Think you know France? Eiffel Tower, croissants, lavender fields. The polished postcard image is modern. Underneath it is a jagged, often violent, and incredibly complex story.In this episode of The Audio Travel Guide, we focus on history only, the foundation that makes France make sense when you’re standing in a square in Lyon, a village in Brittany, or a boulevard in Paris.You’ll learn how France went from prehistoric cave art to Greek Marseille, Celtic Gaul, Roman infrastructure, and the rise of the Franks, then through Vikings and Normandy, the Hundred Years’ War and Joan of Arc, religious civil war, Versailles and absolute monarchy, the Revolution and Napoleon, and the brutal shocks of the 20th century (WWI, WWII, Vichy, the Resistance), ending with decolonisation and France’s role in building the European project.This is the context that explains why France can feel rebellious yet traditional, proud of the state, but always criticising it.If you want practical travel logistics, food & culture, or deep dives into specific cities (Paris, Lyon, and more), check the other episodes on the channel.Chapters00:00 France Beyond the Postcards (Episode Mission)00:44 Why “France” Is a Paradox01:16 Prehistory: Lascaux Cave Art01:56 Brittany: Carnac Stones & Settling the Land02:31 Greeks Found Marseille (Massalia)02:49 The Gauls, Rome & Vercingetorix (52 BC)03:37 Gallo-Roman France: Roads, Cities, Architecture04:03 Rome Falls: Franks, Clovis & Christianity04:55 Vikings & the Birth of Normandy (911)05:36 Hundred Years’ War & Joan of Arc06:16 Renaissance & Wars of Religion (1572 Massacre)07:04 Louis XIV: Versailles as a Political Weapon08:21 1789 Revolution, Terror & the Rise of Napoleon09:16 19th-Century Political Whiplash & Modern Paris09:52 1870 Defeat, Alsace-Lorraine & La Revanche10:26 World War I: The National Trauma10:55 World War II: Fall of France, Vichy & Resistance11:32 Decolonisation: Vietnam, Algeria & Fifth Republic11:55 From Rivalry to Europe: France, Germany & the EU12:16 How to “Read” France as a Traveler13:02 What to Listen to Next (Food, Culture, City Guides)