User:JHK/List of French monarchs demo page

This is an example of how a reverse chronology might work.

This is an example of how a reverse chronology might work.

The last royal ruler of France was Napoleon III of France, Emperor (1852-1870), and member of the Bonaparte Dynasty. His reign is know as theSecond Empire. The Second Empire was a break from the previous government, known as the Second Republic, in that it replaced the constitutional monarchy led by Napoleon III under the name of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte.

He was preceded by a member of the house of ''Bourbon-Orleans, Louis-Philippe the Citizen King,

Alternatively, we could start with something like:

With several notable exceptions from the family of Napoleon Bonaparte, France's royal history is limited to only three(or two, depending on whether you consider the Valois to be an offshoot or a separate dynasty) dynasties since the foundation of a single political entity of France. These dynasties are the Bourbon, Valois, and Capetian, in reverse chronological order. The last Bourbon kings ruled at a time of great political upheaval, and their reigns are interspersed with members of the Bonaparte Dynasty and the French Revolutionary republics.

Napoleon III, who changed his name from Louis Napoleon Bonaparte when he formed the second empire out of the failing second republic.

Louis Napoleon came in on the heels of the last member of the Bourbon dynasty: Louis-Philippe, the Citizen King, a cousin to the last rulers of the main line of the Bourbon Dynasty, who were restored to the throne in 1814:


 * Charles X (1824-1830)
 * Louis XVIII (1814-1824)

Before 1814, France was ruled by


 * Napoleon I, Emperor who held the crown twice, first from (1804-1814, which rule ended with his military defeat and exile, and then, having returned from exile to try to re-take the throne in The Hundred Days 1815)

Prior to 1804, Napoleon was nominally a member of the French revolutionary government, and held the title of Consul


 * Napoleon Bonaparte -- First Consul (1799-1804)

etc. with the revolution. then

Bourbon Dynasty (1589-1792)
 * Louis XVI the Beloved	1774-1792 Executed by the revolutionary government


 * Louis XV the Well-Beloved 1715-1774 perhaps the only French king whose funerary procession suffered pelting by rotting vegetables, boos, and spitting
 * (Philippe of Orleans (served as regent for Louis XV)	1715-1723)
 * Louis XIV the Sun King	1643-1715
 * (Anne of Austria (served as regent for Louis XIV)1643-1651)
 * Louis XIII the Well-Beloved 1610-1643
 * (Marie de Medici (served as regent for Louis XIII)  1610-1617)
 * Henry IV    	1589-1610

The Bourbon dynasty was formed when the last member of the house of Valois, died without an Heir. Henry Iv was a cousin, and the King of the small kingdom of Navarre.

Etc.

the valois

The Valois succeeded the Capetians. Their claim to the throne was disputed by the Kings of England, who also claimed descent from a didstant Capetian Ancestor. Nevertheless, the Valois claim was considered the stronger (and possession is 9/10 of the law, and their dynasty lasted for 250 years)

the capetians

The capetians were successors to the Western Frankish kingsom of the Caolingians, which was established with the treaty of verdun in 843. A distant relative, Hugh Capet became the first capetian monarch when he was elected by the other West Frankish nobles ...

The western carolingian kingdom was preceded by a united Kingdom (Empire from 800) under the Carolingian dynasty of the Frankish kings

etc