A bit about French History

France's history is as deep and layered as the ancient Lascaux caves dating back 17,000 years, reflecting a nation with roots extending far into the past. Despite this long history and national identity, or maybe because of it, France has a lot of curious and strange history.

The narrative of France being an "old" country contrasts intriguingly with perceptions of America's "youth," a view shared by many French who are fascinated by the relatively recent history and cultural exports of the United States, including its 19th-century frontier expansion. In my understanding, even as France is a much smaller country than the US, many of its borders have only recently been set.

France’s journey to become the country we know today was not straightforward. It took centuries of conflicts, language colonization, and the gradual integration of diverse regions and peoples, each with its unique identity and history. The Capetian dynasty, starting in 987, is often cited as a foundational era, yet many areas within France remained linguistically and culturally distinct for centuries thereafter.

France is not only French

There were many parts of France that did not consider themselves French. In some places, that sentiment remains.

The simplistic view that France is ancient while the U.S. is young overlooks the complex histories of both. Just as the first Americans and the creators of Lascaux's cave paintings would not consider themselves American or French, so it was with the various peoples who have inhabited what is now France over millennia—from Neolithic builders to Gallic tribes and Romans.

I’ll be writing here about curiosities in France’s history – in no particular order.  This will jump back and forth from 19^th century maps to France’s own internet to mythical beasts and men dressed as fairies to flout the law, all with no particular sense or order except for the fact that they all happened, at one time or another, within the modern borders of France.

K