn the city.

Top 10 Events in the French Revolution