The Kings of France. History of France. List of the monarchs of France

The kings of France took a direct part in the development of this great country. Its history began in the first millennium BC. Initially, the territory of the modern state was inhabited by the Celtic tribes, and on the seashore there was a large number of colonies of Greece. According to ancient sources, around the same time Julius Caesar managed to subdue the territories inhabited by Gauls. The great commander even gave the name of the conquered lands - Gallia Komata. After the fall of Rome, France was transformed into a state ready, and they, in turn, were promptly squeezed out by the Franks.

Version of historians

It is now accepted that the future French arrived in Western Europe from the Black Sea region. They began to inhabit the earth from the very banks of the Rhine. When Julian handed the francs extensive land, with no less enthusiasm, they began to explore the southern territories. By the 420 th year, most of the francs crossed the Rhine. Their leader was Faramond.

Remained on the banks of the Somme River, people were led by his son Chlodion. There he founded the kingdom of the Franks. The capital was declared Mr. Turin. After several decades, the son of Chlodion decided to form the royal line. The name of this man is Merovei, and members of the dynasty formed by him began to be called Merovingians. This is how the story of the kings of France originated.

Further developments

In the fifth century, King Clovis the First greatly expanded the possessions of the Franks. Now they stretched to the Loire and the Seine. The kings of France became full rulers in the territories of the entire upper and middle Rhine. In 469, Clovis decided to change his religion. He and his numerous subjects became Christians. This made it possible to intensify the struggle against the rulers of the barbarians, who carried heresy with them. After the death of the king, the lands conquered by him were divided between his four sons. Later, the descendants of Chlodwig spread their power to Gaul, Bavaria, Alemannia and Thuringia.

An association

In a hundred and fifty years, the state of the Franks regained its territorial unity. Chlotar II is a brave French king, who managed to realize what his predecessors simply did not dare make. Under his authority, the kingdom became a vast political association with numerous governors, who later received the title of count. Then Dagobert I. began to reign.

Unfortunately, his sons did not focus on the power of the state, and therefore after the death of his father with such difficulty the unified territory was again divided into four parts. Then followed a series of internecine wars, because the descendants could not decide what they would get. Due to constant strife the power of the Franks over Bavaria, Alemannia, Thuringia and Aquitaine was lost.

Deterioration of the situation

In the seventh century it was clear that the kings of France began to surrender their positions swiftly. They no longer owned real power. The reins of government passed into the hands of the Mayordoms. The last kings, belonging to the Merovingian dynasty, the French themselves called "lazy." Over time, the posts of mayorddoms were inherited. Everything came to the fact that their dynasties were equal in their power to the royal ones.

In this regard, the palace ruler Pepin Gheristalsky loudly declared himself. In 680, the right to manage the entire Frankish kingdom passed into his hands. By that time it was united by the efforts of the formal King Theodorek III.

The birth of a new dynasty

In 751, Pope Zakhary turned for help to Major Pippin Korotkoi. Without this, it was no longer possible to overcome the Lombards. In gratitude for the help, Zachary promised Pipin the royal crown. Former at that time, the official ruler, Hilderik III, had to resign.

Thus appeared the kings of France, representing the dynasty of the Carolingians. It is named after Charlemagne, who was the son of Pepin the Short. However, even before the accession of Charles to the throne, his father established order in the Frankish kingdom, once again having won Aquitaine and Thuringia. In addition, he managed to plunge the Arabs occupying Gaul, and occupy Septimania. It was an excellent start to the development and prosperity of the kingdom.

Charles is the king of France, who managed to achieve even more. He significantly expanded the country's borders. Thus, the state of the Franks in the northeast began to stretch to the Elbe, in the east - to Austria and Croatia, in the southwest - to Northern Spain, and to the south-east - to Northern Italy. After a while, Pope Leo III crowned Charles as Emperor of Rome.

True, the existence of the empire did not last long. Only the Ludovik the Pious (Charles's son) managed to correct him. After his death, the heirs went to sign the Treaty of Verdun. This happened in 843 year. Thus, the empire of Charles was divided into three parts - Lorraine, East Frankish (later Germany) and West Frankish state (modern France).

The last representative of the Carolingian dynasty, Louis V, died in 987. Direct heirs were not found, therefore on a throne the distant relative of the king - Hugo Kapet has ascended. He was Count of Prague and Duke of France. The new monarch met with the support of the clergy. Since that time, the state has acquired its modern name - France. A new dynasty was born - the Capetians. Its representatives ruled the country for almost eight centuries (taking into account the offshoots of Valois and the Bourbons).

Changes in everything

The change of rulers entailed the transformation of the state system. France has become a classical feudal state. However, the fate of the king was unenviable: under his immediate authority was a small area next to the capital - Paris. All other areas had a vassal relationship with him. Often, the territories beyond the control of the ruler were richer and more powerful than the royal ones. That's why no one even thought about starting an uprising against the existing government.

The most important period

The ninth and tenth centuries have become landmarks for the country. During this period, the northern French coast began to land in large numbers of Vikings. They founded the Norman duchy, and afterwards made attempts to capture Paris, but to no avail. Militant Vikings managed to assert themselves in England: in 1066, William (Norman Duke) managed to capture the English throne. Subsequently, he founded the Norman dynasty there.

The Twelfth Century

Henry II - wise English ruler, who managed to become the most wealthy feudal lord. He made regular trips and never returned to his native penates empty-handed. In addition, he concluded several very profitable marriages and conquered Normandy, Aquitaine, Guigny and Brittany. And the county of Anjou was subdued. However, the heirs of the great ruler could not agree on the division of power. The strife caused the weakening of the state. King Philip of France took advantage of the situation. He won virtually all provinces. Under the rule of England, only Guien remained.

Thirteenth century

This century was good for France. The kings of France, the list of which was expanding, managed to enlist the support of the popes, after which they boldly directed their forces against the Cathar heretics. As a result, the Languedoc was conquered, but Flanders did not succumb.

Fourteenth century

In 1314 Philip the Beautiful, the King of France from the Capetian dynasty, departed into the world. He had three sons and one daughter. Isabella managed to marry Edward II - the English ruler. Unfortunately, all the sons of Philip were born only girls, as a result of which France faced a dynastic crisis, when all the direct heirs of the male gained eternal peace.

The nobility had to elect a new ruler. It turned out to be Philippe Valois. Edward the Third - the son of Isabella - tried to protest this decision, but according to the law of salvation the transfer of the throne along the women's line was strictly forbidden. The result of his discontent was the Hundred Years War. Success accompanied France and England. However, the uncertainty disappeared when the reins of the army were taken over by the talented military commander Henry V. At the same time Charles III, known for his unbalance, ascended to the throne in France. The military advantage was finally fixed by the British.

The year 1415 was marked by the defeat of the French troops at Azencourt. Henry V entered Paris with triumph. The king was forced to recognize the heir son of Henry the Fifth.

In 1429, Charles VII was crowned. It belongs to the merit of the unification of France. This was due to the world, concluded with Charles Burgundy. In 1437, Paris was returned, in 1450 - Normandy, in 1453 - Guigny, in 1477 - Burgundy, and then Brittany. Only Kale remained under the rule of England.

Francis - King of France, ascended to the throne in 1515. His father was Count Angulensky, a cousin of Louis the Twelfth. The ruler advocated the renewal of treaties concluded with Henry VIII. The king intended to win Navarre from the Castilian kingdom and take the Milanese duchy with the support of Venice. Under his leadership, a grandiose transition was made through the Argentine gorge to Italy. The soldiers carried artillery guns on their hands and blasted rocks to make their way. Francis managed to conquer the Savoy and the Duchy of Milan. Thanks to this campaign the king was known as a real hero. He even began to compare with Caesar.

Henry 2 - King of France, whose reign began in March 1547. He tried in every way to overcome Protestantism. Thanks to him in 1550 the country was returned to the city of Boulogne. In addition, Henry 2 - the king of France, who was known as the irreconcilable enemy of Charles the Fifth. He ruled until 1559.

King Henry of France had an heir. However, at the time of his father's death he was only ten years old. Nevertheless, Charles IX ascended the throne. The King of France was the last representative of the genus Valois. Until 1563 his mother - Catherine de Medici - acted as regent. The reign of Charles the Ninth was marked by many sad events, including civil wars and the Bartholomew night (mass extermination of Huguenots).

After the Habsburgs came to power in the country, a crisis began. In the process of the Reformation, the number of Protestants increased. More and more often there were skirmishes between representatives of different social strata. To restore peace, it was decided to publish the Edict of Tolerance. At that time Henry the Third ruled. He was killed in 1589. He had no heirs, therefore Heinrich Navarre (Fourth) ascended to the throne. He moved from the Protestant faith to the Catholic faith in order to avoid bloodshed. However, it was not possible to quickly stop the confrontation.

XVII-XVIII century

During this period absolutism was established in the country. After Louis 13 , Louis XV ascended to the throne. The King of France consolidated the positions of the territories entrusted to him. The country became the most powerful in Europe. It increased due to the annexation of Burgundy, West Flanders and Artois. The appearance of the first colonies in North America and India was also secured by Louis 14. The King of France was building ambitious imperial plans, but the Seven Years War and the dispute over the Austrian inheritance did not allow him to achieve what he wanted. As a result, control of all the colonies was lost.

In 1715, Louis XV - King of France, who belonged to the Bourbon dynasty, ascended the throne. At that time he was only five years old. The young ruler was guarded by the regent Philip of Orleans. He was against the policy of Louis 14, therefore concluded an alliance with England and unleashed a war with Spain. Even after the age of the young ruler, power remained in the hands of his uncle Philip. In 1726, Louis XV declared that he was taking the reins of government, but in reality Cardinal Fleury ruled the country. It continued until 1743. Note that the subsequent reign of Louis himself 15 affected the country in the most unfavorable way.

The end of the eighteenth century was marked by the beginning of the Enlightenment. France was in the hands of monarchs. The policy of the new king - Louis XVI - led to an economic crisis, food shortages and the decline of agriculture. As a result of the convocation of the General Staff (1789), the power was at the National Assembly. Its members advocated the abolition of feudal law, the deprivation of the nobility and clergy of all privileges, as well as the exclusion of the Church from state affairs.

The country was divided into departments (total 83). King Louis flew, but was caught and returned to the country. He lost the title of King of France. He was partially returned to nominal power: Louis received the title of King of the French. He vetoed some new decrees, but found no support from the population. Soon, Louis was accused of treason. He was executed in 1793.

On the way to the republic

Many countries, led by royal dynasties, began to fight with France. In 1799, under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte, a grand military coup was organized. The population greeted this venture with approval, since civilians are already tired of the constant fighting in the once quiet cities.

As a result of the referendum held in 1802, Napoleon was given the lifetime title of First Consul. He quickly dealt with all the opponents and gained unlimited power. The country became a monarchy. In 1804, Bonaparte was crowned. Soon under Austerlitz the troops of Austria were defeated. In 1806, the French succumbed to Prussia.

Accelerated victories Napoleon declared the continental blockade of England. In 1807, the British called for help from Russia. Napoleon was not at all embarrassed, he enthusiastically accepted a new rival with vast territories, which he decided to seize by all means. In the autumn of 1812 the French troops were already in Moscow. It seemed that Russia had fallen. However, Kutuzov was wiser than Bonaparte. As a result, the French army suffered a crushing defeat. From the once great army there were pitiful grains.

In 1814, France remained without a ruler - Napoleon abdicated. It was decided to return the reins of government to the Bourbons. King Louis XVIII became king. He did his best to restore the old order, but the French were categorically against it. And then Napoleon, having collected a thousandth army, went to regain power. He managed to carry out his plans. However, at a meeting of monarchs in Vienna, it was decided to take the crown from an ambitious commander. As a result, Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena.

The kings of France, whose list was still replenished after Bonaparte, ruled in extremely difficult conditions. So, Napoleon II was overthrown a few days after the ascent to the throne, Louis-Philippe was forced to immediately renounce the honorary title and become king of the French, but not of France. Napoleon the Third was captured in Prussia and deposed. The monarchy was once again in power, but the pretenders to the throne of Charles X, Henry V and Philip VII, could not agree among themselves. Crown rulers were sold in parts in 1885. France became a republic.