1453-1598 CE
From 1453 to 1598 CE, the French clawed their way from the ashes of the Hundred Years' War to become Europe's greatest power — Louis XI the Spider weaving Burgundy and Provence into his web, his successors squandering glory in Italian adventures, then tearing their kingdom apart over whether to pray in Latin or French. Eight civil wars bled France white until Henry of Navarre decided Paris was worth a Mass.