There are many words in English which come from French and they often date from this time. The Norman Kings and later the Angevins claimed the French throne. Between 1337 and 1453 there was a war, ‘la Guerre de Cent ans’ (the 100 years war) when the English fought to control parts of France and become kings of France.

‘Jeanne d’Arc’ (Joan of Arc) is the patron saint of France. 12 May is her special feast day. She was a peasant girl, from the area of Lorraine, who in 1429 heard voices telling her to help the rightful King of France to reclaim the French throne from the English who controlled parts of the North of France. As a result of her efforts Charles vii became King of France. Jeanne d’Arc was captured by the Burgundians, the allies of the English. After she was handed over to them she was tried and burnt at the stake as a witch. She is a symbol of French nationalism and is today an emblem of the French fighting for their nation’s independence.

Louis XIV - ‘Le Roi Soleil’ (The Sun King) was an absolute monarch who controlled the government of France without the help of a parliament. There was no elected government. Most of the people were in France worked in the countryside and many were poor by todays standards. The people at the Royal Court had a very privileged life and lived in great luxury. This great gap between the rich and the poor resulted in a political crisis and Louis XVI and his wife Queen Marie Antoinette were executed during during the French Revolution. The French Revolution is remembered every year on le 14 juillet the date when the royal prison, The Bastille, in Paris was attacked and demolished. Le 14 juillet is ‘La Fête Nationale’ (national holiday) and everyone celebrates with parties.

Napoléon Bonaparte. Twelve years after the French had executed their royal family Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France. He was a successful general of the revolutionary armies and seized political power. He is responsible for laying the foundations of present day government in France. He fought and defeated many of the other European nations. He even threatened to invade England so that the English government built defensive Martello towers and forts along the Kent coast

In 1812 he marched into Russia with 750,000 soldiers but he was unable to defeat the Russians and retreated, arriving back in France with only about 100,000 men, the rest had died on the march and in the cold Russian winter. Forced to abdicate by an alliance of European powers he was exiled to the Isle of Elba. In 1815 he returned to France and fought his last battle at Waterloo in Belgium, defeated by the English and the Prussians. He was exiled to Sainte-Hélène and Louis XVIII, brother of the executed King, was returned to the throne of France.

Gustave Eiffel. He built the Eiffel Tower for the Exposition ‘Universelle de Paris’ (Great Exhibition) in 1889. It also happened to be the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. It was supposed to be temporary, but it is now one of the most important landmarks in the world.

Louis Pasteur. He discovered bacteria and as a result of his work we ‘pasteurise’ food to make it fit to eat. He also worked on vaccines for different diseases and was one of the greatest scientists of the nineteenth centuiry.

Pierre et Marie Curie. They discovered radioactivity.

Victor Hugo. He wrote about the life of real people in France. One of his books, Les Misérables, has been made into a famous musical. Another one is called Notre Dame de Paris. What do you think it’s English title might be?

General De Gaulle. He was the leader of the Free French during the Second World War and lived in exile in London. In 1958 he was elected President for a seven year period. The president is the Head of State. His name can be found in public places all over France. There is even an airport named after him.

Other present day famous French people:
Eric Cantona
David Ginola
Thierry Henri