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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
   Enlarge
   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.

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

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

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

Capetian Dynasty, House of Valois (1328-1589)

(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

Valois- Orléans Branch (1498-1515)

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

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

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

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.

Bonaparte Dynasty - First Empire (1804-1814)

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

Bourbon Dynasty, Restored (1814)

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

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

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

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

Second French Republic (1848 - 1852)

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

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

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:
     * Legitimist claimants to the throne of France — descendants of the
       Bourbons, rejecting all heads of state since 1830. Some
       "fusionists" recognised the Orléanist claimant after 1873.
     * Orléanist claimants to the throne of France — descendants of
       Louis-Phillippe, rejecting all heads of state since 1848.
     * Bonapartist claimants to the throne of France — descendants of
       Napoleon I and his brothers, rejecting all heads of state 1815-48,
       and since 1870.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_French_monarchs"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
