For our second episode, we are taking a grand Tour de France. This is a complete overview of France's 20 centuries long history. It is not exhaustive, of course, but it should help people refresh their memory or get a better grip on the whole of French history. Everyone should then be able to enjoy and appreciate future episodes even more. Should you wish to go directly to specific eras, here are the time codes: 00:00 - Introduction and Antiquity 03:31 - Barbarian Invasions and the Frankish Kingdom 07:25 - Charlemagne & Carolingian Empire 11:21 - The Birth of France 21:50 - The Hundred Years' War 28:49 - The Plague & The Renaissance 32:06 - Wars of Religion & Rise of Absolute Monarchy 35:25 - Louis  XIV 39:45 - Louis XV, Seven Years' War & the Lumières 43:25 - The French Revolution 49:25 - Napoléon 53:11 - The Restoration, Second Republic and Second Empire 1:00:23 - The Third Republic and WWI 1:06:21 - The Inter-War and WWII 1:09:34 - The Fourth Republic and Decolonization 1:11:59 - The Fifth Republic, De Gaulle and Conclusion Recommended books: Maurice Druon: Les Rois Maudits Chrétien de Troyes: Perceval ou le Conte du Graal Alexandre Dumas: Les Trois Mousquetaires Victor Hugo: Les Misérables Support the show