‘Paris est libre’ Entries as Reconciliations: From Charles VII to Charles De Gaulle

The numerous conflicts that have punctuated the history of France have repeatedly confronted political leaders with the challenge of bringing about national reconciliation. This article will dwell on four periods that have been the theatre of ‘Franco-French’ rivalry, in order to show how they may be seen as acts of reconciliation: the end of the Hundred Years War; the Wars of Religion; the Revolutionary and the Napoleonic period; and the Second World War. It will examine the entries made into Paris by Charles VII on 20 November 1437, by Henri IV on 22 March 1594, by Louis XVIII on 3 May 1814 and by Charles de Gaulle on 26 August 1944. The article will also explain the differences between a reconciliatory entry and a normal entry, while at the same time throwing light on the perennial character of the rituals of reconciliation.