The Capetians ruled 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 until 1589 and until 1848. It was a constitutional innovation known as , which linked the monarch's title to the French people rather than to the possession of the territory of France. It was used on coins up to the eighteenth century. It was a constitutional innovation known as which linked the monarch's title to the French people rather than to the possession of the territory of France. In addition to the Kingdom of France, there were also two French Empires, the from 1804 to 1814 and again in 1815, founded and ruled by , and the from 1852 to 1870, founded and ruled by his nephew also known as Louis-Napoleon. For other Frankish monarchs, see. In addition to the monarchs listed below, the and from 1340—60, 1369-1420, and 1422—1801 also. For a short time, this had some basis in fact — under the terms of the 1420 , had recognized his son-in-law as regent and heir. Henry V predeceased Charles VI and so Henry V's son, , succeeded his grandfather Charles VI 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 and the , and. Nevertheless, English and then British monarchs continued to claim the title for themselves until the creation of the in 1801. Main article: The Merovingians were a dynasty that ruled the for nearly 300 years in a region known as in , beginning in the middle of the 5th century. Their territory largely corresponded to ancient as well as the Roman provinces of , and the southern part of. The Merovingian dynasty was supposedly founded by , son of , leader of the Salian Franks. But it rose to historical prominence with the reign of his supposed son c. Buried at until 18th century. The number and extent of the parts of the kingdom varied over time. Clothar I, the youngest son, eventually reunited the kingdom. Theuderic, eldest son of Clovis, became king at. His line ended in 555, after which its lands passed to his youngest brother Chlothar. Thierry 511 533 or 534 Died aged 48. His sons were murdered and he died shortly afterwards; his realm was divided between his two younger brothers, Childebert and Chlothar. Chlodomir 511 25 June 524 Killed in the , aged 29. He died in 558 and his lands passed to his youngest brother Chlothar. By 558 he had inherited the lands of his older brothers and thus reunited all of the Frankish territories that had been held by his father. Clotaire 511 29 November 561 Died aged 64. The parts of the kingdom varied over time and eventually developed into three distinct realms. Clothar II, grandson of Clothar I, eventually reunited the kingdom. Charibert, Chlothar's eldest surviving son, became king of the Franks at. He died without issue in 567 and his realm was partitioned between his younger brothers. Caribert 29 November 561 567 Died aged 50. At his death he was succeeded by his nephew Childebert II of the Franks, who was the son of Guntram's younger brother Sigebert. Gontran 29 November 561 592 Died aged 60. Buried at Saint Marcellus,. He was succeeded in Austrasia by his eldest son Theudebert II and in Burgundy by his yonger son Theuderic II. His lands passed to his younger brother Theuderic II, who reunited the realms of Austrasia and Burgundy which had been both held by their father Childebert II. Thibert 595 612 Murdered, aged 26. He was succeeded by his son Sigebert II. Thierry 595 613 Died, aged 26. The deaths of his older brothers and their descendants resulted in his son and successor Chlothar II once again reuniting the Frankish realms. Chilpéric 29 November 561 584 Died aged 45. The following list restricts itself to the kings ruling in Neustria and Burgundy. Buried at Church of St Stephen at , near. When Theuderic IV died in 737, Mayor of the Palace left the throne vacant and continued to rule until his own death in 741. His sons and briefly restored the Merovingian dynasty by raising Childeric III to the throne in 743. In 751, Pepin deposed Childeric and became King in his place. Childéric 743 November 751 Died aged 37. King of the Franks Roi des Francs Carolingian dynasty 751—888 Main article: The Carolingian dynasty was a noble family with origins in the clans of the 7th century AD. The family consolidated its power in the 8th century, eventually making the offices of and hereditary and becoming the real powers behind the. In 751, a Carolingian, , dethroned the Merovingians and with the consent of the and the aristocracy, was crowned. Odo, , was chosen by the western Franks to be their king following the removal of emperor. He was crowned at in February 888 by Walter, Archbishop of Sens. King of the Franks Roi des Francs Carolingian dynasty 898—922 Main article: Charles, the posthumous son of Louis II, was crowned by a faction opposed to the Robertian Odo at , though he only became the effectual monarch with the death of Odo in 898. The , the male-line descendants of Hugh Capet, ruled France continuously from 987 to 1792 and again from 1814 to 1848. They were direct descendants of the kings. The of the dynasty which ruled after 1328, however, are generally given the specific branch names of Valois and Bourbon. Not listed below are , eldest son of Robert II, and , 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 are not traditionally listed as Kings of France, and are not given ordinals. Other than Henry VI, none had ever had their claim backed by treaty, and his title became contested after 1429, when was crowned. Henry himself was crowned by a different faction in 1431, though at the age of 10, he had yet to come of age. From 21 January 1793 to 8 June 1795, Louis XVI's son Louis-Charles was the titular King of France as ; in reality, however, he was imprisoned in the Temple throughout this duration, and power was held by the leaders of the Republic. Upon Louis XVII's death, his uncle Louis XVI's brother Louis-Stanislas claimed the throne, as , but only became de facto King of France in 1814. This line became extinct in 1328, precipitating a succession crisis known as the. While there were numerous claimants to succeed, the two best claimants were the and the. The Valois claimed the right to the succession by male-only , having the closest all-male line of descent from a recent French king. They were descended from the third son of , Charles, Count of Valois. The Plantagenets based on being closer to a more recent French King, being a grandson of through his mother,. The two houses fought the to enforce their claims; the Valois were ultimately successful, and French historiography counts their leaders as rightful kings. One Plantagenet, , did enjoy control of the French throne under the terms of the , which formed the basis for continued English claims to the throne of France until the 19th century. The Valois line would rule 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 , a daughter of Louis X, inheriting there. His first son, , died in his minority. His second son, , had no legitimate sons to inherit. Following the premature death of his fourth son , and the assassination of his third son, the childless , France was plunged into a succession crisis over which distant cousin of the king would inherit the throne. The best claimant, King , was a Protestant, and thus unacceptable to much of the French nobility. Ultimately, after winning numerous battles in defense of his claim, Henry converted to Catholicism and was crowned king, 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 would be overthrown during the , replaced by a short-lived. Louis XVI's son had been considered by monarchists as but he was never crowned and never ruled in his own right before his own death; he is not usually counted among French monarchs, creating a gap in numbering on most traditional lists of French kings. Napoleon would briefly regain control of the country during his rule in 1815. After his final defeat at the , Napoleon attempted to abdicate in favor of his son, but the Bourbon Monarchy was re-established yet again, and would continue to rule France until the of 1830 replaced it with a cadet branch, the. Charles X's son Louis signed a document renouncing his own right to the throne only after a 20-minute argument with his father; he is not usually counted as a king of France but monarchists considered him to be Louis XIX. 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. House of Orléans, July Monarchy 1830—1848 Main articles: and Under Louis-Philippe, the changed the styles and forms of the , replacing them with more populist forms i. Ultimately, it was overthrown as well during the continent-wide , to be replaced by the. He took the regnal name of , after his uncle and his cousin , who was declared but uncrowned as heir to the Imperial throne. Napoleon III would later be overthrown during the events of the. He was the last monarch to rule France; thereafter, the country was ruled by a succession of republican governments see. Unionists recognized the Orléanist claimant after 1883. However, throughout this period he resided in Austria, with his mother. Louis XVIII was reinstalled as king on 7 July. Historical causes and effects, from the fall of the Roman empire, 476, to the reformation, 1517. The history of France from the foundation of the monarchy to the death of Louis XVI. Mystifying the Monarch: Studies on Discourse, Power, and History. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam University Press. Warfare in History Series. Mystifying the Monarch: Studies on Discourse, Power, and History. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam University Press. Histoire de Napoléon III, Empereur des Français. The Rise of Western Christendom. Malden, MA, USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged. Cambridge Medieval History: Germany and the Western Empire. London: Cambridge University Press. The New Cambridge Medieval History: c. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. The Valois: Kings of France 1328—1422. NY, USA: Hambledon Continuum. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
