Had England triumphed, France would likely have vanished as a nation in world history. Half (50%) of the French people perished during the Black Death (1347-1352), leaving several cities (60%), villages deserted, fields abandoned, the economy completely paralyzed, mass graves numerous, and the authority of the church shattered.
The people, who remained untreated, found evidence that prayer had failed to halt the plague, and the priests they trusted also died. God then felt increasingly distant from the minds of the French. Many chroniclers note that the Laity (lay people) stopped trusting the Clergy (religious leaders), leading France to experience a religious crisis that shattered the authority of religion.
Although the collapse of the Church's authority during the Black Death was not the direct precursor to the rise of atheism in France, it was the first significant crisis of institutional religious belief there. This crisis marked the beginning of a long process that ultimately, through the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment, gave birth to secularism and the development of modern atheism in French society.
The County of Nice is located adjacent to Monaco, just 20 km to the east. Many Nice residents live their daily lives in this small, independent principality, a haven for the world's elite. Monaco never declared "independence" like other colonies.
Its status developed gradually, beginning in 1297 when it was founded by the Grimaldi dynasty, who seized the Monaco fortress. In 1419, Monaco became the legal possession of the Grimaldi family. In the Treaty of Péronne in 1641, Monaco was freed from Spanish influence but became a French protectorate.
In 1861, in the Franco-Monégasque Treaty, France immediately recognized Monaco's sovereignty. This date is often considered Monaco's "de facto independence," and France serves as its military and diplomatic protectorate. Monaco is considered a very small country, unable to stand alone without the protection of a powerful nation.
The flag of the Principality of Monaco is red and white, derived from the medieval colors of the Grimaldi family. Their heraldic colors, red (gules) and white/silver (argent), have been in use since 1881.
With Monaco's international recognition (1861), the people of Monaco felt independent, but this ultimately benefited France in socio-economic, tax, and prestige aspects. Under international law, the sovereignty of a microstate remains valid if it is recognized and its situation is stable.