Over the centuries and with their swords, they created France ...
Gaul
During the early centuries of what is conventionally known as ‘’History’’, Gaul witnessed a considerable intermingling of populations on its territory and war was the order of the day.
During the first two millenniums before the birth of Christ, Celts from the East settled in the north, east and central regions of the Gallic territory.
In the VI century before Christ, the Greeks and the Etruscans founded Massalia (Marseille).
In the IV century before Christ, several hundreds of thousands of Celts invaded the Italian Peninsula . The Romans nicknamed them cocks (galli), which subsequently became " Gaul ". During their invasion, the Gaul under the leadership of Brennus, defeated the Roman army and conquered Rome , looted the city and massacred some of its inhabitants. Vae Victis...
The III century before Christ witnessed the revenge of Rome and gradually reconquered her lost territories, and in the II century, the Romans subjected the Iberian Peninsula as well as Provence which they colonized after their army defeated Gallic warriors at the battlefront.
One and a half century before Christ, Liguria coveted Massalia, the Romans intervened and emerged victorious. Hostilities then started between the Romans and the small bellicose, ravenous Germanic tribes, the Cimbres, the Teutons, and also the Celts, who roamed about the Gallic territory.
After the Pourrières battle, the conquest of Gaul began...
After having defeated several Roman armies, the forces from the north were destroyed in 102 BC at Pourrières, near Aix-en-Provence , during a devastating battle whose end marked a turning point in the development of the entire Europe and the progress of Christianity in the centuries that followed.
In effect, after this episode, Julius Caesar, in 58 BC, began the conquest of Gaul . The Gallic resistance led by Vercingetorix, scored some victories against the Romans, notably at Gergovia, but finally fell at Alesia, in 52 BC, and Vercingetorix had no choice than surrender. The Gaul war ended with approximately one million Gallic lives lost.
At the hills of this long period of war came a peaceful and prosperous era, ‘’pax romana’’, that lasted for several centuries despite a few incidents of Gallic uprising which turned out to be unsuccessful.
During the III century, Germanic invasions started again, accompanied by their characteristic wave of havocs. In order to let them have more resistance, Gallic cities were fortified.
The IV century witnessed yet another era of peace and prosperity, which ended in the V century when Gaul was once more invaded by the Barbarians.
Roman power having been weakened, Franks, Burgondes and Visigoths fought the Germanic invaders and founded their own kingdoms.
It was Clovis , king of the Franks, who conquered the Gallo-Roman states, and embarked on restoring the unity of the Gallic territory, which later became
