Where does the history of the Germans and the French begin? With Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci and Vercingetorix, chieftain of the Arverni? Although the Teutons and Gauls were still far from becoming the Germans and the French, the first cultural differences did begin to emerge between the peoples on the left and right of the river Rhine. Part One of “Friends or Foes?” traces the origins of the French and Germans – eventually arriving at Charlemagne, “Father of Europe”.
