List of French monarchs

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Coronation of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile at Reims in 1223; a miniature from the Grandes Chroniques de France, painted in the 1450s, kept at the National Library of France
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Coronation of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile at Reims in 1223; a miniature from the Grandes Chroniques de France, painted in the 1450s, kept at the National Library of France

The monarchs of France ruled, first as kings and later as emperors, from the Middle Ages to 1848. There is some disagreement as to when France came into existence. The earliest date would be the establishment of the Merovingian Frankish kingdom by Clovis I in 486 with the defeat of Syagrius, the last Roman official in Gaul. That kingdom's rulers were deposed in the 8th century. The Treaty of Verdun established the Kingdom of Western Francia in 843. Another date favored by many medieval historians is 987, the beginning of the Capetian Dynasty.

However, the relevance of such traditional outlooks on the origins of modern nations is historically dubious (see below for recent studies). In light of these recent trends, this list begins with Charles the Bald and the Kingdom of Western Francia, originating in 843, the state which would directly evolve into modern France. For earlier Frankish monarchs, see List of Frankish Kings.

In addition to the monarchs listed below, the Kings of England and Great Britain from 1422 to 1801 also claimed the title of King of France. For a short time, this had some basis in fact - under the terms of the 1420 Treaty of Troyes, Charles VI had recognized his son-in-law Henry V of England as regent and heir. After the death of the two, Henry VI, succeeded his grandfather as King of France. Most of Northern France was under English control until 1435, but by 1453, the English had been expelled from all of France save Calais (and the Channel Islands), and Calais itself fell in 1558. Nevertheless, English monarchs continued to claim the title until the creation of the United Kingdom in 1801. Various English kings between 1337 and 1422 had also claimed the title of King of France, but only intermittently.

The title "King of the Franks" (Latin: Rex Francorum) remained in use until the reign of Philip IV. During the brief period when the French Constitution of 1791 was in effect (1791-1792) and after the July Revolution in 1830, the style "King of the French" was used instead of "King of France (and Navarre)". It was a constitutional innovation known as popular monarchy which linked the monarch's title to the people, not to the territory of France.

Contents

[edit] Frankish Predecessors: the Merovingian and Carolingian Dynasties (c. 410 to 843)

The name of France comes from the Germanic tribe known as the Franks. The Merovingian kings began as mere chieftains, the oldest known being Pharamond. Clovis I was the first of these to rise to true kingship. After his death, his kingdom was split between his sons into Soissons (Neustria), Paris, Orleans (Burgundy), and Metz (Austrasia). Various other kingdoms would continue to break apart and be formed as the various Merovingian kings warred with each other.

The Carolingians overpowered the Merovingian kings. First they became their majordomos (mayors of the palace) in Austrasia. Eventually, they united the entire Frankish kingdom for the first time since Clovis. With Mayor Pippin the Younger, the Merovingians were completely phased out. The Carolingian Dynasty would be the first true French monarchy. The great and extended kingdom of Pippin's son, the legendary Charlemagne, was split by Louis I (Louis the Pious). In 843, while Louis's son Lothair was in power, the great Frankish kingdom was split. The Eastern Kingdom became Germany, the Middle Kingdom became Lotharingia and later part of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Western Kingdom became France. Charles the Bald was the first ruler of the independent West Franks (France.)

List of Frankish Kings

[edit] Carolingian Dynasty (843 to 987)

Picture Name King From King Until
Charles the Bald 843 October 6, 877
Louis II October 6, 877 April 10, 879
Louis III April 10, 879 August 5, 882
Carloman April 10, 879 December 6, 884
Charles the Fat 885 January 13, 888
Odo February 29, 888 January 1, 898
Charles the Simple January 1, 898 June 30, 922
Robert I June 30, 922 June 15, 923
Rudolph July 13, 923 January 14, 936
Louis IV June 19, 936 September 10, 954
Lothair November 12, 954 March 2, 986
Louis V June 8, 986 May 22, 987

[edit] Capetian Dynasty (987 to 1328)

The Capetian Dynasty, the male-line descendants of Hugh Capet ruled France continuously from 987 to 1792 and again from 1814 to 1848. The branches of the dynasty which ruled after 1328, however, are generally given the specific branch names of Valois and Bourbon.

Picture Name King From King Until
Hugh Capet July 3, 987 October 24, 996
Robert II October 24, 996 July 20, 1031
Henry I July 20, 1031 August 4, 1060
Philip I August 4, 1060 July 29, 1108
Louis VI July 29, 1108 August 1, 1137
Louis VII August 1, 1137 September 18, 1180
Philip II Augustus September 18, 1180 July 14, 1223
Louis VIII July 14, 1223 November 8, 1226
Louis IX (Saint Louis) November 8, 1226 August 25, 1270
Philip III August 25, 1270 October 5, 1285
Philip IV "The Fair" October 5, 1285 November 29, 1314
Louis X November 29, 1314 June 5, 1316
John I November 15, 1316 November 20, 1316
Philip V November 20, 1316 January 3, 1322
Charles IV January 3, 1322 February 1, 1328

[edit] Capetian Dynasty, House of Valois (1328-1589)

[edit] (1328-1498)

Picture Name King From King Until
Philip VI February 1, 1328 August 22, 1350
John II August 22, 1350 April 8, 1364
Charles V April 8, 1364 September 16, 1380
Charles VI September 16, 1380 October 21, 1422
Charles VII October 21, 1422 July 22, 1461
Louis XI "The Prudent", "The Spider King" July 22, 1461 August 30, 1483
Charles VIII August 30, 1483 April 7, 1498

[edit] Valois-Orléans Branch (1498-1515)

Picture Name King From King Until
Louis XII April 7, 1498 January 1, 1515

[edit] Valois-Angoulême Branch (1515-1589)

Picture Name King From King Until
Francis I January 1, 1515 July 31, 1547
Henry II July 31, 1547 July 10, 1559
Francis II July 10, 1559 December 5, 1560
Charles IX December 5, 1560 May 30, 1574
Henry III May 30, 1574 August 2, 1589

[edit] Capetian Dynasty, House of Bourbon (1589-1792)

Picture Name King From King Until
Henry IV August 2, 1589 May 14, 1610
Louis XIII May 14, 1610 May 14, 1643
Louis XIV May 14, 1643 September 1, 1715
Louis XV September 1, 1715 May 10, 1774
Louis XVI May 10, 1774 August 10, 1792
Louis XVII January 21, 1793 June 8, 1795

[edit] First Republic (1792-1804)

Many people were monarchists at the time and consequently refused to recognise the overthrow of the monarchy, and considered Louis XVI's reign to have continued until his death in 1793, then his son Louis XVII to have reigned until his death in 1795, with Louis XVIII's reign then commencing, hence the numbering.

[edit] Bonaparte Dynasty - First Empire (1804-1814)

Picture Name Emperor From Emperor Until
Napoleon I May 18, 1804 April 11, 1814

[edit] Bourbon Dynasty, Restored (1814)

Picture Name King From King Until
Louis XVIII May 2, 1814 March 13, 1815

[edit] Bonaparte Dynasty - First Empire, Restored (The Hundred Days, 1815)

Picture Name Emperor From Emperor Until
Napoleon I March 20, 1815 June 22, 1815
Napoleon II June 22, 1815 July 7, 1815

[edit] Bourbon Dynasty, Restored (1815-1830)

Picture Name King From King Until
Louis XVIII July 7, 1815 September 16, 1824
Charles X September 16, 1824 August 2, 1830
(Louis XIX) August 2, 1830 August 2, 1830

[edit] Bourbon-Orléans, The Monarchy of July (1830-1848)

Picture Name King From King Until
Louis-Philippe, The Citizen King August 9, 1830 February 24, 1848

[edit] Second French Republic (1848 - 1852)

The Second French Republic lasted from 1848 to 1852, when its president, Louis Napoleon, was declared Emperor.

[edit] Bonaparte Dynasty, Restored Second Empire (1852-1870)

Picture Name Emperor From Emperor Until
Napoleon III, Emperor (previously president of France from 1848 - 1852) December 2, 1852 September 4, 1870

[edit] Later pretenders

The chronology of Head of State of France continues with the Presidents of France. Various pretenders descended from the preceding monarchs have claimed to be the legitimate monarch of France, rejecting the claims of the President of France, and of each other. These groups are:

[edit] References

    For a study of France and its rulers, see also:

    • Edward James, "The Origins of France: Clovis to the Capetians 500-1000." ISBN 0-333-27052-5
    • Edward James, The Franks. Blackwell: 1991. ISBN 0-631-17936-4
    • The history of France as recounted in the "Grandes Chroniques de France," and particularly in the personal copy produced for King Charles V between 1370 and 1380 that is the saga of the three great dynasties, the Merovingians, Carolingians, and the Capetian Rulers of France, that shaped the institutions and the frontiers of the realm. It should be noted that this work was commissioned at a time that France was embroiled in the Hundred Years' War with England, a war fought over hereditary claims to the throne of France. It must therefore be read with a careful eye toward biases meant to justify the Capetian claims of continuity and inheritance.
    • The Cambridge Illustrated History of France - Cambridge University Press
    • Paul Fouracre and Richard A. Gerberding, Late Merovingian France: History and Hagiography, 640-720. Manchester University Press - ISBN 0-7190-4791-9
    • Patrick Geary, Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World. Oxford: Oxford U. Press, 1988. ISBN 0-19-504458-4
    • Patrick Geary, The Myth of Nations: The Medieval Origins of Europe. Princeton U. Press, 2001. ISBN 0-691-11481-1

    [edit] See also

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