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List of French monarchs
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Everything about French Monarchy totally explained
The monarchs of France ruled, first as kings and later as emperors (Bonapartes only), from the Middle Ages to 1870. 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.
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 1340–1360 and 1369–1801 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. Henry V predeceased Charles VI and so his son, 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" 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.
» See also List of Frankish Kings
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 (mayor 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 (Charles I), 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).
| Portrait |
Name |
King From |
King Until |
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Charles II the Bald
(Charles II le Chauve) |
843 |
October 6, 877 |
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Louis II the Stammerer
(Louis II le Bègue) |
October 6, 877 |
April 10, 879 |
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April 10, 879 |
August 5, 882 |
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April 10, 879 |
December 6, 884 |
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885 |
January 13, 888 |
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February 29, 888 |
January 1, 898 |
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Charles III the Simple
(Charles III le Simple) |
January 1, 898 |
June 30, 922 |
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June 30, 922 |
June 15, 923 |
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July 13, 923 |
January 14, 936 |
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June 19, 936 |
September 10, 954 |
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November 12, 954 |
March 2, 986 |
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June 8, 986 |
May 22, 987 |
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.
| Portrait |
Name |
King From |
King Until |
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July 3, 987 |
October 24, 996 |
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October 24, 996 |
July 20, 1031 |
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July 20, 1031 |
August 4, 1060 |
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August 4, 1060 |
July 29, 1108 |
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July 29, 1108 |
August 1, 1137 |
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August 1, 1137 |
September 18, 1180 |
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September 18, 1180 |
July 14, 1223 |
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July 14, 1223 |
November 8, 1226 |
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November 8, 1226 |
August 25, 1270 |
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August 25, 1270 |
October 5, 1285 |
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October 5, 1285 |
November 29, 1314 |
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November 29, 1314 |
June 5, 1316 |
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November 15, 1316 |
November 20, 1316 |
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November 20, 1316 |
January 3, 1322 |
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January 3, 1322 |
February 1, 1328 |
Not listed above are Hugh Magnus, eldest son of Robert II, and Philip of France, eldest son of Louis VI: both were co-Kings with their fathers (in accordance with the early Capetian practice whereby Kings would crown their heirs in their own lifetimes and share power with the co-king), but predeceased them. Because neither Hugh nor Philip were sole or senior king in their own lifetimes, they're not traditionally listed as Kings of France, and are not given ordinals.
Direct Valois (1328-1498)
| Portrait |
Name |
King From |
King Until |
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February 1, 1328 |
August 22, 1350 |
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August 22, 1350 |
April 8, 1364 |
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Charles V the Wise
(Charles V le Sage) |
April 8, 1364 |
September 16, 1380 |
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September 16, 1380 |
October 21, 1422 |
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Charles VII the Victorious, the Well-Served
(Charles VII le Victorieux, le Bien-Servi) |
October 21, 1422 |
July 22, 1461 |
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July 22, 1461 |
August 30, 1483 |
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August 30, 1483 |
April 7, 1498 |
From 1422 to 1453, Henry VI of England was King in northern France, although after the coronation of Charles VII in 1429 Henry's power was weakened, and much English held territory was lost. Henry was, however, crowned King of France in Paris in 1431. He isn't generally listed as a genuine King of France, merely as a pretender.
| Portrait |
Name |
King From |
King Until |
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January 1, 1515 |
March 31, 1547 |
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March 31, 1547 |
July 10, 1559 |
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July 10, 1559 |
December 5, 1560 |
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December 5, 1560 |
May 30, 1574 |
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May 30, 1574 |
August 2, 1589 |
| Portrait |
Name |
King From |
King Until |
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August 2, 1589 |
May 14, 1610 |
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May 14, 1610 |
May 14, 1643 |
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May 14, 1643 |
September 1, 1715 |
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September 1, 1715 |
May 10, 1774 |
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May 10, 1774 |
August 10, 1792 |
From 21 January 1793 to 8 June 1795, Louis XVI's son Louis-Charles was the titular King of France as Louis XVII; in reality, however, he was imprisoned in the Temple throughout this duration, and power was held by the leaders of the Republic. Upon Louis' death, his uncle Louis-Stanislas claimed the throne, as Louis XVIII, but only became de facto King of France in 1814.
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.
The elder son and heir of Charles X, the Dauphin Louis-Antoine, is occasionally considered to have legally been the King of France as Louis XIX in the 20 minutes that passed between Charles X's formal signature of abdication and the Dauphin's own signature.
The Second French Republic lasted from 1848 to 1852, when its president, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, was declared Emperor of the French.
The transition period between the fall of the Second Empire after the capture of Napoleon III by the Prussians and the assumption of the Third Republic by General Louis Jules Trochu.
Heads of State following 1871
The chronology of Head of State of France continues with the Presidents of the French Republic and short term interim periods by the Chief of State of the French State (1940–1944), the Chairman of the Provisional Government of the French Republic (1944–1946) and the president of the French Senate (1969 and 1974) during the Fifth Republic.
Later pretenders
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:
Further Information
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