121 BC Romans in Provence
The Romans establish a province in the south of France, still acknowledged in the name Provence

58 BC Caesar in Gaul
At the end of his year as consul, Caesar travels north to become governor of northern Italy and southern France

52 BC Vercingetorix defeats Caesar
The Celtic leader Vercingetorix inflicts an unaccustomed defeat on Julius Caesar, at Gergovia, but is captured later in the year

52 BC Caesar writes Gallic War
In his winter quarters Julius Caesar writes The Gallic War, an account of his own achievements in suppressing the Gauls

406 Vandals move through Gaul into Spain
The Vandals cross the Rhine into Gaul and move into Spain, from which the Visigoths soon push them on into Africa

732 Charles Martel stops Muslim advance
The Muslim advance into France is halted when Charles Martel defeats the Arabs between Poitiers and Tours

1066 Normans invade England in longships
The Normans, as seen in the Bayeux tapestry, invade England in Viking longships with fortified platforms for archers

1147 Second crusade
The second crusade is led east by two kings, Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany

1204 Normandy taken by French king
The French king, Philip II, takes Normandy from the English, and follows this success by taking Anjou a year later

1807 Two emperors on a raft
Napoleon and the Russian tsar Alexander I meet on a raft at Tilsit and set about carving up Europe

1858 Napoleon III and Cavour in Italian plot
Napoleon III and Cavour hatch a secret plan at Plombièes to tempt Austria into war in north Italy, and agree how to divide up the spoils

1859 Austrians evicted from Milan
A French and Piedmontese army liberates Milan from Austrian rule

1860 Cavour cedes Savoy and Nice to France
The treaty of Turin brings much of north Italy under the control of Cavour (for the kingdom of Sardinia), who in return cedes Savoy and Nice to France

1958 De Gaulle visits Algiers
On his second day in power, de Gaulle visits Algiers to confront the settlers with an unwelcome message