Paris - the city, the capital of France.
Is located in the North of France, on the plain of the Paris basin , on the banks of the river Seine.
In the beginning of XVI century under king Francis I of Paris forever became the capital of France. In the XVI-XVII centuries to streamline tax collection and other purposes, the city was divided into 16 districts. At that time the head of the local self - Prevost became dependent on the king's position. By the end of XVI century in Paris, there were about 300 thousand people.
In the second half of the XVI century, in the era of the reformation, Paris shook religious wars that engulfed France. Oppression of dissent, heretics went on fire. About 20 thousand citizens professed ideas of Protestantism. In the night of August 24, 1572 in Paris occurs massacre of St. Bartholomew, which claimed the lives of more than 5 thousand people. In this period the city was a 5-year siege of the troops of the king of Navarre, which killed about 30 thousand people. In the beginning of XVII century when Henry IV were built many famous buildings, in particular the New bridge and the Royal square. In 1622, Paris became the Archdiocese with.