The word "France" comes from "Frank", the Germanic tribe that invaded the Gaulish part of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, and extended until the creation of the Holy Roman Empire by Charlemagne in 800 (see map).
The Germans call France "Frankreich", literally the "Frank Empire".
However the Franks, or the Salian Franks to be more accurate, were originally from the Netherlands, founded their new Merovingian kingdom in what is now Belgium, Nothern France, the southern Netherlands and the Rheinland part of Germany. The Meuse valley (Wallonia) was at the centre of the kingdom. Have a look at the map (the darkest part is the original kingdom of Clovis, first Frankish king) :
The Frankish "homeland", be it Merovingian or Carolingian has always remained the Meuse valley from Clovis to Charlemagne. All the Carolingian dynasty originated from the region of Liege in Belgium. Only Belgium and Luxembourg have had about all their present borders within the Frankish homeland. The Western tip of France remained Breton, the East was Burgundian, the South was Basque, Catalan, Occitan, Provencal, Corsican, etc.
It is an aberation to associate the whole of France in its present border as the old land of the Franks. France is not even the hair of the Frankish kings. It is Germany and parts of Belgium that remained the centre of the Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne, while the Kingdom of France seceded from it in 843.
The Salian Franks that founded the Merovingian and Carolingian kingdoms being of Dutch origin, and having settled and left most of their offspring in what is now Belgium, it should be Belgium that deserve the appellation of "France" and "Frankreich". Ideally the northern tip of France (Nord-Pas de Calais and possibly also Picardie and Champagne-Ardenne) should form one European region with Belgium (at least French-speaking Wallonia) and be called "France".
It makes sense as the people of these regions are genetically similar (Frankish descent, so higher frequency of blue eyes, blond hair and Frankish facial traits), have a similar traditional architecture (central Lille looks like a Flemish city, and indeed belongs to the Flandre francaise), a similar geography and climate (Flanders, the Ardennes and the Meuse Valley are split between France and Belgium)... What is more Northern French dialects (Picard, Champenois, Lorrain) are closer to Walloon language than to other French dialects or languages. The historical counties of Flanders and Hainaut lied half in Belgium and half in France. This is only one ethnico-cultural entity, the true heir of the Franks.
May present-day France split in culturally uniform regions such as Brittany, Normandy, Alsace, Savoy, Provence, Corsica, Languedoc, etc., each having their own language, culure and history. If the centre wants to remain unifiied, let's call it "Gaul", but "France" is only suitable for the North and Belgium.
The Germans call France "Frankreich", literally the "Frank Empire".
However the Franks, or the Salian Franks to be more accurate, were originally from the Netherlands, founded their new Merovingian kingdom in what is now Belgium, Nothern France, the southern Netherlands and the Rheinland part of Germany. The Meuse valley (Wallonia) was at the centre of the kingdom. Have a look at the map (the darkest part is the original kingdom of Clovis, first Frankish king) :
The Frankish "homeland", be it Merovingian or Carolingian has always remained the Meuse valley from Clovis to Charlemagne. All the Carolingian dynasty originated from the region of Liege in Belgium. Only Belgium and Luxembourg have had about all their present borders within the Frankish homeland. The Western tip of France remained Breton, the East was Burgundian, the South was Basque, Catalan, Occitan, Provencal, Corsican, etc.
It is an aberation to associate the whole of France in its present border as the old land of the Franks. France is not even the hair of the Frankish kings. It is Germany and parts of Belgium that remained the centre of the Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne, while the Kingdom of France seceded from it in 843.
The Salian Franks that founded the Merovingian and Carolingian kingdoms being of Dutch origin, and having settled and left most of their offspring in what is now Belgium, it should be Belgium that deserve the appellation of "France" and "Frankreich". Ideally the northern tip of France (Nord-Pas de Calais and possibly also Picardie and Champagne-Ardenne) should form one European region with Belgium (at least French-speaking Wallonia) and be called "France".
It makes sense as the people of these regions are genetically similar (Frankish descent, so higher frequency of blue eyes, blond hair and Frankish facial traits), have a similar traditional architecture (central Lille looks like a Flemish city, and indeed belongs to the Flandre francaise), a similar geography and climate (Flanders, the Ardennes and the Meuse Valley are split between France and Belgium)... What is more Northern French dialects (Picard, Champenois, Lorrain) are closer to Walloon language than to other French dialects or languages. The historical counties of Flanders and Hainaut lied half in Belgium and half in France. This is only one ethnico-cultural entity, the true heir of the Franks.
May present-day France split in culturally uniform regions such as Brittany, Normandy, Alsace, Savoy, Provence, Corsica, Languedoc, etc., each having their own language, culure and history. If the centre wants to remain unifiied, let's call it "Gaul", but "France" is only suitable for the North and Belgium.