Finistère may have disappeared from the Shipping Forecast, but Finistère, Department 29, France, is very much with us.  This most westerly region of Brittany in mainland France should be a ‘must’ on any visitor’s list of places to see.  Brittany (formerly Bretagne) is an ancient Celtic country that maintained its independence from France until the end of the fifteenth century.  Today the inhabitants of Brittany are fiercely proud of their Breton culture and nowhere is this more evident than in Finistère...

France and England have been inextricably linked almost from time immemorial and  most of us are aware of the main French personalities who have played a part in shaping their country’s fortunes.  Other leaders of France rate barely in line in our history books. There is one King, almost unknown outside of France, who was instrumental in shaping the futures of France and England for many centuries and by his action created the longest war in our histories...

Driving down to the south of France, across the wonderfully varied countryside, the sun’s warmth working its magic after the cold of winter, it is not easy to think of this region of France as being home to bloodthirsty deeds.

However, between the years 1012 and 1020 what appeared to be a new religion emerged in the Limousin region of France and, gaining strength, spread southwards to the Languedoc, a province famed for its tolerance and liberalism. This was the beginning of a sad period in French history...

Charlemagne

Charlemagne’s life is a jumble of fact and fiction. A great king, he was known throughout the western world from the epic poems recounting his noble deeds, some exaggerated or even invented. While legend tells of his heroic exploits bringing Christianity toall four corners of his empire, he was a ruler whose true story and legacy to Europe were probably even more impressive than the romantic myths surrounding him and his knights. Was he, in fact, a thoroughly modern European?

Nothing has been recorded about his birth and early boyhood, though it is generally thought he was born in 742AD, probably on the borders between Germany and France. When his father died, Charlemagne and his brother shared their inherited empire, but within 3 years his brother had died, and Charlemagne at the age of 29 became ruler of a vast realm. He was King of the Franks, and it was the Franks who gave their name to France, despite the Romans having previously conquered Gaul.

Charlemagne became the ruler of western Europe “by the sword and the cross.” During his lifetime of 71 years, he waged ferocious campaigns across Europe to subdue the infidels and enforce Christianity. At the height of his power,  his empire extended across Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and part of Italy as well as most of France. It was only the French, however, who took Charlemagne to their hearts and he has become inextricably linked with the French nationality. Today most other Europeans know little of him and the debt modern Europe owes him...

They came from out of the mists of ancient times, quietly and peacefully at first, integrating easily to the way of life of the existing population. But hard on their heels came their more aggressive brothers, who battled their way across Europe and finally, finding their place in the sun, settled in France. These people, whose origins remain unclear, had come down from Bohemia and afterwards dominated Europe for over 1,000 years.

 Around 400 BC the Roman armies had begun sweeping into southern France to protect their new won territories in Spain, taking control first of the province of Narbonnensis, an area from Geneva to the Med. and the Pyrenees.  Gradually they conquered the whole of Gaul, with Julius Caesar completing the task between 58 and 51 BC.

It was the Emperor Domitianus in 92 BC, worried about the over production of wine in Italy, who issued the edict that all vines in Gaul should be uprooted, to encourage the drinking of Italian wine.

Ancient feuds between the tribes of Gaul made it less than easy for them to unite and fight and so the skilled Roman armies encountered very little resistance. To ensure their success they split previous tribal alliances by dividing the country into 3 further provinces – Aquitania, Lugdunensis and Belgica.  Wherever they had suffered defeat, they abandoned the towns, building new ones with the names of famous Roman Emperors. Druidism was outlawed and human sacrifice banned

Their capital was Lugdunum, present day Lyons, from where four main military roads crossed the country – to the north, to the Rhine, to the mouth of the Garonne and to the south to Narbo (Narbonne).  The life of the population of Gaul was changing for ever as the Romans introduced much of their sophisticated life-style.  Public buildings, schools and colleges were opened and at this time some of the main French Universities, such as the one at Bordeaux, were founded.  They encouraged the population to concentrate on agriculture and commerce. 

Their amphitheatres provided the people with extravagant entertainment.  In Arles can be found the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire. With its combination of galleries and stairs, it enabled a staggering 21,000 people to watch the spectacles such as chariot racing and hand-to-hand battles between the gladiators.  Today it is a UNESCO Human Heritage Site.

Aquaducts brought water to the towns, a wonderful occurrence in the dry southern regions where water was scarce.  The Pont du Gard just outside Nîmes is the highest Roman Aquaduct ever built. 

New temples for worship were built. The Maison Carrée, today a wonderfully preserved ancient monument, in Nîmes, was the inspiration for the Madeleine Church in Paris.   Citizens were protected from invaders by strong walls around their towns.  It is not surprising that this period became known as Pax Romano.

In 28 BC a census showed a total of 4,163,000 Roman citizens in Gaul.

Of course, it didn’t last.  Internal struggles for power in Rome itself led to the neglect of the Rhine frontier.  Gradually the Barbarians encroached onto Roman Territory.  By 476 AD the last imperial possessions were formally ceded to the Visigoths.

But such is their legacy to France that it is still possible to discover traces of Roman Gaul throughout the land.  Perigueux, Rheims, Saintes and Toulouse are all major cities where evidence of the Roman occupation can be found.

And the wine?  Well in 270 AD an extremely wise Emperor, Probus, gave back to the people of Gaul the right to plant vineyards, to produce and sell wine.  Thank goodness!