Lyon summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Lyon.

Lyon , English Lyons, City (pop., 2006 est.: city, 472,305; metro. area, 1,417,463), east-central France. Located at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, it was founded as the Roman military colony Lugdunum in 43 bc (see Lorraine) and became a principal city of Gaul. It was incorporated in 1032 into the Holy Roman Empire and in 1312 into the kingdom of France. It flourished economically in the 15th century, and by the 17th century it was the silk-manufacturing centre of Europe. It was a centre of the French Resistance movement during World War II. A major river port, it has a diversified economy, including textile, metallurgical, and printing industries. Its many ancient buildings include a Roman theatre, a 12th-century Gothic cathedral, and a 15th-century palace.

Rhône River Summary

Rhône River, historic river of Switzerland and France and one of the most significant waterways of Europe. It is the only major river flowing directly to the Mediterranean Sea and is thoroughly Alpine in character. In this respect it differs markedly from its northern neighbour, the Rhine, which

St. Irenaeus Summary

St. Irenaeus ; Western feast day June 28; Eastern feast day August 23) was the bishop of Lugdunum (Lyon), an Apologist, a doctor of the church, and a leading Christian theologian of the 2nd century. His work Adversus haereses (Against Heresies), written about 180, was a refutation of gnosticism. In

France Summary

France, country of northwestern Europe. Historically and culturally among the most important nations in the Western world, France has also played a highly significant role in international affairs, with former colonies in every corner of the globe. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the

Édouard Herriot Summary

Édouard Herriot was a French statesman and man of letters who was the longtime leader of the Radical Party; he served in nine different cabinets and was premier of France three times (1924–25, 1926, 1932). The son of an army officer, Herriot was educated at the École Normale Supérieure, from which