After it became a Roman city, Marseilles prospered and developed into an early center of Christianity in the western Roman Empire. During the fifth century, it was captured by the Visagoths ( one of the most important and powerful of the Germanic tribes at the time). Charles Martel, Prince of the Franks (another powerful Germanic tribe) and his forces sacked Marseilles in 739. Seven hundred years later(1423), Marseilles was again invaded and sacked, this time by the “Crown of Aragon” (a Kingdom of Spain).
The Great Plague of 1720 decimated the population of the city, taking 70 years to recover. During Wirld War II, German Forces occupied Marseilles from 1942 onwards. It was heavily damaged by Allied bombings until it was liberated in 1944.
In addition to being a top tourist destination (around 4.1 million visitors per year), Marseilles has been featured in many movies, including “Fanny,” “ Barrabas,” “The Count of Monte Christo,” “ The French Connection,” and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.” Desiree Clary (former Queen of Sweden) and actor Louis Jourdan were among some of the many famous folks who were born in Marseilles.