 |
 Charlemagne
reigned as King of the Franks from 768 to 814,
and as Holy Roman Emperor from 800 to 814. At the
time of his death his realm stretched from
present-day France through Europe almost to
present-day Russia and south into central Italy. |
 Philippe
de Mornay, Seigneur du Plessis-Marly
sought to unite all Frenchmen
under a religious system that would give free
reign to the Reformed Churches or establish a
national church on the Anglican model, and sought
to turn royal policy against the Catholic League
and against Spain. |
 Marie
Antoinette became Queen of France
when her husband became King Louis XVI in 1774.
Like her husband, she became a target during the
French Revolution, and followed her husband to
the guillotine in 1793. |
 Josephine
de Beauharnais Bonaparte married
Napoleon Bonaparte in 1796. Despite infidelity on
both sides of the marriage, the union lasted
until 1810, when Napoleon divorced her on the
grounds that she was incapable of producing an
heir. |
 Joseph Jacques
Césaire Joffre rose up through the
military ranks to become a Major General in 1905.
As commander of French forces during the early
years of World War I, he gained hero status for
his actions at the First Battle of the Marne. |
 Charles
André Joseph Marie De Gaulle was
the leader of the Free French Forces during World
War II, headed the French Provisional Government
following the war, and served as the first
President of the Fifth Republic. |
