France is a country located in Western Europe. It borders Andorra, Germany, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. The country of France originally known by the name of Gaul or Gaul is a country with a rich history and culture. The Celts originally occupied and dominated those lands of Gaul. In the year 121, Julius Caesar led the Roman army into the country of Gaul. He achieved a decisive victory over the Celtic tribes who once dominated the area. This area became the first province of the Roman Empire. The Romans would rule the region until the 3rd century. Savage barbarian forces from the East began invading the area in the third century. Unusually, a group of Franks, Visigoths and Vandals began fighting the Romans for control of the regions of Gaul. Seeing this happen, the people of Gaul began to form alliances with local lords to receive protection from the barbarian invaders. The territory of Gaul finally fell into the hands of the Franks after the retreat of the Romans. The barbarian people of the Franks were a Germanic people of Eastern Europe led by a man named Clovis. Clovis then became the first Frankish king of the new France called Latin, which is Francia in the modern French language. Dagobert I became the last Frankish Merovingian king. He eventually gave way to Charles Martel who began the Carolingian dynasty. Charles Martel further expanded the Frankish kingdom eastward. This is something Clovis failed to accomplish. In the year 732 Charles had difficulty stopping a Muslim invasion from the south. Charles was succeeded by his son Pepin the Short in 751. Lacking military knowledge and leadership Charlemagne, or Charlemagne as the people knew h...... middle of paper ...... elected local elected representatives the members of the Senate. Parliamentary elections consist of an electoral system involving two rounds. In the first round the candidates obtain the election by obtaining the majority of votes cast. The second round consists of two or more candidates facing each other in a runoff. Works Cited Johnson, Douglas. "A Concise History of France". New York, NY: The Viking Press, Inc., 1971. Print. "Countries and their cultures". A website about the culture of France. April 1, 2014. http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/France.html“Hundred Years War.” Website on the history of the Hundred Years' War. April 1, 2014. http://www.history.com/topics/hundred-years-war.“The French Political System.” A thematic guide to the France website. 1 April 2014http://about-france.com/“French Wars”. A history of the French wars. April 1, 2014 http://www.conservapedia.com/French_Wars