Editing Paris (section)

===Origins===
{{main|Lutetia}}

The ''[[Parisii (Gaul)|Parisii]]'' people inhabited the Paris area from around the middle of the 3rd century BC.{{sfn|Arbois de Jubainville|Dottin|1889|p=132}}{{sfn|Cunliffe|2004|p=201}} One of the area's major north–south trade routes crossed the [[Seine]] on the [[Île de la Cité]], which gradually became an important trading centre.{{sfn|Lawrence|Gondrand|2010|p=25}} The Parisii traded with many river towns (some as far away as the Iberian Peninsula) and minted their own coins.{{sfn|Schmidt|2009|pp=65–70}}
[[File:ParisiiCoins.jpg|thumb|Gold coins minted by the [[Parisii (Gaul)|Parisii]], 1st century BC]]

[[Julius Caesar]] [[Gallic Wars|conquered]] the [[Paris Basin]] for the [[Roman Republic]] in 52 BC and began the Roman settlement on Paris's [[Rive Gauche|Left Bank]].{{sfn|Schmidt|2009|pp=88–104}} The Roman town was originally called [[Lutetia]] (more fully, ''Lutetia Parisiorum'', "Lutetia of the Parisii", modern French ''Lutèce''). It became a prosperous city with a forum, baths, temples, theatres, and an [[amphitheatre]].{{sfn|Schmidt|2009|pp=154–167}}

By the end of the [[Western Roman Empire]], the town was known as ''Parisius'', a [[Latin language|Latin]] name that would later become ''Paris'' in French.{{Sfn|Meunier|2014|p=12}} [[Christianity]] was introduced in the middle of the 3rd century AD by Saint [[Saint Denis of Paris|Denis]], the first Bishop of Paris: according to legend, when he refused to renounce his faith before the Roman occupiers, he was beheaded on the hill which became known as ''Mons Martyrum'' (Latin "Hill of Martyrs"), later "[[Montmartre]]", from where he walked headless to the north of the city; the place where he fell and was buried became an important religious shrine, the [[Basilica of Saint-Denis]], and many French kings are buried there.{{sfn|Schmidt|2009|pp=210–211}}

[[Clovis I|Clovis the Frank]], the first king of the [[Merovingian dynasty]], made the city his capital from 508.<ref>Patrick Boucheron, et al., eds. ''France in the World: A New Global History'' (2019) pp 81–86.</ref> As the Frankish domination of Gaul began, there was a gradual immigration by the [[Franks]] to Paris and the Parisian [[Francien language|Francien]] dialects were born. Fortification of the [[Île de la Cité]] failed to avert [[Siege of Paris (845)|sacking by Vikings in 845]], but Paris's strategic importance—with its bridges preventing ships from passing—was established by successful defence in the [[Siege of Paris (885–886)]], for which the then [[Count of Paris]] (''comte de Paris''), [[Odo of France]], was elected king of [[West Francia]].{{sfn|Jones|1994|p=48}} From the [[House of Capet|Capetian]] dynasty that began with the 987 election of [[Hugh Capet]], Count of Paris and [[Duke of the Franks]] (''duc des Francs''), as king of a unified West Francia, Paris gradually became the largest and most prosperous city in France.{{sfn|Schmidt|2009|pp=210–211}}