Some days ago I read a book called “The Discovery of France” by Graham Rob. It was a big surprise to learn that at the beginning of the 18th century, the habitants of France were fully separated from town to town. Even the languages were different. It was very easy to cover large areas completely undetected.
One of the stories that demonstrate this isolation is the one about Victor de L'Aveyron who lived on the wild since he was 2 years old, and until he turned around 12. When found he was put on display as a freak of nature.The same occurred to the wild girl of the Issaux forest who got lost from her family, and was found 8 years after.
Some funny facts of the beginning of their grandness are:
-Only Parisians were called French. The people from the north were called frenchiman or franciot.
-Inter-regional football games aroused more passion than the victories and defeats of Napoleon.
-Each pays had it's own legal system although there was almost no crime because of the small sizes of the cities.
-Many of their laws were about keeping the people inside the pays.
-In most cities people hibernated, so there were not producing money at all during the winter
-People who didn't own land didn't pay taxes, and most things could be exchanged instead of bought.
Graham Rob also mentions interesting town names that like:
- Loin du bruit
- Pain perdu
- Perte de temps
- Gatebourse
And the scary ones:
- Prends toi garde
- Parapluie
- Mauvais vent
The stereotypical idea of French monarchy, is usually full of glamour and splendor, but the trivial life was quite different. Learning about the humble origins of great countries, and the way their rulers managed to make them what they’ve become is an interesting subject when understanding the position each country plays now a days, and in predicting the future changes in the geography of power.
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