List of French monarchs

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
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.[1]

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 the creation in 843 of Charles the Bald's Kingdom of Western Francia, the state which would directly evolve into modern France.

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.

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.

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 September 18, 1180 July 14, 1223
Louis VIII July 14, 1223 November 8, 1226
Louis IX November 8, 1226 August 25, 1270
Philip III August 25, 1270 October 5, 1285
Philip IV 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 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

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 (and then again from March 20 to June 22, 1815)

Bourbon Dynasty, Restored (1814-1830)

Picture Name King From King Until
Louis XVIII May 2, 1814 September 16, 1824 (except between March 13 and July 7, 1815)
Charles X September 16, 1824 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 1849 - 1852
December 2, 1852 September 4 , 1870

The chronology continues on Presidents of France.

Notes

  1. ^ The Merovingians did not rule France per se but ruled lands that were continually fluctuating between modern day France and Germany.

References

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

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