Charles de Gaulle had a Special Interest in the French History
Perhaps as a result of the political climate in France during his formative years and his family's historical history. Early on, Charles developed a love of French history. His father encouraged his children to argue over philosophical and historical issues in their free time at home. De Gaulle gained knowledge of French history from the conversations.
He was raised at Saint-Cyr and was educated there after being born in Lille. He served as an honorable officer in the First World War and sustained multiple injuries before being taken prisoner at Verdun. During the interwar years, he was an advocate for mobile armored divisions. In May 1940, he directed an armored division that conducted a counteroffensive against the German invaders, earning him the position of Undersecretary for War.
After rejecting his government's agreement with Germany, De Gaulle fled to England and exhorted the French in his Appeal of June 18 to carry on the fight and oppose occupation. His grandfather was also a historian, and his grandmother wrote poems on early Christianity. Because of all these factors, he had a keen interest in French history. He was particularly interested in the story of the 1870 German surrender of the French at Sedan.
