France

===Early Middle Ages (5th–10th century)===
{{Main|Francia|Merovingian dynasty|Carolingian dynasty}}
{{See also|List of French monarchs|France in the Middle Ages}}
At the end of the [[Late antiquity|Antiquity]] period, ancient Gaul was divided into several Germanic kingdoms and a remaining Gallo-Roman territory, known as the [[Kingdom of Soissons|Kingdom of Syagrius]]. Simultaneously, [[Celtic Britons]], fleeing the [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain]], settled in the western part of [[Armorica]]. As a result, the Armorican peninsula was renamed [[Brittany]], [[Celts|Celtic culture]] was revived, and independent [[petty kingdom]]s arose in the region.

The first leader to unite all Franks was [[Clovis I]], who began his reign as king of the [[Salian Franks]] in 481, routing the last forces of the Roman governors of the province in 486. Clovis claimed that he would be baptised a Christian in the event of his victory against the [[Visigothic Kingdom]], which was said to have guaranteed the battle. Clovis [[Franco-Visigothic Wars|regained the southwest from the Visigoths]], was baptised in 508 and made himself master of what is now western Germany.

Clovis I was the first [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] conqueror after the [[Fall of the Western Roman Empire|fall of the Roman Empire]] to convert to Catholic Christianity, rather than [[Arianism]]; thus France was given the title "Eldest daughter of the Church" (''{{Lang-fr|La fille aînée de l'Église|links=no}}'') by the papacy,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Faith of the Eldest Daughter&nbsp;– Can France retain her Catholic heritage? |url=http://www.wf-f.org/03-1-France.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722112834/http://www.wf-f.org/03-1-France.html |archive-date=22 July 2011 |access-date=17 July 2011 |publisher=Wf-f.org}}</ref> and French kings would be called "the Most Christian Kings of France" (''{{Lang|und|Rex Christianissimus}}'').

[[File:Chlodwigs taufe.jpg|thumb|alt=painting of Clovis I conversion to Catholicism in 498, a king being baptised in a tub in a cathedral surrounded by bishop and monks|With [[Clovis I|Clovis]]'s conversion to Catholicism in 498, the [[List of Frankish kings|Frankish monarchy]], [[Elective monarchy|elective]] and [[Secular state|secular]] until then, became [[Hereditary monarchy|hereditary]] and of [[Divine right of kings|divine right]].|222x222px]]
The Franks embraced the Christian [[Gallo-Roman culture]], and ancient Gaul was eventually renamed ''[[Francia]]'' ("Land of the Franks"). The Germanic Franks adopted [[Romance languages|Romanic languages]], except in northern Gaul where Roman settlements were less dense and where [[Germanic languages]] emerged. Clovis made [[Paris]] his capital and established the [[Merovingian dynasty]], but his kingdom would not survive his death. The Franks treated land purely as a private possession and divided it among their heirs, so four kingdoms emerged from that of Clovis: Paris, [[Orléans]], [[Soissons]], and [[Reims|Rheims]]. The [[Roi fainéant|last Merovingian kings]] [[Power behind the throne|lost power]] to their [[Mayor of the palace|mayors of the palace]] (head of household). One mayor of the palace, [[Charles Martel]], defeated an [[Umayyad invasion of Gaul]] at the [[Battle of Tours]] (732) and earned respect and power within the Frankish kingdoms. His son, [[Pepin the Short]], seized the crown of Francia from the weakened Merovingians and founded the [[Carolingian dynasty]]. Pepin's son, [[Charlemagne]], reunited the Frankish kingdoms and built a vast empire across [[Western Europe|Western]] and [[Central Europe]].

Proclaimed [[Holy Roman Emperor]] by [[Pope Leo III]] and thus establishing in earnest the French government's longtime [[History of the Catholic Church in France|historical association]] with the [[Catholic Church]],<ref name="georgetown1">{{Cite web |title=France |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206213909/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france |archive-date=6 February 2011 |access-date=14 December 2011 |publisher=[[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]]}} See drop-down essay on "Religion and Politics until the French Revolution"</ref> Charlemagne tried to revive the [[Western Roman Empire]] and its cultural grandeur. Charlemagne's son, [[Louis the Pious|Louis I]] (r. 814–840), kept the empire united; however, this Carolingian Empire would not survive his death. In 843, under the [[Treaty of Verdun]], the empire was divided between Louis' three sons, with [[East Francia]] going to [[Louis the German]], [[Middle Francia]] to [[Lothair I]], and [[West Francia]] to [[Charles the Bald]]. West Francia approximated the area occupied by modern France and was its precursor.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 February 2008 |title=Treaty of Verdun |url=http://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/treaty-of-verdun.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716063456/http://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/treaty-of-verdun.htm |archive-date=16 July 2011 |access-date=17 July 2011 |publisher=History.howstuffworks.com}}</ref>

During the 9th and 10th centuries, continually threatened by [[Viking expansion|Viking invasions]], France became a very decentralised state: the nobility's titles and lands became hereditary, and the authority of the king became more religious than secular and thus was less effective and constantly challenged by powerful noblemen. Thus was established [[feudalism]] in France. Over time, some of the king's vassals would grow so powerful that they often posed a threat to the king. For example, after the [[Battle of Hastings]] in 1066, [[William the Conqueror]] added "King of England" to his titles, becoming both the vassal to (as [[Duke of Normandy]]) and the equal of (as king of England) the king of France, creating recurring tensions.