Alright, dates and days ! Don't worry again about these dates, it's just a quickie to allow you to understand a bit what's going on.
-56 to 4thcBurdigala, ancester of the city, is gallo-romain
A couple of Gangrels were chased away by new Toreador and Ventrue settlers.
5thc to 11thcWisigoths, Vandals, and others Huns invade the Aquitaine region. Aquitaine's Bishop ask help to newly catholic Franc leader, Clovis, to get rid of them, which he does around the 510's. He dies soon after, having his children and future generations creating little kingdoms all around the place.
The Arab invasion and a couple of Viking raids resetted a few times the cities of Aquitaine, Bordeaux being the main "target" (well, it's on the road anyway..). After all it was a little independant country. The 11thc marks some peace, and the Church and Bishops use it to pop up religeous buildings.
In the Wod, this was a pure massacre, a bloody mess. During the 11thC, many Toreador, and a couple of Lasombra installed themselves in Bordeaux and kept at relative peace, with a couple of Assamites killing here and there to keep good relations (by killing childes or political puppets).
12th C to 1453Bordeaux the English.
Alienor d'Aquitaine, duchesse of Aquitaine marries in 1137 Louis VII, king of France. But the union is invalidated 15 years latter, and she thens marries the Duc of Normandie. Said Duc becomes quickly Henri II, king of England, which makes Aquitaine and Bordeaux part of the English Kingdom. That's the start of the huge mess between France and England. Some crusades passed by Bordeaux as a scale to Jerusalem.
The establishment of the first Tremere Chantry dates from here. Rebellious Toreador wanted Bordeaux to join France, but Ventrue holders want to keep their independance by being allies with England. Toreador manicheanism won
1453 > 1715Part of France, now Bordeaux lost a huge commercial income because of the port relations with England.. But Louis IX, 1460's King of France, is very genereous to the city. The Port traffic will only take a second breath in the beginning of the 16th. Huge cultural center, Bordeaux's generations of humanists will create people like Montaigne. The 30 years War, epidemics and religeous conflicts (Saint Barthelemy for instance) messed upthe 17th century, big time.
Centralisation by the monarchy, taxes, cleaning up the finances and new international commerce to the "isles" begun the prosperity of the city for the 18th Century.
Tarcicus took regency of the Tremere Chantry and Bordeaux was very quickly declared Camarilla Territory, with all of France. Lasombra church holders were kicked out by Ventrue "Protestants". Helene de Chantraine took "Princedom".
1715 > 1793First port of France, and second port after London, Bordeaux is one of the cities allowes to be a part of the triangular commerce, although it's only about 5% of all maritimal commerce going on. Urbanism grows and intendants do well their jobs, as population grows steadly (up to 110 000 in 1790, they were less than 66000 in the 1700's). Finances are as clean as they can be just before the 1750's. Urbanism and good intendants redrawn the city, creating most buildings, places and parks of nowadays Bordeaux's Downtown.
Tourny :
Victoire :
Revolution strikes in Paris, and three days after, when Bordeaux knows about it, it leads to hopes and happyness. In 1790, the creation of the Societé des Amis de la Constitution (constitution's friends society, sounds like a gay group to me, but then again..) is created and holds the political party and ideas of the Girondists. But when Girondists are arrested in Paris and decapitated, a Popular Commission is created in Bordeaux. Robespierre qualifies Bordeaux as being anti-revolutionnary, most Girondists and Jaccobines are executed in Paris, and Terror is installed in Bordeaux too, killing about 300 people. Colonial troubles, war with England, and bad recolts leads to bad economy (which lead to the Revolution to begin with).
Helene, to allow some diplomacy and to keep her head, Sired one of the revolutionaries, which was Gosuin, and sent him on his way, with Lambert (the Sheriff's childe) to meet with the dissident Brujah. Gosuin and Theodore Jacob form their cotery to sustain the Revolution in a certain way, but without siding with Anarch and Sabbatic mouvements affiliated with the Revolution in Paris. Their alliance with Xavier, garant of the Camarilla and Sheriff of the city since always helped them. The Ventrue Helene held in power very tightly with the help of Villon and Archontes and Justicars who basicly cleaned up the country from Anarch revolutionaries and Sabbat sympathisants (mostly Gangrel and Brujah), as for Villon, siding with a Ventrue was better than to lose his head as well. The Tremere probably did anything they could to maintain the overall structure. Some concessions were made to Gosuin's claims to bring a bit of modernity, but all smokes and mirrors... Helen eventually died during a last Anarch Brujah attack directly sent by Paris' Anarchs. Gosuin and Theodore took the seat of Primogen once things were calmed down, and ruled the city until the 1810's, when Villon sent Madeleine d'Aurigny, his latest Childe, to claim the title of Marquise*
*France has only one Prince, which is the Prince of Paris, François Villon, our pal Toreador Poet. All other cities/regions are governed by appointed Toreadors, which take the title of Marquis not to outshine our very full of himself François. 1793 - 1914Tired of the global mess since Robespierre was decapitated, most Bordeaux's population applauded Napoleon Bonaparte's Coup d'Etat. The urbanisation of the city continued big time, drying up swamps. The city is still turned to maritime commerce, but Marseille and Havre are way more well equiped, so competition is harsh. The population of Bordeaux applauded very less when Napoleon engaged the Spain War, and made his soldiers sleep in local houses, when going to Spain, and when bringing back the wounded and sick. In 1814, the mayor of the city takes the Bourbon and Royalist side, agains Emperor Napoleon 1st, and then against the King Charles X. This is exactly when Madeleine took Domain.
Many urbanism projects were finished in the 1830's, like the Stone Bridge (le Pont de Pierre)
Industry enters Bordeaux just after the 1848 Revolution (which Bordeaux's population didn't like much, by the way). Vitrail, glass and bourgeoisie's artisanal works keep booming and is recognised in all France. This cohabits very well with huge global chimestry, food and metallurgy. The port is modernized for real, with big good docks. Rhum, wine, sugar, fish ans wood from the Lands Forest is exchanged with the new markeds of latin america.
Population doubled between the 1840's and the 1890's. By the 1890's, the idea is to bluid sculptures and monuments to big men and the Republic.
Monument to the Girondists :
Madeleine installed herself at the throne, despite the Primogen's protests, as they had ruled the city very well without needing her. The times being tough, they managed to accept her presence, thinking her reign would not last more than a few decades. She basicly held a politic of anyone does anything he likes and do not step on anyone else, so to keep her head and please her Sire. She worries about arts and the architecture of the city she wants to preserve, whatever it takes. She had to delegate much of her power through the crisis, to both the Tremere's and the Ventrue's benefits.
1914-1945The first World War makes Bordeaux the Capital of France a couple of months. Bordeaux is a Pit stop because of its geography, to transit US material in 1917 mainly. This accelerated the economy, and the firsts planes are built, and the port is now able to accost the huge transatlantic boats (Titanic like !).
With very known huge architects, the modernisation of the city still progresses. Public lightening, sewers, a couple of pools new streets with macadam... The cultural boom implies theatre, movies, expositions and cabarets. But then the Great Depression hits Bordeaux as everywhere else, and Bordeaux tries to avoid unemployement by keeping the urbanism and global public works.
Politically, the mayor who was elected in 1925, joined Vichy's collaboration Government from the Nazi occupation of Bordeaux, and Nazi used the occasion to build their submarine base. With much zelus, by the way. Many jews were deported from Bordeaux, and the community was hardly hit by the occupation. Resistance was very local and saved some lives, but as everywhere else in France, it kept on local levels. Bordeaux was liberated on August the 28th, 1944, with no fights nor nothing, just a pact signed between Liberation forces and German authorities.
The 1920's marked a strange time for Kindred, many were just embraced thanks to let-go Madeleine policy, which created the new generation of Anarch kindred. Most of them were reprimended by an Archonte who passed by and scolded the Marquise for her lack of control over her territory. The Tremere cleaned up their own anarch ranks with huge brutality and no intervention whatsoever, by orders of Tarcisus and by the hand of Lyle, his Childe.
The Tremere, who were quite discrete during all this time, shined during the second world war period. With a dark, terrifing shine. The Clan chose to use Hitler's propaganda and politics, surrounded with mysticism, to regain power it had lost during the first war in Europe. Tarcisus worked his way into gaining more and more power, with the help and alliances of the Tremere structure. The Marquise was quickly thrown away by the Tremere machine and was probably killed in her haven, with no witnesses. And all Tremere had alibies, so it WAS them. Tarcisus took Princedom in the late 30's, just before the Nazi occupation, and held on to power like a tyrant spoiled Child. The Tremere clan had almost every kindred in town as ennemy, which lead to some terrorist and resistance attacks.
With the liberation of the city, the Tremere clan stopped supporting Tarcisus (as they did with other Tremere Coup d'Etat around Europe), and to keep the Camarilla together, Tarcisus was promoted to the rank of Lord in Holland, and most traditionalist, conservateur Tremere left with him. The Tremere clan was deprived of all political power on humans since then on Belgium, Luxembourg and half of France, Bordeaux included. Lyle Kersten allied with Gosuin and Theodore Jacob to rebuild the city as Toreador seemed tired of power and almost agreed to the idea. The idea was to gain independance from Paris' crown, and Lyle moved the Chantry from Saint Eloi and Saint André to the Grand Regent Hotel, just in front of the Grand Theatre, historical Elyseum of the city. Gosuin took the seat of Prince, compiled with his role as a Ventrue Primogen.
1945 to nowadays Bordeaux is a slight right wing city, industrialized with bourgeoisie and landowners, Bordeaux is rich and a bit conservative, despite the very left wing Montaigne university (languages, arts, history and psychology). Industry is still quite present in Bordeaux, although many fabrics have closed doors. Ford still resists in the peripheria. Bordeaux has still a very very strong public works economy, and the city is constantly being renewed. Bordeaux has many immigrants and descendants from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia doing these manual labors of having beautiful building façades. The tramway has redrawn the streets and is a long term plan, downtown is now mainly pedestrian.
The very right wing Law university, Montesquieu, just in front of Montaigne, leads to awkward situations in the tramway leading to these universities, so you have rasta pot smokers talking philosophy and tight suit lawschool racist girl together in the tram, which is fun to watch.
Bordeaux's Mayor is Alain Juppé, current Defense Minister. Juppé is a very competent and intelligent man and is very protector of Bordeaux since his election in 1995. The whole Tram idea was Juppé's idea, and urbanisation is always on his mind to build a long term, rather than thinking to short term benefits. His predecessor was Chaban-Delmas, a resistance hero who was elected deputy for the Gironde "state", then mayor of Bordeaux in 1947, and stayed in place until 1995 (he was a couple of times First Minister, a couple of times President of the National Assembly). Chaban-Delmas kept being a consultant to Juppé and to the service of the city until his death in 2000's.
Bordeaux had huge strikes in May 1968, but as everywhere else it lead to national social policies.
Bordeaux had also big protests and manifestations to Sarkozy's politics since he was a Minister, in 2005 and up until now, for all situations. Retirement problems, student problems, teachers problems, security problems... Everything hits Bordeaux, so everyone marches since everyone is concerned.
Gosuin is obviously behind the long term urbanisation and keeper of the image of the city. Excellence and noblesque, the city's a bit elitist because of this. The marches just after Sarkozy's Election to President in 2007 translated into a Sabbat spanish attack in Bordeaux, which killed some Camarilla Kindred, mostly Gangrel from the Landes (forest south of Bordeaux). Sabbat seemed to know where they were going and where to strike, which has Kindred very insecure about what's going on and when will it be next time. Bordeaux being independant from Villon's crown causes many problems, and some even want to have a Toreador Marquis back and have Gosuin fall of the Prince's chair. Stressed Kindred is always bad.
During the latest Sabbat attack, the Gangrel clan lost two rustic brothers embraced in the 30's to keep an eye on the wood industry, and The Venerable's Childe, a girl embraced in the 50's just after him waking up to put himself up to date, Sandra, which was a wine student in the Oenology university of Bordeaux. The Toreador clan lost Laure's Childe and daughter, Alexandra a model who was embraced in the late 40's, who was diablerized few years prior to the latest attack, and Jerome's Childe and lover, Annabelle, talented musician and singer, whom he embraced just before Tarcisus' putsch. The Malkavian Clan lost Fred, Robert Degrelle's Childe who was embraced in the 90's, he was a Economics teacher in the Law university (Montesquieu), and Robert Degrelle himself who was executed for having facilitated a Sabbat implatation and covered up the Sabbat section responsible for the diablery of Alexandra. The Tremere clan lost no one, as most Tremere died or left the city with Tarcisus' Coup d'Etat, so the purge was a bit earlier (Tarcisus, Michael Horsman the precedent Librarian, and a whole Anarch Tremere Cotery executed in the 1920's). The Ventrue Clan lost Christophe and Thomas, a Sire and his Childe, Christophe was an industrial capitalist embraced in the 1830's, and Thomas was a gifted law student who had finished his cycle in Montesquieu. The Brujah Clan lost Tania, the Brujah feminist embraced in 1955, who formed the vampiric feminist club, Mike's Childe Leon, a thin blood embraced in 1977 and Walter, an English resistant embraced during the war. The Nosferatu Clan lost Terance, the informator of rumors through the bums member of the same cotery as Leon (Brujah thin blood) and Fred (Malkavian).
