French period
Encyclopedia
In north European and German historiography, the French period ' onMouseout='HidePop("29779")' href="/topics/Luxembourgish_language">Luxembourgish
- "Fransousenzäit") was a late 19th century term for the era between 1794 and 1815, during which most of Europe (including all the German-speaking nations) were directly or indirectly under French rule or within the French sphere of influence
. It ended with the battle of Waterloo
and is often confused with Napoleon I
's rule - in the German states west of the river Rhine, it began with their occupation by troops of the French Revolutionary Army
in 1794. However, in other areas of Germany it lasted roughly from 1804 to 1815 or (used in a stricter sense) from the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
in 1806 to the battle of Leipzig
in 1813.
The term emerged only gradually, sometime after the events involved. It entered Low German
usage with Fritz Reuter
's popular work Ut de Franzosentid (1860). It was used alongside the concept of 'Erbfeind' (hereditary enemy) to express anti-French feeling as part of the formation of a German national identity and as such was used in a non-neutral way under the German Empire
and Third Reich. It has thus been shunned as a historical concept since the Bonn Republic, with 'French Revolutionary Wars
' and 'Napoleonic Wars
' more often in used today.
Luxembourgish language
Luxembourgish is a High German language spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 320,000 people worldwide speak Luxembourgish.-Language family:...
- "Fransousenzäit") was a late 19th century term for the era between 1794 and 1815, during which most of Europe (including all the German-speaking nations) were directly or indirectly under French rule or within the French sphere of influence
Sphere of influence
In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence is a spatial region or conceptual division over which a state or organization has significant cultural, economic, military or political influence....
. It ended with the battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
and is often confused with Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
's rule - in the German states west of the river Rhine, it began with their occupation by troops of the French Revolutionary Army
French Revolutionary Army
The French Revolutionary Army is the term used to refer to the military of France during the period between the fall of the ancien regime under Louis XVI in 1792 and the formation of the First French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804. These armies were characterised by their revolutionary...
in 1794. However, in other areas of Germany it lasted roughly from 1804 to 1815 or (used in a stricter sense) from the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
in 1806 to the battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
in 1813.
The term emerged only gradually, sometime after the events involved. It entered Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
usage with Fritz Reuter
Fritz Reuter
Fritz Reuter was a novelist from Northern Germany who was one of the most prominent contributors to Low German literature.-Early life:...
's popular work Ut de Franzosentid (1860). It was used alongside the concept of 'Erbfeind' (hereditary enemy) to express anti-French feeling as part of the formation of a German national identity and as such was used in a non-neutral way under the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
and Third Reich. It has thus been shunned as a historical concept since the Bonn Republic, with 'French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
' and 'Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
' more often in used today.