Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
Paris, with its cobbled streets, terraced cafes, iconic landmarks and placid
Seine waters, really does evoke a certain timelessness. Yet a quick perusal
through its tumultuous history reveals a city that has changed and evolved
dramatically over the centuries.
Early Settlers: the Celts and Romans
The early history of Paris is murky, but the general consensus is that a Celtic tribe known as
the Parisii established a fishing village in the area in the 3rd century BC. Years of conflict
between the Gauls and Romans ended in 52 BC, when the latter took control of the territory
after a decisive victory during Julius Caesar's eight-year Gallic Wars campaign. The Romans
promptly established a new town - Lutetia (Lutèce in French) - with the main public build-
ings (forum, bathhouse, theatre and amphitheatre) all located on the Left Bank, near today's
Panthéon. Remnants of both the bathhouse and amphitheatre are still visible.
Though Lutetia was not the capital of its province, it was a prosperous town, with a popu-
lation of around 8000. However, raids by the Franks and other Germanic tribes during the 3rd
century AD left the settlement on the Left Bank scorched and pillaged, and its inhabitants
fled to the Île de la Cité, subsequently fortified with stone walls. Christianity was introduced
by St-Denis - decapitated on Montmartre in AD 250 for his efforts - and the first church was
built on the western part of the island.
The Roman town held out until the late 5th century - mythically saved from Attila the Hun
by the piety of Ste-Geneviève, who became the city's patron saint - only to fall when a
second wave of Franks overran the area for good.
In the early Middle Ages, most of today's Paris was either a carpet of fields and vineyards
or a boggy, waterlogged marsh.
The Middle Ages: Paris As Capital
One of the key figures in early Parisian history was the Frankish king Clovis I (c 466-511).
Clovis was the first ruler to unite what would later become France, to convert to Christianity
and to declare Paris the capital. Under the Frankish kings the city once again began to ex-
pand, and important edifices such as the abbey of St-Germain des Prés and the abbey at St-
Denis were erected.
