The historical ties between France and the United Kingdom , and the countries preceding them, are long and complex, including conquest, wars , and alliances at various points in history. The Roman era saw both areas largely conquered by Rome, whose fortifications largely remain in both countries to this day.
The Norman conquest of England in , followed by the long domination of the Plantagenet dynasty of French origin, decisively shaped the English language and led to early conflict between the two nations. Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Early Modern Period , France and England were often bitter rivals, with both nations' monarchs claiming control over France and France routinely allying against England with their other rival Scotland until the Union of the Crowns.
The historical rivalry between the two nations was seeded in the Capetian-Plantagenet rivalry over the French holdings of the Plantagenets in France. After the French victory in the Hundred Years' War , England would never again establish a foothold in French territory. Rivalry continued with many Anglo-French wars. The last major conflict between the two was the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars β , in which coalitions of European powers, financed by London, fought a series of wars against the French First Republic , the First French Empire and its client states, culminating in the defeat of Napoleon in For several decades the peace was uneasy with fear of French invasion in and during the later rivalry for African colonies.
Nevertheless, peace has generally prevailed since Napoleon I, and friendly ties between the two were formally established with the Entente Cordiale , and the British and French were allied against Germany in both World War I and World War II ; in the latter conflict, British armies helped to liberate occupied France from Nazi Germany. France and the UK were key partners in the West during the Cold War , consistently supporting liberal democracy and capitalism. In the s, relations deteriorated due to French President Charles de Gaulle 's concerns over the special relationship between the UK and the United States.
Since then, the two countries have experienced a close relationship, especially on defence and foreign policy issues; however they disagreed on several other matters, most notably the direction of the European Union. In the 21st century, France and Britain, though they have chosen different paths and share many overlooked similarities with roughly the same population, economic size, commitment to democracy, diplomatic clout, and as heads of former global empires.
