Monarchy
editValois–Angoulême Branch (1515–1589)
editPortrait | Coat of Arms | Name | King From | King Until | Relationship with Predecessor(s) | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Francis I the Father and Restorer of Letters (François Ier le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres) |
1 January 1515 | 31 March 1547 | • Great-great-grandson of Charles V • First cousin once removed, and by first marriage son-in-law of Louis XII |
King of France (Roi de France) | ||
Henry II (Henri II) |
31 March 1547 | 10 July 1559 | • Son of Francis I | King of France (Roi de France) | ||
Francis II (François II) |
10 July 1559 | 5 December 1560 | • Son of Henry II | King of France and Scotland (Roi de France et d'Écosse) | ||
Charles IX | 5 December 1560 | 30 May 1574 | • Son of Henry II • Younger brother of Francis II |
King of France (Roi de France) | ||
Henry III (Henri III) |
30 May 1574 | 2 August 1589 | • Son of Henry II • Younger brother of Charles IX |
King of France and Poland (Roi de France et de Pologne) |
House of Bourbon (1589–1792)
editPortrait | Coat of Arms | Name | King From | King Until | Relationship with Predecessor(s) | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Henry IV, Good King Henry, the Green Gallant (Henri IV, le Bon Roi Henri, le Vert-Galant) |
2 August 1589 | 14 May 1610 | • Tenth generation descendant of Louis IX in the male line • Grandnephew of Francis I • Second cousin, and by first marriage brother-in-law of Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III |
King of France and of Navarre (Roi de France et de Navarre) | ||
Louis XIII the Just (Louis XIII le Juste) |
14 May 1610 | 14 May 1643 | • Son of Henry IV | King of France and of Navarre (Roi de France et de Navarre) | ||
Louis XIV the Great, the Sun King (Louis XIV le Grand, le Roi Soleil) |
14 May 1643 | 1 September 1715 | • Son of Louis XIII | King of France and of Navarre (Roi de France et de Navarre) | ||
Louis XV the Beloved (Louis XV le Bien-Aimé) |
1 September 1715 | 10 May 1774 | • Great-grandson of Louis XIV | King of France and of Navarre (Roi de France et de Navarre) | ||
Louis XVI the Last (Louis XVI le Dernier) |
10 May 1774 | 21 September 1792 | • Grandson of Louis XV | King of France and of Navarre (Roi de France et de Navarre) (1774–1789) King of the French (Roi des Français) (1789–1792) |
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 XVII's death, his uncle (Louis XVI's brother) Louis-Stanislas claimed the throne, as Louis XVIII, but only became de facto King of France in 1814.
First Republic (1792–1804)
editThe First French Republic lasted from 1792 to 1804, when its First Consul, Napoléon Bonaparte, declared himself Emperor of the French.
Bonaparte Dynasty, First Empire (1804–1814)
editPortrait | Coat of Arms | Name | Emperor From | Emperor Until | Relationship with Predecessor(s) | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Napoleon I, the Great (Napoléon Ier, le Grand) |
18 May 1804 | 11 April 1814 | - | Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français) |
Capetian Dynasty, House of Bourbon, Restored (1814–1815)
editPortrait | Coat of Arms | Name | King From | King Until | Relationship with Predecessor(s) | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Louis XVIII | 11 April 1814 | 20 March 1815 | • Younger brother of Louis XVI/ uncle of Louis XVII | King of France and of Navarre (Roi de France et de Navarre) |
Portrait | Coat of Arms | Name | Emperor From | Emperor Until | Relationship with Predecessor(s) | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Napoleon I (Napoléon Ier) |
20 March 1815 | 22 June 1815 | - | Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français) |
From 22 June to 7 July 1815, Bonapartists considered Napoleon I's son Napoleon II as the legitimate heir to the throne, his father having abdicated in his favor. However, the young child's reign was entirely fictional, as he was residing in Austria with his mother. Louis XVIII was reinstalled as king on 7 July.
Capetian Dynasty, House of Bourbon, Restored (1815–1830)
editPortrait | Coat of Arms | Name | King From | King Until | Relationship with Predecessor(s) | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Louis XVIII | 7 July 1815 | 16 September 1824 | • Younger brother of Louis XVI/ uncle of Louis XVII | King of France and of Navarre (Roi de France et de Navarre) | ||
Charles X | 16 September 1824 | 2 August 1830 | • Younger brother of Louis XVIII | King of France and of Navarre (Roi de France et de Navarre) |
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.
Henri d'Artois, Charles X's grandson, was considered by monarchists to be the titular King of France, as Henry V from 2 August 1830 to 9 August 1830, but his reign remained largely fictional, as he acceded in a revolutionary context and hence was never recognized by the French State. He is generally not accounted for in lists of official French monarchs.
Capetian Dynasty, House of Orléans (The Monarchy of July 1830–1848)
editPortrait | Coat of Arms | Name | King From | King Until | Relationship with Predecessor(s) | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Louis-Philippe I the Citizen King (Louis Philippe, le Roi Citoyen) |
9 August 1830 | 24 February 1848 | • Sixth generation descendant of Louis XIII in the male line • Fifth cousin of Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Charles X |
King of the French (Roi des Français) |
Second Republic (1848–1852)
editThe Second French Republic lasted from 1848 to 1852, when its president, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, was declared Emperor of the French.
Bonaparte Dynasty, Second Empire, Restored (1852–1870)
editPortrait | Coat of Arms | Name | Emperor From | Emperor Until | Relationship with Predecessor(s) | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Napoleon III (Napoléon III) |
2 December 1852 | 4 September 1870 | • Nephew of Napoleon I | Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français) |
Government of National Defence (Paris Commune 1870–1871)
editThe 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
editThe chronology of Head of State of France continues with the Presidents of France 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
editVarious 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:
- Legitimist claimants to the throne of France—descendants of the Bourbons, rejecting all heads of state since 1830. Unionists recognized the Orléanist claimant after 1883.
- Orléanist claimants to the throne of France—descendants of Louis-Phillippe, a cadet Bourbon, rejecting all heads of state since 1848.
- Bonapartist claimants to the throne of France—descendants of Napoleon I and his brothers, rejecting all heads of state 1815–52, and since 1870.
- Jacobite claimants to the throne of France—descendants of King Edward III of England and thus his claim to the French throne (renounced by Hanoverian King George III upon union with Ireland), also claiming Scotland, and Ireland.
French revolution
edit22 September 1792
The National Convention
editThe National Convention or Convention comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795, holding executive power. Prominent members of the original Convention included Maximilien Robespierre of the Jacobin Club, Jean-Paul Marat (affiliated with the Jacobins, though never a formal member), and Georges Danton of the Cordeliers. From 1793 to 1794, executive power was de facto exercised by the Convention's Committee of Public Safety.
The Directory
editLe Directoire est la forme de gouvernement empruntée par la Première République française, du 26 octobre 1795 (4 brumaire an IV) au 9 novembre 1799 (18 brumaire an VIII). Il tire son nom des cinq Directeurs chargés du pouvoir exécutif. Il est marqué par le rétablissement du suffrage censitaire.
La fin du régime de la Terreur sonne comme une libération pour la société française, et la période du Directoire est marquée par un esprit de liberté et d'hédonisme. The Directoire and the French Revolution itself came to an end with the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire (9 November 1799) in which General Napoléon Bonaparte overthrew the Directoire and replaced it with the Consulate.
The Consulate
editNapoléon Bonaparte declared the Empire on 18 May 1804 and was crowned Emperor 2 December 1804
1814–1830
The July revolution occurred on 27, 28, 29 th July 1830.
1848–1852
1852–1870
Modern republics
edit1870–1940
1946-1958
introduced on 4 October 1958
Timeline
edit![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/cgvyr4tzdvrhctfg9hbstguctg7ck0n.png)
Unable to compile EasyTimeline input:
Timeline generation failed: More than 10 errors found
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