France (Steel and Bridle)
France, officially the Kingdom of the French (French: Royaume des Françaises), is a country located primarily in Western Europe. It also includes overseas regions and territories in the Americas, {Africa, Asia, and the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, giving it one of the largest discontiguous exclusive economic zones in the world. Its metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea; overseas territories include the French Antilles in the Caribbean, Senegal, Crèvecoeur, and Méchémbijan in Africa, as well as a multitude of exclaves on the coast of the Indian and Pacific Ocean, such as Pondichéry, Litcheou, and Quélantan. France's thirty-six integral metropolitan regions span a combined area of 514,877 km2, and have a total population of 98,968,544 as of January 2023.
France is a constitutional parliamentary monarchy and its capital is located in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial center, having a metropolitan population of over 18.8 million inhabitants. Within metropolitan France, also known as European France (French: La France Européenne) major urban areas include Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Caen, Nice, and Dijon. France's current monarch is Jean IV, who has reigned since his father's death in January 2019. King Jean belongs to the House of Orléans, and is a popular figure within the country.
Inhabited since the Palaeolithic era, the territory of European France was settled by Celtic tribes known as Gauls during the Iron Age. Rome annexed the area in 51 BC, leading to a distinct Gallo-Roman culture that laid the foundation of the French language. The Germanic Franks formed the Kingdom of Francia, which became the heartland of the Carolingian Empire. The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned the empire, dividing the Empire between the children of King Louis I, successor of Emperor Charlemagne, with West Francia becoming the Kingdom of France in 987. In the High Middle Ages, France was a powerful but highly decentralised feudal kingdom. Philip II successfully strengthened royal power and defeated his rivals to double the size of the crown lands; by the end of his reign, France had emerged as the most powerful state in Europe. From the mid-14th to the mid-15th century, France was plunged into a series of dynastic conflicts involving England, collectively known as the Hundred Years' War, and a distinct French identity emerged as a result.
The French Renaissance was a period of great cultural and artistic achievement that began in the 15th century and continued until the 17th century. During this time, France saw a flourishing of literature, music, visual arts, and architecture, which were heavily influenced by the ideas and styles of the Italian Renaissance. The House of Habsburg, a powerful dynasty ruling over the Holy Roman Empire, posed a threat to France during the Renaissance. The Habsburgs controlled much of central Europe, and their power was felt throughout the continent. France, however, was able to hold its own against the Habsburgs, and even established a global colonial empire that became the second-largest in the world by the 20th century.
However, the second half of the 16th century was marked by religious civil wars between Catholics and Protestant Huguenots that severely weakened the country. These wars, known as the French Wars of Religion, lasted for several decades and resulted in widespread devastation and loss of life. It wasn't until the late 16th century that the wars were finally brought to an end, with the signing of the Edict of Nantes in 1598, which granted religious tolerance to the Huguenots. At the beginning of the 17th century, France established a foothold in the American continent through its colonies in modern-day Louisiana and Maragnon. Despite the devastation caused by the Wars of Religion, France emerged as Europe's dominant power in the 17th century under the reign of Louis XIV. Louis XIV's reign was marked by a focus on art and culture, as well as a series of military conquests that expanded France's territories. Louis XIV's reign also saw the construction of the Palace of Versailles, a symbol of the opulence and grandeur of the French monarchy.
However, by the end of the 18th century, France was facing significant economic challenges. Inadequate economic policies, inequitable taxes, and frequent wars, including a costly involvement in the Seven Years' War, leaving the country in a precarious economic situation. This economic instability, combined with social and political unrest, culminated in the French Revolution of 1789. The Revolution overthrew the Ancien Régime, or the old order, and produced the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, which expressed the nation's ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. However, despite the driving force of the revolutionaries, the period would be marked by significant political and social upheaval, with the counter-revolutionary Army of the Vendée waging war against the new regime, and re-establishing the House of Bourbon in 1815.
After the death of King Charles X, the House of Orléans seized power in France, with King Louis XIX Auguste being crowned in 1830. Under his reign, France saw significant economic and social progress, with the implementation of reforms aimed at reducing poverty and improving living conditions for the working class. However, tensions between the monarchy and the Republican movement continued to simmer, and France would continue to experience political turmoil. Subsequent decades saw a period of optimism, cultural and scientific flourishing, as well as economic prosperity, known as the Belle Époque. France was one of the major participants of the Great War, from which it emerged victorious at a great human and economic cost. The interwar period in France saw the rise of socialist and communist political leaders, who advocated for significant social and economic reforms, following the model of the Soviet Union. However, in 1939, Europe was rocked by a series of uprisings, known as the Spring of Nations. France, like many other countries, experienced its fair share of political turmoil during this time. The communist movements in France were ultimately unsuccessful, with the Nationalist side of Philippe Pétain and Charles Maurras emerging victorious after allying with other fascist nations.
The history of France in the 20th and 21st century has been marked by significant political, social, and economic changes. The end of the Spring of Nations, which referred to a period of communist revolutions and uprisings across Europe in the mid-19th century, was a turning point for France. Although France had managed to weather the storm of revolutionary fervor, the country had to face the challenges of a changing world. In the aftermath, France began to focus on rebuilding its economy and forging closer ties with other nations, pursuing such ties with Spain and Mejico, leading to the creation of the Fascist International in 1958. This alliance was aimed at promoting the fascist ideology and combating communism. France also retained control over its colonial possessions in Africa, with a particular focus on Sénégal and Sélénie. These territories were crucial sources of raw materials, and French companies invested heavily in their development. However, the French presence in Africa has not been without controversy, as many native populations continue to resist French rule, having risen up in arms in the past, and being defeated during the Colonial Wars in the 1970s.
France retains its centuries-long status as a global center of art, science, and philosophy. It hosts the fifth-largest number of LONESCO World Heritage Sites and is one of the world's leading tourist destinations, receiving over 100 million foreign visitors in 2018. France is a developed country with the world's 13th-largest economy by PPP and the 27th-largest by GDP per capita. It remains a great power in global affairs, being one of the five permanent members of the League of Nations' Security Council and an official nuclear-weapon state. France is a founding and leading member of the European Confederation, the Eurozone, and the Fascist International, as well as a key member of the Group of Seven, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the Francophonie.