List of heirs to the French throne

Coat of arms of the Dauphin of France, a title used by the heir-apparent to the French throne from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830. Heraldic crown of the Dauphin of France. The following is a list of the heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of France, that is, those who were legally next in line to assume the throne upon the death of the King. From 987 to 1792, all heirs to the French throne were male-line descendants of Hugh Capet. Capetian associate kings The crown of France under the earliest Capetian monarchs was elective, not hereditary. There was no mechanism for automatic succession unless an heir was crowned as associate king, ready to step up as primary king when the previous king died. This procedure was very similar to the method by which the Germans elected a King of the Romans during the lifetime of the German monarch. The early Capetians generally made sure their sons were crowned as associate kings with them, with such success that the inheritance of the eldest son and heir to the kingship came to be accepted as a matter of right. Louis VI of France was the first king to take the throne without having been crowned in his father's time; however, his right to take th