List of French monarchs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.[1][2]

14th-century sketch of Robert the first, king of West Francia (922 to 923)
13th-century sketch of Hugh Capet, King of the Franks (987 to 996)
14th-century sketch of Louis IX of France (reigned 1226 to 1270)
Portrait of Francis I, King of France (reigned 1515 to 1547)
Portrait of Henry IV of France (reigned 1589 to 1610)
painting of Louis XIV, circa 1700 (reigned 1643 to 1715)
1777 painting of Louis XVI (reigned 1774 to 1792)
Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte, ruled as emperor Napoleon I (1804 to 1814, and 1815)
detail of 1855 painting of Napoleon III (Louis-Napoleon; reigned 1848 to 1852)
From top; left to right: Robert I, Hugh Capet, Louis IX, Francis I, Henry IV, Louis XIV, Louis XVI, Napoleon I, Napoleon III
Family_tree_of_French_monarchs_509%E2%80%931870.svg
Family tree of Frankish and French monarchs (509–1870)

Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Franks (r. 509–511), as the first king of France. However, historians today consider that such a kingdom did not begin until the establishment of West Francia, during the dissolution of the Carolingian Empire in the 800s.[1][2]