This timeline highlights some of the major events in Lyon, but it is important to note that this list is brief and there are many other important historical events in the history of this city.
Antiquity
Lugdunum, today Lyon, is a Gallic site where a Roman colony was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, governor of Gaul, under the name of Colonia Copia Felix Munatia Lugudunum. Created after the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, this colony enjoyed great prosperity, dependent on the fate of the Roman Empire throughout Antiquity.

At the end of the 1st century BC, several political decisions by Augustus, the first Roman emperor, favored the rapid growth of Lugdunum. He divided Celtic Gaul into three provinces: Lyonnaise, Belgium, and Aquitaine. Lugdunum became the capital of the province of Lyonnaise, grouping together administrative services for several provinces and hosting a major mint that struck coins for the entire empire.

Caligula, often considered by historians to be a mad, cruel and tyrannical emperor, passed through Lugdunum between late 39 and early 40. His nickname, "Caligula", means "little boots", in reference to the boots he wore as a child. The third Roman emperor, he was born on August 31, 12 in Italy and died in Rome in 41, at the age of 28.

The Claudian tables: the Senate accepts Gallo-Roman notables into its ranks.

The first documented fire in Lyon dates back to the autumn of 64 (or 65). Lugdunum was badly damaged, and sources compare this disaster to the fire in Rome in July 64, under Nero. The emperor also sent aid of four million sesterces for the reconstruction of the city.

In 68 AD, the legate of Lyonnaise Gaul, Vindex, led a revolt against Nero, but was defeated by the army of Germania Superior. Galba, governor of Spain, also rebelled. The conflicts between Lugdunum and Vienna worsened: Lugdunum remained loyal to Nero, while Vienna supported Galba.

Taurobolus was a propitiatory ritual dating from the 1st century, involving the sacrifice of a bull by piercing its heart with a sword, specifically by a thrust through the chest.
The martyrs of Lyon are a group of Christians who suffered martyrdom at Lugdunum (Lyon) in 177. They represent the first known Christian group in Gaul and are commemorated on June 2.

The Battle of Lugdunum in 197 was fought between the forces of Emperor Septimius Severus and the Roman usurper Clodius Albinus. The conflict took place north of Lugdunum (Lyon) and ended in victory for Septimius Severus. The information comes mainly from the account of Cassius Dio, later revised by John Xiphilinus in the Middle Ages.

Aurelian, having reestablished imperial rule in the East, turned his attention to the Gallic Empire in 274. The campaign was won largely through diplomacy, with Tetricus I, the Gallic Emperor, ready to capitulate. To avoid open submission, Aurelian and Tetricus appear to have conspired, and at the Battle of Châlons, Tetricus deserted to the Roman camp, allowing Aurelian to easily triumph over the Gallic army.
This administrative reform made Lyon the capital of a small province and lost the preeminence of Gaul.
Under this "tetrarchy," or "rule of four," each emperor ruled over a quarter division of the empire. Diocletian further secured the empire's borders and purged it of all threats to its power.

With the Edict of Milan promulgated in 313, authorizing Christianity in the Roman Empire, Christians could truly build places of worship.
The Battle of Mursa, now known as Osijek in Croatia, took place on September 28, 351. It pitted the Roman army, led by Emperor Constantius II, against the usurper Magnentius, who commanded Roman units as well as large barbarian contingents.

Gratian (Latin: Flavius Gratianus Augustus), born in 359, was a Roman emperor who ruled the western part of the Empire from 367 to 383. In 383, to suppress the rebellion of the usurper Magnus Maximus, "comes" of Britain, Gratian confronted him near Lutetia. However, abandoned by his army, the emperor took refuge in Lugdunum, where he was assassinated by a lieutenant of Magnus Maximus.

Eugene (Flavius Eugenius Augustus), died on September 6, 394 near Aquileia, rhetorician and grammarian, was proclaimed co-emperor of the Roman Empire in 392 following the death of Valentinian II. This moderate Christian, encouraged by the Frankish general Arbogast, was not recognized by Theodosius I, who, then reigning over the eastern part of the empire, proclaimed his son Flavius Honorius co-emperor and considered Eugene a usurper from then on.

In the years following the weakening of Roman authority, the Burgundian domain expanded peacefully, with cities such as Besançon, Autun, Châlon-sur-Saône, Grenoble and Lyon welcoming them in 457. The brothers Gondioc and Chilpéric shared power, but after Gondioc's death around 463, Chilpéric became the sole king and established his residence in Lyon in 470. In 475, he concluded an agreement with the Visigoths, allowing him to expand his territory as far as the Durance.
Lyon became a strategic center for the Burgundians when Chilpéric settled there, marking a turning point in the history of the city, which went from an important Roman city to the capital of a rapidly expanding Burgundian kingdom.
The Middle Ages

Sidonius Apollinaris describes the cathedral in a letter, ecclesia (each city has only one church) which Bishop Patiens has just built and for which he has composed a poem.

The Frankish kingdoms (Regna Francorum in Latin) refer to the various barbarian kingdoms that succeeded one another or coexisted in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the conquest of these lands by the Franks in the 5th century.

Childebert I is said to have founded the first hospital in Lyon in 542, in the Saint-Paul district, near rue Saint-Éloi (Lyon 5th).

Charlemagne died in his palace in Aachen on 28 January 814, at the age of 71. He was buried the same day in the Palatine Chapel. Shortly after his death, the embryonic state he had established disappeared, giving way to the emergence of feudal society.

During the division of the Carolingian Empire, Lyon and its surroundings were integrated into Middle Francia, also known as Lotharingia. This vast region extends from the Jura to the Mediterranean and from the Alpine peaks to the Rhône and the Saône. Having become the kingdom of Burgundy-Provence, this region was bequeathed by its last sovereign to the holder of the Holy Empire on September 6, 1032. Thus, Lyon and the Lyonnais became lands of the Empire.

While Forez distanced itself from the Holy Empire to move closer to the crown of France, Lyonnais fully committed itself to the kingdom of Burgundy, which had itself been incorporated into the Empire in 1032. In this context, the archbishop remained the only one to have the privilege of minting coins.

The "Primate of Gaul" was the title given to the Archbishop of Lyon, who enjoyed special authority and primacy within the Roman Catholic Church in the region of Gaul. The title was confirmed in 1079 by a bull of Pope Gregory VII.

The golden bull effectively broke the precarious balance established between the Count of Forez and the Archbishop of Lyon and also allowed the Archbishop of Lyon to free himself from the chapter of canons of the cathedral, which was particularly powerful in Lyon.

The real name of the Waldensian Churches, as they call themselves in Piedmont, is the "Vaudois Table". This claims to have been born with the disciples of Peter Waldo, or Vaudès, in the 1170s, within the parish of Saint-Nizier in Lyon.

The Permutatio or Permutation of 1173 represents an agreement between the Archbishop of Lyon, Guichard of Pontigny, and the Count of Forez, Guy II. This transaction marks the end of a period of more than a hundred years of conflict between the Archbishops of Lyon and the lay counts of the region for control of Lyonnais. The outcome of this agreement consolidates power in the hands of the Archbishop by orchestrating an exchange (permutation) of lands between these two main actors.
Lyon Cathedral is the episcopal seat of the Archdiocese of Lyon and holds the status of both a cathedral and a primatial cathedral. As such, the Archbishop of Lyon holds the honorary title of Primate of the Gauls.

This bridge represented a major urban development initiative in Lyon in the 13th century. The work, begun in the late 12th century, was financed by donations and offerings to the chapel located at the end of the bridge, on the left bank. Although the first wooden bridge was completed in 11831, it collapsed under the passage of the crusaders in 1190, shortly after Philip Augustus and Richard the Lionheart had crossed it. Following this incident, and the death of some of his retinue, Richard gave the clergymen in charge of the bridge permission to collect money in England to finance its repair.

Around 1150, a conflict broke out between the Count of Forez, Gui II, and the Archbishop of Lyon, Heraclius of Montboissier, over the possession of the County of Lyon. This conflict reached its peak at the Battle of Yzeron in 1158, where the bishop's troops were defeated. In response, Heraclius appealed to the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who granted the County of Lyon to the archbishop in 1157, a decision confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1173. At this time, the Count of Forez, having sworn homage to the King of France Louis VII, had to renounce the county. However, in 1193, Gui II's second son, Renaud de Forez, was named Archbishop of Lyon, thus becoming a warrior and builder prelate, supported by his elder brother, the Count of Forez Gui III.

At the centre of this council was the deposition of Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire from his titles of emperor and king. It was the dramatic climax of the struggle between Frederick II and the papacy.

The main topics were:
- the conquest of the Holy Land,
- the union of the Churches of the East and the West,
- the papal election.
On 14 November 1305, Philip the Fair elected Bertrand de Got, Archbishop of Bordeaux, as Pope, who was crowned as Clement V in the Basilica of Saint-Just in Lyon. Writings from the time describe the pope as being very supportive of the French monarchy, presenting him as a puppet of Philip the Fair, who attended his enthronement with a large court to emphasize the closeness between the papacy and the king. Although the pope had wished to be crowned in Vienna to escape Roman intrigues, Philip the Fair imposed the city of Lyon, specifically choosing the suburb of Saint-Just for the coronation.

Although the process was gradual, the date of April 10, 1312 is generally accepted as the date of the official attachment of Lyon to the Kingdom of France. It was on this occasion that the Archbishop of Lyon, Pierre de Savoie, ceded sovereignty over the city and county of Lyon to King Philip the Fair, by the Treaty of Vienna.

The Sapaudine charter entrusted the administration of the city to 12 consuls with the right of the bourgeoisie to elect consuls, to form a council and to keep their archives, to have a prosecutor, to arm themselves, to keep night watch, to guard the city gates, to watch over the keys of the city and to levy taxes on themselves.

Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague in natural environments. It usually occurs after the bite of infected fleas from rats or other small mammals, but it can also be transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids of a dead animal infected with plague.

The dauphin granted the city the privilege of organizing two free fairs per year, although Lyonnais was only attached to the crown of France in 1312, while the Champagne fairs had existed since the 12th century.
Renaissance

Cycle of 4 fairs (Epiphany, Easter, August, All Saints) of 15 days

The Medicis transfer their Geneva branch to Lyon


The Compendium breve, a compilation of religious texts relating the reign of Pope Innocent III, is the first book to come out of the Lyon printing press in 1473. One of these copies ended up in the collections of the Niort archives.

First Italian War

The Ampère middle school-high school, located in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, has had several names over time. First named the Collège de la Trinité in the 16th century, it was designated as an imperial high school under Napoleon and a royal college during the Restoration. In 1888, it adopted the name Ampère high school.


The repression was harsh. Some leaders were hanged, others sent to the galleys.

"Pantagruel", or more precisely The Horrible and Terrible Deeds and Prowesses of the Renowned Pantagruel King of the Dipsodes, is the first novel by François Rabelais. Published in 1532, it tells the adventures of the giant Pantagruel, a character who also reappears in The Third Book, The Fourth Book and The Fifth Book.

In 1529 and 1531, great famines struck France following a period of drought causing an influx of migrants to the city of Lyon. In order to offer help to the population, the General Alms was created in 1534 at the Cordeliers convent.

The "Fabrique" refers to the entire Lyon silk sector, which, throughout its history, encompasses all stages of the production and sale of a silk fabric, from raw silk. This includes spinning, creating patterns, weaving, finishing and marketing the finished product.
It was on this date that the architect Philibert Delorme completed his gallery on Trompe


Solemn entries into Lyon are festive public events that take place when an important personage, especially a royal personality, enters the city. These entries are the occasion for celebrations and symbolic demonstrations of respect and loyalty.

The Huguenots were the Protestants of the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Navarre during the Wars of Religion of the second half of the 16th century (1562-1598), during which they were — under this name — in conflict with the Catholics.

The crowd massacres Protestants in prisons and in the city. Hundreds of victims.

The Edict of Chauny, promulgated by King Henry IV on 13 December 1595 in Chauny, came after the revolt in Lyon during the succession crisis, when the city had sided with the Holy League. This edict restricted the autonomy of the consulate by reducing the number of its members from twelve to five, including four aldermen and a provost of merchants.

Baroque




Louis XIV and his minister Colbert created the Grande Fabrique which brought together all the players in the silk industry, and established the quality criteria to be respected.



Classicism
The Academy of Sciences, Belles-Lettres and Arts of Lyon became a learned society born in 1758 from the merger between the Academy of Sciences and Belles-Lettres, founded in 1700, and the Academy of Fine Arts, created in 1713.










The Industrial Age















Contemporary period





The aim was to destroy railway infrastructure, particularly marshalling yards, to prevent the German army from transporting troops and equipment to western France to support the Normandy landings.









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