Paris was a sheperd and was told that he had to decide which goddess deserved the golden apple with the inscription 'for the fairest' which had been put on the Olympus by Eris, goddess of discord (as it can be seen on the image).
He had to decide between Aphrodite/Venus, Athena/Minerva or Hera/Juno. Aphrodite promised the love of the most beautiful woman, Hera power and Athena wisdom. He chose Aphrodite and he was able to seduce Helen of Troy and ran away with her. This would cause the Trojan War on the long run.
Sources:
Images from Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
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