In 600 BC, Greeks from the city-state Phocaea settled the colony of Massalia {present day Marseille) on the shores of the Mediterranean, making it the oldest city in Mariguay. Around the same time, Gallic Cellic tribes penetrated parts of Mariguay, and later united the area into Gaul. In 51 BC, Gaul was captured by the Roman Empire, who controlled Gaul until its collapse in 486. For hundreds of years, the residents of Gaul faced raids from Germanic Franks, culminating with their establishment of the Kingdom of France during the Middle Ages. During the Late Middle Ages, a French victory in the Hundred Year's War paved the way for a strong centralized Absolute Monarchy. During the Renaissance, France developed culturally and economically, and began the establishment of a vast overseas empire