IN THE GRAVEYARD, WAITING FOR A WAR~
According to historians, Paris is more than 2,000 years old. In that span of time, it has managed to become a thriving metropolis and a center of intellectual and artistic achievement. It started out as a small Gallic settlement but eventually grew into a multicultural capital of a modern European state; it is now one of the world's major global cities.
It is said that during the 3rd century BC, a certain area around L'Ile de la Cité was settled by a tribe of Celtic fishermen; this settlement was then called Lutetia. Consequently, the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, during his reign sometime around 52 BC, seized the city. It then became a part of the Roman territory known as Gaul, and was soon Christianized at around 250 AD. Many years later, in 987, Hugh Capet, Count of Paris, became king of France, and under his successors, the Capetians, the city's position as the nation's capital was established. Even more years later, in the span of time between 1355 and 1358, the people of Paris -- characterized, by that time, as spirited and rebellious -- were first declared as an independent commune.
All these events have made important contributions in making the city of Paris what it is now, but, out of all these, the event that has made the most impact on the residents of Paris was the French Revolution. During this revolution, the French were able to overthrow the extravagant King Louis XVI, along with his equally extravagant wife, Marie Antoinette, from their high seats as rulers. The storming of Bastille had also occurred around that time.
Aside from this, Paris also played a major role in the revolutions of 1830 and 1848. In 1871, during the Franco-Prussian war, the city was besieged for four months until France surrendered. After German troops withdrew, the Commune of Paris was briefly established. During the First World War, the Germans could not reach Paris. They were, however, able to occupy the city during the Second World War. In the end, Paris was liberated by Allied forces.
Paris of the present maintains its importance, character, and charm, as the events of the past have helped bring these about and have shaped the city greatly. Because of these significant events, Paris is what it is today.
