To French users: who whould you pick as French national hero

[MinervaItalica]

not pure french but I'd say Vercingetorix, the first man to unify most of the ancestors of the french even if for only two years, and was perhaps one of France's most brilliant strategist right after Napoleon, considering he could fend off and even defeat Julius Caesar in multiple battles and sieges

True but i just needed to put someone from Roman times France (Gaul).

[TheOldNorth]

Brennus did far more damages to Rome, psychologically and Rome was near to his complete destruction though.

Vercingetorix struggled to rally gaullish tribes.

and yet he still did, and almost won too, except Caesar rallied his men and reformed the line at the last second before the Romans where about to break, he was selfless too, giving up his own life willingly for his family and people even if Caesar didn't keep any promises to not harm the other Gauls. The reason he did less damage to Rome then Brennus is two-fold, A) Rome was a way more formidable force in Vercingetorix's time then Brennus' and B) It was a war of defense, not a raid of offence, it's always harder to fend off an invasion then to invade unprepared city states...

[TheOldNorth]

True but i just needed to put someone from Roman times France (Gaul).

I was referring to myself not Vercingetorix, should have clarified, no I believe the Gauls were the most pure french

[MinervaItalica]

I was referring to myself not Vercingetorix, should have clarified, no I believe the Gauls were the most pure french

Agree that Gauls were the true ancestors of French people before Romanization but they weren't "French" in the strict sense. However i though French consider Franks as true ancestors.

[TheOldNorth]

Agree that Gauls were the true ancestors of French people before Romanization but they weren't "French" in the strict sense. However i though French consider Franks as true ancestors.

well franks didn't impact the ancestry of the french very much, only in the far NE is there much of an impact, and even then the franks were mostly germanisized Belgae Gauls

[Ouistreham]

not pure french but I'd say Vercingetorix, the first man to unify most of the ancestors of the french even if for only two years, and was perhaps one of France's most brilliant strategist right after Napoleon, considering he could fend off and even defeat Julius Caesar in multiple battles and sieges

Yes, it was a miracle that for some time Vercingetorix was able to rally a near majority of Gaulish tribes. But don't forget that Caesar's army was entirely made of Gaulish troops. The Romans took brilliantly advantage of Gallia's endless internal conflicts.

I'm sorry for the Celts but wherever they were they couldn't but fail. Even their cultures were predestined to be absorbed by Roman or Germanic languages.

Catherine de' Medici

What?... Catherine de Medicis was the enemy, anything but a hero!

Iconical figure of our nation even though her military successes are now nuanced by recent historical works. I see Joan d'Arc as a great symbol of France.

Indeed, Joan of Arc was primarily a symbol. After her victory in Orléans, she repeatedly begged the French king "Buy me an army!", her troops were reduced to a limited number of die-hard supporters and from that moment she never reaped any significant military success.

The king saw that one after another all provinces and cities began joining him, time was on his side, so that there was no point funding the adventurous operations led by a hot-headed teenage girl. He thought more convenient to manufacture hi-tech (to the the standards of the era) artillery, that was a better investment. He used her as a symbol but didn't even mind to pay a ransom to free her.

I remember I had at school a history professor saying that Joan had been ultimately a disaster for France: if it was not for her England would have ended up being fully Frenchified! (Actually, Middle English started catching up in the British Isles from the moment the English troops were ousted from France, at the end of the War of Hundred Years).

Vercingetorix
Joan of Arc
Catherine de' Medici
Napoleon
Charles de Gaulle

Two very important names are missing:


Clovis, a.k.a. Louis the 1st.
The Frankish leader who literally created France, gave her her name and her geopolitical placing (from the Rhine to the Pyrenees mountains) and made Paris his capital.


Cardinal Duke de Richelieu — After the disasters France experienced in the 16th century, he created Europe's first efficient State, put an end to Spanish military dominance, and though he was technically a Catholic bishop he identified Catholic powers as France's main enemies and supported the Protestant side abroad. This distinction between religion and politics was a founding moment in French history.

Unfortunately he is often depicted as a villain (cause of Alexandre Dumas' novels!...)

[TheOldNorth]

[QUOTE=Ouistreham;6412511]Yes, it was a miracle that for some time Vercingetorix was able to rally a near majority of Gaulish tribes. But don't forget that Caesar's army was entirely made of Gaulish troops. The Romans took brilliantly advantage of Gallia's endless internal conflicts.

I'm sorry for the Celts but wherever they were they couldn't but fail. Even their cultures were predestined to be absorbed by Roman or Germanic languages.

Some of his army was gallic but most of it were loyal Roman soldiers, but let’s not also forget that he used Germanic cavalry with great effect, and likely wouldn’t have won without them either

[Visage pâle]

Question mostly for French users but others can pick their favorites as well.

You mean those with heroic destiny or great national leaders ?

[TheOldNorth]

Yes, it was a miracle that for some time Vercingetorix was able to rally a near majority of Gaulish tribes. But don't forget that Caesar's army was entirely made of Gaulish troops. The Romans took brilliantly advantage of Gallia's endless internal conflicts.

I'm sorry for the Celts but wherever they were they couldn't but fail. Even their cultures were predestined to be absorbed by Roman or Germanic languages.

Most of his troops were roman, he also had germanic cavalry that where crucial in defeating the gallic cavalry, who where far superior to the native roman cavalry at the time

[Not a Cop]

I remember I had at school a history professor saying that Joan had been ultimately a disaster for France: if it was not for her England would have ended up being fully Frenchified! (Actually, Middle English started catching up in the British Isles from the moment the English troops were ousted from France, at the end of the War of Hundred Years).

Exactly my thoughts, if we were not to care about some specific dynasty Anglo-Franco union would've been a good deciession most likely, considering that after that France was destined to become the leader and how it was always stopped by Anglos in later centuries.