The origins of the European idea

• The poet Hesiod is the first to refer to the myth of Europa
• The apogee of the Roman Empire
• Charlemagne crowned Emperor of the West
• The abdication of Charles V puts an end to his dream of unifying Christendom
• Johannes Althusius, the first thinker on federalism
• Coronation of Napoleon
• Saint-Simon proposes the creation of a European Parliament
• The awakening of the nations inspires Victor Hugo's speech on the United States of Europe

• Home
• The European idea at the beginning of the 20th century
• The beginnings of European integration
• From the Six to the Nine
• Overcoming the crises
• The relaunch of the European idea
• The birth of 'political union'

Before 1918

Historical divisions aside, Europe has developed on a common base of ideas stretching from Greco-Latin humanism to the principles of the French Revolution. Before the people of Europe achieved the unification of the continent by the force of law alone, many emperors, princes and conquerors cherished the dream of a region subject to a single crown. Over the centuries, philosophers, writers and lawyers have written about greater unity among the people of Europe.