From Lutetia to the Capital
The history of Paris begins with the Parisii, a Celtic tribe that settled on the Île de la Cité in the 3rd century BC. The Romans conquered the settlement in 52 BC and named it Lutetia: a small provincial town with baths (visible today under the Musée de Cluny), a forum, and an amphitheater (Arènes de Lutèce, still visitable in the 5th Arrondissement).
Middle Ages — Rise to Metropolis
- 508: The Frankish King Clovis made Paris the capital of the Frankish Empire.
- 1163–1345: Construction of Notre-Dame — the masterpiece of Gothic architecture.
- 1253: Robert de Sorbon founded the Sorbonne — Paris became the intellectual center of Europe.
- 1429: Joan of Arc attempted (unsuccessfully) to free Paris from the English.
In the Middle Ages, Paris grew to become the largest city in Europe — 200,000 inhabitants in the 14th century, more than London or Rome. The Île de la Cité was the religious center (Notre-Dame), the left bank (Rive Gauche) the intellectual (Sorbonne), the right bank (Rive Droite) the economic (Les Halles, markets).
