Known places: Nice, France, desktop wallpaper nr. 20993

History

The first known human settlements in the Nice area date back approximately 400,000 years; the Terra Amata archeological site shows one of the earliest uses of fire and construction of houses and flint findings are dated as around 230,000 years old. Nice (Nicaea) was probably founded around 350 BC by the Greeks of Massilia (Marseille), and was given the name of Νικαία ("Nikaia") in honour of a victory over the neighbouring Ligurians (Nike is the Greek goddess of victory). The city soon became one of the busiest trading ports on the Ligurian coast; but it had an important rival in the Roman town of Cemenelum, which continued to exist as a separate city until the time of the Lombard invasions. The ruins of Cemenelum are located in Cimiez, which is now a district in Nice.

In the 7th century, Nice joined the Genoese League formed by the towns of Liguria. In 729 the city repulsed the Saracens; but in 859 and again in 880 the Saracens pillaged and burned it, and for most of the 10th century remained masters of the surrounding country.

During the Middle Ages, Nice participated in the wars and history of Italy. As an ally of Pisa it was the enemy of Genoa, and both the King of France and the Emperor endeavoured to subjugate it; but in spite of this it maintained its municipal liberties. During the course of the 13th and 14th centuries the city fell more than once into the hands of the Counts of Provence; and at length in 1388 (624 years ago) the commune placed itself under the protection of the Counts of Savoy. Nice (called Nizza in Italian) participated - directly or indirectly - in the history of Savoy up until 1860 (152 years ago).

The maritime strength of Nice now rapidly increased until it was able to cope with the Barbary pirates; the fortifications were largely extended and the roads to the city improved. In 1561 (451 years ago) Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, abolished the use of Latin as an administrative language and established the Italian language as the official language of government affairs in Nice.

During the struggle between Francis I and Charles V great damage was caused by the passage of the armies invading Provence; pestilence and famine raged in the city for several years. It was in Nice that the two monarchs in 1538 (474 years ago) concluded, through the mediation of Pope Paul III, a truce of ten years.

In 1543 (469 years ago), Nice was attacked by the united Franco-Ottoman forces of Francis I and Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, in the Siege of Nice; and, though the inhabitants repulsed the assault which succeeded the terrible bombardment, they were ultimately compelled to surrender, and Barbarossa was allowed to pillage the city and to carry off 2,500 captives. Pestilence appeared again in 1550 (462 years ago) and 1580 (432 years ago).

In 1600 (412 years ago), Nice was briefly taken by the duke of Guise. By the opening the ports of the county to all nations, and proclaiming full freedom of trade (1626, 386 years ago), the commerce of the city was given great stimulus, the noble families taking part in its mercantile enterprises. Captured by Nicolas Catinat in 1691 (321 years ago), Nice was restored to Savoy in 1696; but it was again besieged by the French in 1705 (307 years ago), and in the following year its citadel and ramparts were demolished.

The treaty of Utrecht in 1713 (299 years ago) once more gave the city back to the Duke of Savoy who was on that same occasion recognized as King of Sicily. In the peaceful years which followed the "new town" was built. From 1744 (268 years ago) till the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748, 264 years ago) the French and Spaniards were again in possession. In 1775 (237 years ago) the king, who in 1718 (294 years ago) had swapped his sovereignty of Sicily for the Kingdom of Sardinia, destroyed all that remained of the ancient liberties of the commune. Conquered in 1792 (220 years ago) by the armies of the First French Republic, the County of Nice continued to be part of France until 1814; but after that date it reverted to the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont.

By a treaty concluded in 1860 (152 years ago) between the Sardinian king and Napoleon III, the County was again ceded to France as a territorial reward for French assistance in the Second Italian War of Independence against Austria, which saw Lombardy unified with Piedmont-Sardinia. The cession was ratified by over 25,000 electors out of a total of 30,700. Savoy was also transferred to the French crown by similar means.

Giuseppe Garibaldi, born in Nice, strongly opposed the cession to France (arguing that it was not done with a "universal" vote) and in 1866 (146 years ago) there were even popular riots in the city, promoted by "Garibaldini" in favour of the unification of Nice to Italy. The Italian irredentists considered Nice one of their main nationalistic requests and in 1942/3 the city was occupied and administered by Italy during World War II.

The 20th century saw the arrival of modern transportation. In 1900 (112 years ago), the Tramway de Nice electrified its horse drawn streetcars and spread its network to the entire d�partement from Menton to Cagnes-sur-Mer. By the 1930�s additional bus connections added to the transportation network of the entire area.

Starting in 1932 (80 years ago), Nice hosted international car racing in the Formula Libre (predecessor to Formula One) on the so-called Circuit Nice. The circuit started along the waterfront just south of the Jardin Albert I, then headed westward along the Promenade des Anglais followed by a hairpin turn at the Hotel Negresco to come back eastward and around the Jardin Albert I before heading again east along the beach on the Quai des Etats-Unis. In 1932 (80 years ago), Louis Chiron won the Nice Grand Prix aboard a Bugatti T51, closely followed just 3.4 seconds behind by Raymond Sommer in an Alfa Romeo Monza with third place going to Ren� Dreyfus, also in a Bugatti T51. In 1933 (79 years ago), the race was won byTazio Nuvolari in a Maserati 8C, followed by Ren� Dreyfus in his Bugatti and Guy Moll in an Alfa Romeo Monza. In 1934 (78 years ago), the race was again won by an Italian in an Alfa Romeo Tipo B, none other than the best driver of the season, Achille Varzi. The last season to feature a Grand Prix at Nice was in 1935 (77 years ago), when the Alfa Romeo Tipo Bs dominated the circuit in the hands of Tazio Nuvolari and Louis Chiron, who placed second, and Ren� Dreyfus, who took third.

As war broke out in sep. 1939 (73 years ago), Nice became a city of refuge for many displaced foreigners, notably Jews fleeing the Nazi progression into Eastern Europe. From Nice many sought further shelter in the French colonies, Morocco and North and South America. After Jul. 1940 (72 years ago) and the establishment of the Vichy Regime, antisemitic aggressions accelerated the exodus, starting in Jul. 1941 (71 years ago) and continuing through 1942 (70 years ago). On Aug. 26, 1942 (70 years ago), 655 Jews of foreign origin were rounded up by the Laval government and interned in the Auvare barracks. Of them, 560 would be deported to Drancy internment camp on Aug. 31, 1942 (70 years ago). Thanks to the activity of the Jewish banker Angelo Donati and of the Capuchin friar P�re Marie-Beno�t the local authorities hindered the applications of anti Jewish Vichy laws..

The first �r�sistants� to the new Regime were a group of High School seniors of the Lyc�e de Nice, now Lyc�e Mass�na, in sep. 1940 (72 years ago), later arrested and executed in 1944 (68 years ago) near Castellane. The first public demonstrations occurred on Jul. 14, 1942 (70 years ago) when several hundred protesters took to the streets along the Avenue de la Victoire and Place Mass�na. After Nov. 1942 (70 years ago) and the arrival of Italian troops occupying the city, a certain ambivalence remained among the population, many recent immigrants of Italian ancestry. However, the resistance got momentum after the Italian surrendered in 1943 (69 years ago) when the German armies occupied Vichy France. Reprisals intensified between dec. 1943 (69 years ago) and Jul. 1944 (68 years ago) when numbers of partisans were tortured and executed by the local Gestapo and the French Milice. Nice also was heavily bombarded by the American aviation in preparation for the Allied landing in Provence (1000 dead or wounded and more than 5600 people homeless) and famine ensued in the course of the summer of 1944 (68 years ago). Finally American paratroopers entered the city on Aug. 30, 1944 (68 years ago) and Nice was finally liberated. The consequences of the war were heavy, the population decreased by 15% and the economic life totally disrupted.

In the second half of the 20th century, Nice enjoyed an economic boom primarily driven by tourism and construction. Two men dominated this period: Jean M�decin, mayor for 33 years from 1928 (84 years ago) to 1943 (69 years ago) and from 1947 (65 years ago) to 1965 (47 years ago) and his son Jacques, mayor for 24 years from 1966 (46 years ago) to 1990 (22 years ago). Under their leadership, the city experienced extensive urban renewal and new constructions were undertaken (Convention centre, theatres, new thoroughfares and expressways, etc�) The arrival of the Pieds-Noirs, refugees from Algeria after 1962 (50 years ago) independence, also gave the city a boost and changed somewhat the make-up of its population and traditional views. By the late 1980�s, rumors of political corruption in the city government surfaced and eventually formal accusations against Jacques M�decin forced him to flee France in 1990 (22 years ago). Later arrested in Uruguay in 1993 (19 years ago), he was extradited back to France in 1994 (18 years ago), convicted of several counts of corruption and associated crimes and sentenced to imprisonment.

On Oct. 16, 1979 (33 years ago), a tsunami, caused by an undersea landslide hit the western coast of Nice and 23 people died.

In Feb. 2001 (11 years ago), European leaders met at Nice to negotiate and sign what is now the Treaty of Nice amending the institutions of the European Union.

In 2003 (9 years ago), local Chief Prosecutor �ric de Montgolfier alleged that some judicial cases involving local personalities had been suspiciously derailed by the local judiciary, which he suspected having unhealthy contacts through Masonic lodges with the very people prosecuted or judged. A controversial official report stated later that de Montgolfier had made unwarranted accusations.