Part 4/14:
Following the decline of the Roman Empire, Germanic tribes like the Visigoths (in Aquitaine), Burgundians (Lyon basin), and Franks occupied parts of France. The Franks, under King Clovis, unified much of the territory from 496 onward, establishing the foundation of France. Clovis was baptized in Reims, aligning his kingdom with the Catholic Church and setting much of France's medieval political structure.
In 732, Charles Martel successfully repelled Arab invasions at the Battle of Tours, solidifying Frankish dominance. The subsequent rise of the Carolingian dynasty, exemplified by Charlemagne’s reign (leaving a legacy still echoed through the Treaty of Strasbourg in 842), expanded and unified the realm, laying early groundwork for a future French identity.