The formation of the French nation

In the mid-5th century, the Germanic Burgundy people established the Burgundy Kingdom, which owns the Rhone River basin in southeastern France and western Switzerland. The 6th century belonged to the Frankish kingdom. After the division of the Frankish Kingdom in 843, it was divided into Upper Burgundy Kingdom and Provence Kingdom (also known as Burgundy Kingdom). In 933, the two kingdoms merged into the Kingdom of Burgundy (Al), 1033, and merged into the territory of the Holy Roman Empire.

The ethnic origin of the French nation includes both the Romans with a high degree of ancient civilization and the Germans known as barbarians, but the Guker tribe is the main foundation of the French.

In the 4th century BC, a large number of Guker tribes came to the present French area, and the local Ligur people were gradually excluded or assimilated, and the Celts became the main residents here. At that time, Romans called them Gauls.

In BC 1 century, the Romans conquered Gaul. Under the influence of Roman society, Gauls at the end of primitive commune system quickly established a developed slave production relationship, and soon gave up Cartesian and changed to Latin. This Latin is a folk Latin influenced by the local language and became the basis of ancient French.

In the 5th century, the Western Roman Empire collapsed, and Gauls and Roman immigrants formed Gaul Romans. Subsequently, Burgundy, Visigoth, Frank, etc. , belonging to the Germanic tribe, poured into the empire. At the beginning of the 9th century, Germanic tribes scattered all over France had learned the language of Gaul Romans and accepted the culture and customs of the conquered. The folk Latin of Gaul Romans was also influenced by the conquerors, which was more simplified and absorbed some Germanic words, forming a new language, namely old French.

In 843, the empire established by the Franks split, and the Germanic-speaking area east of the Rhine became the Eastern Frankish Kingdom, while the Roman-speaking area west became the Western Frankish Kingdom. The beginning of the French state is the West Frankish Kingdom, and the residents here are called French. But the French people at this time are still very different from the modern French nation.

Northern France was deeply influenced by the Franks. Southern France was deeply influenced by Roman civilization, and Iberian tribes also lived there. Due to the different ethnic composition and cultural influence, and the feudal regime at that time, there were obvious differences in culture, language and economy between the north and the south of France.

From the12nd century, France strengthened the royal power and gradually eliminated the feudal regime. This promoted the combination of North and South French. 1337 The outbreak of the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France aroused the national feelings of the French people and strengthened the demand for national unity. From 65438 to 0453, the hundred-year war ended and the economy resumed development, which was conducive to the consolidation of kingship and political stability. By the end of 15, France had basically achieved political reunification. Since then, the economic and cultural ties between North and South have been continuously strengthened. With the increasingly frequent economic exchanges between the North and the South, northern French has spread in the South and become the basis of a unified French literary language.

1789, the French bourgeois revolution began. In June 5438+that year 10, Anjou and Brittany formed an alliance, which celebrated the whole country and declared the unity of all French people. At that time, many new and unified political words appeared in the widely circulated songs praising revolution and satirizing nobles and royalists. At that time, the French national language was further unified and the French national psychological quality was further formed.

From 179 1, Austria, Prussia and other countries intervened in France, which aroused the strong national consciousness and patriotic enthusiasm of the French people. In the struggle with the invaders, French soldiers shouted: "Long live the nation!" "They have become real national fighters. The French nation has finally formed.