France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

was ruled by

monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

s from the establishment of the kingdom of

West Francia In medieval historiography, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () constitutes the initial stage of the Kingdom of France and extends from the year 843, from the Treaty of Verdun, to 987, the beginning of the Capet ...

in 843 until the end of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

usually regards

Clovis I Clovis (; reconstructed Old Frankish, Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first List of Frankish kings, king of the Franks to unite all of the Franks under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a ...

king of the Franks The Franks, Germanic peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dux, dukes and monarch, reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Franks, Salian Mero ...

(), as the first king of France. However, historians today consider that such a kingdom did not begin until the establishment of

, after the fragmentation of the

Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Franks, Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as List of Frankish kings, kings of the Franks since ...

in the 9th century.

Titles

The kings used the title "King of the Franks" () until the late twelfth century; the first to adopt the title of "King of France" (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Rex Franciae''; French: ''roi de France'') was Philip II in 1190 (r. 1180–1223), after which the title "King of the Franks" gradually lost ground. However, ''Francorum Rex'' continued to be sometimes used, for example by

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...

in 1499, by Francis I in 1515, and by

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

in about 1550; it was also used on coins up to the eighteenth century. During the brief period when the

French Constitution of 1791 The French Constitution of 1791 () was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the . One of the basic precepts of the French Revolution was adopting constitutionality and establishing po ...

was in effect (1791–1792) and after the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...

in 1830, the

style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

King of the French The precise style of French sovereigns varied over the years. Currently, there is no French sovereign; three distinct traditions (the Legitimist, the Orleanist, and the Bonapartist) exist, each claiming different forms of title. The three style ...

" (''roi des Français'') was used instead of "

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

(and

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

)". It was a constitutional innovation known as

popular monarchy Popular monarchy is a term used by Kingsley Martin (1936) for monarchical titles referring to a people rather than a territory.. This was the norm in classical antiquity and throughout much of the Middle Ages, and such titles were retained in s ...

which linked the monarch's title to the French people rather than to the possession of the territory of France. With the

House of Bonaparte The House of Bonaparte (originally ''Buonaparte'') is a former imperial and royal European dynasty of French and Italian origin. It was founded in 1804 by Napoleon I, the son of Corsican nobleman Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Buonaparte (née ...

, the title "

Emperor of the French Emperor of the French ( French: ''Empereur des Français'') was the title of the monarch and supreme ruler of the First French Empire and the Second French Empire. The emperor of France was an absolute monarch. Details After rising to power by ...

" (''Empereur des Français'') was used in 19th-century France, during the first and

second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

French Empires, between 1804 and 1814, again in 1815, and between 1852 and 1870. From the 14th century down to 1801, the English (and later British) monarch claimed the throne of France, though such claim was purely nominal excepting a short period during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

when

Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and 1470 to 1471, and English claims to the French throne, disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V of England, Henry V, he succeeded ...

had control over most of Northern France, including Paris. By 1453, the English had been mostly expelled from France and Henry's claim has since been considered illegitimate; French historiography commonly does not recognize Henry VI of England among the kings of France.

Frankish kings (843–987)

Carolingian dynasty (843–887)

The Carolingians were a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The family consolidated its power in the 8th century, eventually making the offices of

mayor of the palace Under the Merovingian dynasty, the mayor of the palace or majordomo, ( or ) was the manager of the household of the Frankish king. He was the head of the Merovingian administrative ladder and orchestrated the operation of the entire court. He ...

and '' dux et princeps Francorum'' hereditary and becoming the real powers behind the

Merovingian kings The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

. The dynasty is named after one of these mayors of the palace,

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

, whose son

Pepin the Short the Short (; ; ; – 24 September 768), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian dynasty, Carolingian to become king. Pepin was the son of the Frankish prince Charles Martel and his wife Rotrude of H ...

dethroned the Merovingians in 751 and, with the consent of the

Papacy The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

and the aristocracy, was crowned

King of the Franks The Franks, Germanic peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dux, dukes and monarch, reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Franks, Salian Mero ...

. Under

Charles the Great Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian Empire from 800, holding these titles until his death in 814. He united mo ...

(r. 768–814), better known as "

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

", the Frankish kingdom expanded deep into

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

, conquering

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and most of modern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. He was also crowned " Emperor of the Romans" by the Pope, a title that was eventually carried on by the German rulers of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. Charlemagne was succeeded by his son

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

(r. 814–840), who eventually divided the kingdom between his sons. His death, however, was followed by a three-year-long civil war that ended with the

Treaty of Verdun The Treaty of Verdun (; ), agreed to on 10 August 843, ended the Carolingian civil war and divided the Carolingian Empire between Lothair I, Louis the German, Louis II and Charles the Bald, Charles II, the surviving sons of the emperor Louis the ...

, which divided

Francia The Kingdom of the Franks (), also known as the Frankish Kingdom, or just Francia, was the largest History of the Roman Empire, post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks, Frankish Merovingian dynasty, Merovingi ...

into three kingdoms, one of which (

Middle Francia Middle Francia () was a short-lived Frankish kingdom which was created in 843 by the Treaty of Verdun after an intermittent civil war between the grandsons of Charlemagne resulted in division of the united empire. Middle Francia was allocated ...

) was short-lived. Modern France developed from

, while

East Francia East Francia (Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the East Franks () was a successor state of Charlemagne's empire created in 843 and ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was established through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided the for ...

became the

and later

. By this time, the eastern and western parts of the land had already developed different languages and cultures.

Robertian dynasty (888–898)

Carolingian dynasty (898–922)

Robertian dynasty (922–923)

Bosonid dynasty (923–936)

Carolingian dynasty (936–987)

Capetian dynasty (987–1792; 1814–1815; 1815-1848)

The Capetian dynasty is named for Hugh Capet, a Robertian who served as

Duke of the Franks Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ...

and was elected King in 987. Except for the Bonaparte-led Empires, every monarch of France was a male-line descendant of Hugh Capet. The kingship passed through patrilineally from father to son until the 14th century, a period known as Direct Capetian rule. Afterwards, it passed to the

House of Valois The Capetian House of Valois ( , also , ) was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. They succeeded the House of Capet (or "Direct Capetians") to the List of French monarchs, French throne, and were the royal house of France from 1328 to 1589. ...

, a cadet branch that descended from Philip III. The Valois claim was disputed by

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

, the

Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet ( /plænˈtædʒənət/ ''plan-TAJ-ə-nət'') was a royal house which originated from the French county of Anjou. The name Plantagenet is used by modern historians to identify four distinct royal houses: the Angev ...

king of England who claimed himself as the rightful king of France through his French mother Isabella. The two houses fought the

over the issue, and with

being for a time partially recognized as King of France. The Valois line died out in the late 16th century, during the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

, to be replaced by the distantly related

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

, which descended through the Direct Capetian Louis IX. The Bourbons ruled France until deposed in the French Revolution, though they were restored to the throne after the fall of Napoleon. The last Capetian to rule was

Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

, king of the

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (), officially the ''Kingdom of France'' (), was a liberalism, liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 9 August 1830, after the revolutionary victory of the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 26 Februar ...

(1830–1848), a member of the cadet House of Bourbon-Orléans.

House of Capet (987–1328)

The House of Capet are also commonly known as the "Direct Capetians".

House of Valois (1328–1589)

The death of Charles IV started the

between the

and the

House of Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet (Help:IPA/English, /plænˈtædʒənət/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''plan-TAJ-ə-nət'') was a royal house which originated from the Medieval France, French county of Anjou. The name Plantagenet is used by mo ...

, whose claim was taken up by the cadet branch known as the

House of Lancaster The House of Lancaster was a cadet branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. The first house was created when King Henry III of England created the Earldom of Lancasterfrom which the house was namedfor his second son Edmund Crouchback in 1267 ...

, over control of the French throne. The Valois claimed the right to the succession by male-only

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

through the ancient

Salic Law The Salic law ( or ; ), also called the was the ancient Frankish Civil law (legal system), civil law code compiled around AD 500 by Clovis I, Clovis, the first Frankish King. The name may refer to the Salii, or "Salian Franks", but this is deba ...

, having the closest all-male line of descent from a recent French king. They were descended from the third son of Philip III, Charles, Count of Valois. The Plantagenets based their claim on being closer to a more recent French king,

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

being a grandson of Philip IV through his mother, Isabella. The two houses fought the Hundred Years War to enforce their claims. The Valois were ultimately successful, and French historiography counts their leaders as rightful kings. One Plantagenet,

, enjoyed ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

'' control of the French throne following the Treaty of Troyes, which formed the basis for continued English claims to the throne of France until 1801. The Valois line ruled France until the line became extinct in 1589, in the backdrop of the

. As Navarre did not have a tradition of male-only primogeniture, the Navarrese monarchy became distinct from the French with Joan II, a daughter of Louis X.

House of Valois-Orléans (1498–1515)

House of Valois-Angoulême (1515–1589)

House of Bourbon (1589–1792)

The Valois line looked strong on the death of

, who left four male heirs. His first son, Francis II, died in his minority. His second son, Charles IX, had no legitimate sons to inherit. Following the premature death of his fourth son Hercule François and the assassination of his third son, the childless Henry III, France was plunged into a succession crisis over which distant cousin of the king would inherit the throne. The best claimant, King Henry III of Navarre, was a Protestant, and thus unacceptable to much of the French nobility. Ultimately, after winning numerous battles in defence of his claim, Henry converted to Catholicism and was crowned as King Henry IV, founding the House of Bourbon. This marked the second time the thrones of Navarre and France were united under one monarch, as different inheritance laws had caused them to become separated during the events of the Hundred Years Wars. The House of Bourbon was overthrown during the French Revolution and replaced by a short-lived

republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

Long 19th-century (1792–1870)

The period known as the "long nineteenth century" was a tumultuous time in French politics. The period is generally considered to have begun with the French Revolution, which deposed and then executed

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

. Royalists continued to recognize his son, the putative king

Louis XVII Louis XVII (born Louis Charles, Duke of Normandy; 27 March 1785 – 8 June 1795) was the younger son of King Louis XVI of France and Queen Marie Antoinette. His older brother, Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France, died in June 1789, a little over ...

, as ruler of France. Louis was under arrest by the government of the Revolution and died in captivity having never ruled. The republican government went through several changes in form and constitution until France was declared an empire, following the ascension of the

First Consul The Consulate () was the top-level government of the First French Republic from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799 until the start of the French Empire on 18 May 1804. During this period, Napoleon Bonap ...

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

as Emperor Napoleon I. Napoleon was overthrown twice following military defeats during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. After the Napoleonic period followed two different royal governments, the Bourbon Restoration, which was ruled successively by two younger brothers of Louis XVI, and the

, ruled by

, a distant cousin who claimed descent from

Philippe I, Duke of Orléans ''Monsieur'' Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (21 September 1640 – 9 June 1701) was the younger son of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria, and the younger brother of King Louis XIV. He was the founder of the House of Orléans, a ...

, younger brother of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

. The

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (), also known as the February Revolution (), was a period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation of the French Second Republic. It sparked t ...

brought an end to the monarchy again, instituting a brief Second Republic that lasted four years, before its President declared himself Emperor

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

, who was deposed and replaced by the Third Republic, and ending monarchic rule in France for good.

House of Bonaparte, First French Empire (1804–1814)

House of Bourbon, First Restoration (1814–1815)

House of Bonaparte, Hundred Days (1815)

House of Bourbon, Second Restoration (1815–1830)

House of Bourbon-Orléans, July Monarchy (1830–1848)

The Bourbon Restoration came to an end with the

of 1830 which deposed

Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...

and replaced him with

, a distant cousin with more liberal politics. Charles X's son Louis signed a document renouncing his own right to the throne only after a 20-minute argument with his father. Because he was never crowned he is disputed as a genuine king of France. Louis's nephew Henry was likewise considered by some to be Henry V, but the new regime did not recognise his claim and he never ruled. Charles X named Louis Philippe as ''Lieutenant général du royaume'', a regent to the young Henry V, and charged him to announce his desire to have his grandson succeed him to the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

, the lower house of the

French Parliament The French Parliament (, ) is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of the French Fifth Republic, consisting of the Senate (France), Senate (), and the National Assembly (France), National Assembly (). Each assembly conducts legislative sessi ...

at the time, the French equivalent at the time of the UK House of Commons. Louis Philippe did not do this, in order to increase his own chances of succession. As a consequence, and because the French parliamentarians were aware of his liberal policies and of his popularity at the time with the French population, they proclaimed Louis Philippe as the new French king, displacing the senior branch of the House of Bourbon.

House of Bonaparte, Second French Empire (1852–1870)

The

French Second Republic The French Second Republic ( or ), officially the French Republic (), was the second republican government of France. It existed from 1848 until its dissolution in 1852. Following the final defeat of Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle ...

lasted from 1848 to 1852, when its president, Charles-Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, was declared

under the regnal name of

. He would later be overthrown during the events of the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, becoming the last monarch to rule France.

Later pretenders

Various

pretender A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term may often be used to either refer to a descendant of a deposed monarchy or a claim that is not legitimat ...

s descended from the preceding monarchs have claimed to be the legitimate monarch of France, rejecting the claims of the president of France and of one another. These groups are: * Legitimist claimants to the throne of France: Descendants of

through the senior branch of the House of Bourbon, claiming precedence over the House of Bourbon-Orléans by virtue of primogeniture. In 1883, these were split into two factions as Henri V died without heirs, and his successor as head of the House of Bourbon would have a Spanish Bourbon. Earlier, King Philip V of Spain (also of the House of Bourbon) had earlier renounced the throne of France for himself and his descendants in the

Peace of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...

. One faction were the Unionists, who recognized the Orléanist claimant Philippe as the pretender to the throne of France and disqualifying the Spanish branch from succession; the other were the Blancs d'Espagne, who insisted that claimant to the throne would remain to be from the Spanish branch according to primogeniture, disregarding the Spanish renunciation. * Orléanist claimants to the throne of France: Descendants of Louis-Phillippe, himself descended from a junior line of the Bourbon dynasty, rejecting all heads of state since 1848. They argue that King Louis Philippe acquired legitimacy via

popular sovereignty Popular sovereignty is the principle that the leaders of a state and its government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associativ ...

when the representatives of the French people in the

recognized him as king, with the Bourbons having already been rejected and dethroned by the French people after two revolutions. * Bonapartist claimants to the throne of France: Descendants of Napoleon I and his brothers, rejecting all heads of state 1815–48 and since 1870. They argue that the Imperial throne needs to return to the House of Bonaparte, as the monarchs of this house had been chosen directly by the people through referendums, giving them legitimacy to reign via

, and both the Bourbons and the Orléans were rejected and dethroned through revolutions and that the Bonapartes were only dethroned due the interference of foreign enemies, with no popular revolution taking place to overthrow the Bonapartes and that the Third Republic was originally intended to be a provisional regime to return the throne to an Orléans or Bourbon (that never happened). * English claimants to the throne of France: kings of England and later of Great Britain (renounced by Hanoverian King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

upon union with Ireland in 1800). * Jacobite claimants to the throne of France: senior heirs-general of Edward III of England and thus his claim to the French throne, also claiming England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1600 height:auto barincrement:12 PlotArea = top:3 bottom:150 right:150 left:20 AlignBars = late DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:843 till:1871 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:100 start:900 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:25 start:850 Colors = id:canvas value:white id:carolingian value:rgb(1,0.8,0) id:robertian value:skyblue id:bosonid value:rgb(0.7,0.1,0.1) id:capet value:darkblue id:valois value:oceanblue id:lancaster value:red id:bourbon value:rgb(0,0.75,1) id:orleans value:green id:bonaparte value:purple id:republic value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:eon value:black Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = bar:CharlesIIandI bar:LouisII bar:LouisIII bar:CarlomanII bar:CharlesIIIandII bar:Odo bar:CharlesIII bar:RobertI bar:Rudolph bar:LouisIV bar:Lothair bar:LouisV bar:Hugh bar:RobertII bar:HenryI bar:PhilipI bar:LouisVI bar:LouisVII bar:PhilipII bar:LouisVIII bar:LouisIX bar:PhilipIII bar:PhilipIV bar:LouisX bar:JohnI bar:PhilipV bar:CharlesIV bar:PhilipVI bar:JohnII bar:CharlesV bar:CharlesVI bar:CharlesVII bar:HenryVILancaster bar:LouisXI bar:CharlesVIII bar:LouisXII bar:FrancisI bar:HenryII bar:FrancisII bar:CharlesIX bar:HenryIII bar:HenryIV bar:HenryD bar:LouisXIII bar:LouisXIV bar:LouisXV bar:LouisXVI bar:LouisXVII bar:NapoleonI bar:LouisXVIII bar:NapoleonII bar:CharlesX bar:LouisXIX bar:HenryV bar:LouisPhilipI bar:LouisPhilipII bar:NapoleonIII bar:Space bar:eon PlotData= width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till bar:CharlesIIandI from:843 till: 877 color:carolingian text:"

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...

" bar:LouisII from:877 till: 879 color:carolingian text:"

Louis the Stammerer Louis the Stammerer (; 1 November 846 – 10 April 879) was the king of Aquitaine and later the king of West Francia. He was the eldest son of Emperor Charles the Bald and Ermentrud ...

" bar:LouisIII from:879 till: 882 color:carolingian text:"

Louis III Louis III may refer to: * Louis the Younger, sometimes III of Germany (835–882) * Louis III of France (865–882) * Louis the Blind, Louis III, Holy Roman Emperor, (c. 880–928) * Louis the Child, sometimes III of Germany (893–911) * Louis III ...

" bar:CarlomanII from:882 till: 884 color:carolingian text:" Carloman_II" bar:CharlesIIIandII from:882 till: 888 color:carolingian text:"

Charles the Fat Charles the Fat (839 – 13 January 888) was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 887. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandson of Charlemagne. He was t ...

" bar:Odo from:888 till: 898 color:robertian text:" Odo of Paris" bar:CharlesIII from:898 till: 922 color:carolingian text:"

Charles the Simple Charles III (17 September 879 – 7 October 929), called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the Latin ''Carolus Simplex''), was the king of West Francia from 898 until 922 and the king of Lotharingia from 911 until 919–923. He was a memb ...

" bar:RobertI from:922 till: 923 color:robertian text:"

Robert I Robert I may refer to: * Robert I, Duke of Neustria (697–748) *Robert I of France (866–923), King of France, 922–923, rebelled against Charles the Simple * Rollo, Duke of Normandy (c. 846 – c. 930; reigned 911–927) * Robert I Archbishop o ...

" bar:Rudolph from:923 till: 936 color:bosonid text:" Rudolph" bar:LouisIV from:936 till:954 color:carolingian text:" Louis of Outremer" bar:Lothair from:954 till:986 color:carolingian text:" Lothair" bar:LouisV from:986 till:987 color:carolingian text:"

Louis V Louis V may refer to: * Louis V of France (967–987) * Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor and V of Germany (1282–1347) * Louis V, Duke of Bavaria (1315–1361) * Louis V, Elector Palatine (ruled 1508–1544) * Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (r ...

" bar:Hugh from:987 till:996 color:capet text:"

Hugh Capet Hugh Capet (; ; 941 – 24 October 996) was the King of the Franks from 987 to 996. He is the founder of and first king from the House of Capet. The son of the powerful duke Hugh the Great and his wife Hedwige of Saxony, he was elected as t ...

" bar:RobertII from:996 till:1031 color:capet text:" Robert II" bar:HenryI from:1031 till:1060 color:capet text:" Henry I" bar:PhilipI from:1060 till:1108 color:capet text:"

Philip I Philip(p) I may refer to: * Philip I of Macedon (7th century BC) * Philip I Philadelphus (between 124 and 109 BC–83 or 75 BC) * Philip the Arab (c. 204–249), Roman Emperor * Philip I of France (1052–1108) * Philip I (archbishop of Cologne) ( ...

" bar:LouisVI from:1108 till:1137 color:capet text:" Louis VI" bar:LouisVII from:1137 till:1180 color:capet text:" Louis VII" bar:PhilipII from:1180 till:1223 color:capet text:"

Philip II Augustus Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...

" bar:LouisVIII from:1223 till:1226 color:capet text:" Louis VIII" bar:LouisIX from:1226 till:1270 color:capet text:" Louis IX" bar:PhilipIII from:1270 till:1285 color:capet text:" Philip III" bar:PhilipIV from:1285 till:1314 color:capet text:" Philip IV" bar:LouisX from:1314 till:1316 color:capet text:" Louis X" bar:JohnI from:1316 till:1316 color:capet text:"

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

" bar:PhilipV from:1316 till:1322 color:capet text:" Philip V" bar:CharlesIV from:1322 till:1328 color:capet text:" Charles IV" bar:PhilipVI from:1328 till:1350 color:valois text:" Philip VI" bar:JohnII from:1350 till:1364 color:valois text:" John II" bar:CharlesV from:1364 till:1380 color:valois text:" Charles V" bar:CharlesVI from:1380 till:1422 color:valois text:" Charles VI" bar:CharlesVII from:1422 till:1461 color:valois text:" Charles VII" bar:HenryVILancaster from:1422 till:1453 color:lancaster text:" Henry (II) (Disputed)" bar:LouisXI from:1461 till:1483 color:valois text:"

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the ...

" bar:CharlesVIII from:1483 till:1498 color:valois text:" Charles VIII" bar:LouisXII from:1498 till:1515 color:valois text:"

" bar:FrancisI from:1515 till:1547 color:valois text:" Francis I" bar:HenryII from:1547 till:1559 color:valois text:"

" bar:FrancisII from:1559 till:1560 color:valois text:" Francis II" bar:CharlesIX from:1560 till:1574 color:valois text:" Charles IX" bar:HenryIII from:1574 till:1589 color:valois text:" Henry III" bar:HenryIV from:1589 till:1610 color:bourbon text:" Henry IV" bar:HenryD from:1589 till:1590 color:bourbon text:" Charles (X)" (Disputed) bar:LouisXIII from:1610 till:1643 color:bourbon text:"

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

" bar:LouisXIV from:1643 till:1715 color:bourbon text:"

" bar:LouisXV from:1715 till:1774 color:bourbon text:"

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

" bar:LouisXVI from:1774 till:1792 color:bourbon text:"

" bar:LouisXVII from:1792 till:1795 color:bourbon text:"

(Disputed)" bar:NapoleonI from:1804 till:1814 color:bonaparte from:1815 till:1815 color:bonaparte text:"

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

" bar:LouisXVIII from:1815 till:1815 color:bourbon from:1815 till:1825 color:bourbon text:"

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

" bar:NapoleonII from:1815 till:1815 color:bonaparte text:"

Napoleon II Napoleon II (Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte; 20 March 181122 July 1832) was the disputed Emperor of the French for a few weeks in 1815. He was the son of Emperor Napoleon I and Empress Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, Marie Louise, d ...

(Disputed)" bar:CharlesX from:1824 till:1830 color:bourbon text:"

" bar:LouisXIX from:1830 till:1830 color:bourbon text:" Louis (XIX) (Disputed)" bar:HenryV from:1830 till:1830 color:bourbon text:" Henry (V) (Disputed)" bar:LouisPhilipI from:1830 till:1848 color:orleans text:"

" bar:LouisPhilipII from:1848 till:1848 color:orleans text:" Louis Philippe II (Disputed)" bar:NapoleonIII from:1852 till:1870 color:bonaparte text:"

" align:center textcolor:black fontsize:8 mark:(line,black) width:6 shift:(-33,5) bar:eon color:eon from: 843 till: 888 color:carolingian text:

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

shift:(2,5) from: 888 till: 898 color:robertian text: Robertian from: 898 till: 922 color:carolingian from: 922 till: 923 color:robertian shift:(-8,5) from: 923 till: 936 color:bosonid text: Bosonid from: 936 till: 987 color:carolingian shift:(-40,5) from: 987 till: 1328 color:capet text: Capet from: 1328 till: 1589 color:valois text: Valois from: 1589 till: 1792 color:bourbon text: Bourbon from: 1792 till: 1804 color:republic shift:(-8,5) from: 1804 till: 1814 color:bonaparte text: Bonaparte from: 1814 till: 1815 color:bourbon from: 1815 till: 1815 color:bonaparte from: 1815 till: 1830 color:bourbon shift:(-10,5) from: 1830 till: 1848 color:orleans text:

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and Family tree of French monarchs * Family tree of French monarchs (simplified) *

English claims to the French throne From 1340, English monarchs, beginning with the Plantagenet king Edward III, claimed to be the rightful kings of France and fought the Hundred Years' War, in part, to enforce their claim. Every English and, later, British monarch from Edward t ...

* Fundamental laws of the Kingdom of France * List of French royal consorts * List of heirs to the French throne *

List of presidents of France The president of France is the head of state of France, elected by popular vote for five years. The first officeholder is considered to be Napoleon III, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, who was elected in 1848 French presidential election, 1848 but pr ...

* Style of the French sovereign * Succession to the French throne

Notes

Coronations

References

Citations

Main bibliography

* * Jacquin, Emmanuel (2000), ''Les Tuileries, Du Louvre à la Concorde'', Editions du Patrimoine, Centres des Monuments Nationaux, Paris. () * * * * *

Secondary bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *