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.

Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Franks (r. 507–511), 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]

The kings used the title "King of the Franks" (Latin: Rex Francorum) until the late twelfth century; the first to adopt the title of "King of France" (Latin: Rex Franciae; French: roi de France) was Philip II in 1190 (r. 1180–1223), after which the title "King of the Franks" gradually lost ground.^[3] However, Francorum Rex continued to be sometimes used, for example by Louis XII in 1499, by Francis I in 1515, and by Henry II in about 1550; it was also used on coins up to the eighteenth century.^[4]

During the brief period when the French Constitution of 1791 was in effect (1791–1792) and after the July Revolution in 1830, the style "King of the French" (roi des Français) was used instead of "King of France (and Navarre)". It was a constitutional innovation known as popular monarchy which linked the monarch's title to the French people rather than to the possession of the territory of France.^[5]

With the House of Bonaparte, the title "Emperor of the French" (Empereur des Français) was used in 19th-century France, during the first and second French Empires, between 1804 and 1814, again in 1815, and between 1852 and 1870.^[6]

From the 14th century down to 1801, the English (and later British) monarch claimed the throne of France, though such claim was purely nominal excepting a short period during the Hundred Years' War when Henry VI of England had control over most of Northern France, including Paris. By 1453, the English had been mostly expelled from France and Henry's claim has since been considered illegitimate; French historiography commonly does not recognize Henry VI of England among the kings of France.

The Carolingians were a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The family consolidated its power in the 8th century, eventually making the offices of mayor of the palace and dux et princeps Francorum hereditary and becoming the real powers behind the Merovingian kings. The dynasty is named after one of these mayors of the palace, Charles Martel, whose son Pepin the Short dethroned the Merovingians in 751 and, with the consent of the Papacy and the aristocracy, was crowned King of the Franks.^[7] Under Charles the Great (r. 768–814), better known as "Charlemagne", the Frankish kingdom expanded deep into Central Europe, conquering Italy and most of modern Germany. He was also crowned "Emperor of the Romans" by the Pope, a title that was eventually carried on by the German rulers of the Holy Roman Empire.

Charlemagne was succeeded by his son Louis the Pious (r. 814–840), who eventually divided the kingdom between his sons. His death, however, was followed by a three-year-long civil war that ended with the Treaty of Verdun, which divided Francia into three kingdoms, one of which (Middle Francia) was short-lived. Modern France developed from West Francia, while East Francia became the Holy Roman Empire and later Germany. By this time, the eastern and western parts of the land had already developed different languages and cultures.^[8][9]

Portrait	Name	Reign	Succession	Life details
	Charles II "the Bald"[a]	c. 10 August 843[i] – 6 October 877 (34 years and 2 months)	Son of Louis the Pious and grandson of Charlemagne; recognized as king after the Treaty of Verdun	13 June 823[b] – 6 October 877 (aged 54) King of Aquitaine since 838. Crowned "Emperor of the Romans" on Christmas 875. Died of natural causes[12]
	Louis II "the Stammerer"[c]	6 October 877[ii] – 10 April 879 (1 year, 6 months and 4 days)	Son of Charles the Bald	1 November 846 – 10 April 879 (aged 32) King of Aquitaine since 867. Died of natural causes.[14]
	Louis III	10 April 879[iii] – 5 August 882 (3 years, 3 months and 26 days)	Son of Louis the Stammerer	863 – 5 August 882[d] (aged 19) Ruled the North; died after hitting his head with a lintel while riding his horse.[20]
	Carloman II	10 April 879[iv] – 6 December 884 (5 years, 7 months and 26 days)	Son of Louis the Stammerer	866 – 6 December 884[e] (aged 18) Ruled the South; died after being accidentally stabbed by his servant.[24]
	Charles (III) "the Fat"[f]	12 December 884[v] – 11 November 887[g] (2 years, 11 months and 5 days)	Son of Louis II the German, king of East Francia, and grandson of Louis I	839[h] – 13 January 888 (aged 48–49) King of East Francia since 876; crowned Emperor in 881. Last ruler to control all Frankish territories. Deposed by the nobility, later dying of natural causes[30]

Portrait	Name	Reign	Succession	Life details
	Odo Eudes or Odon	29 February 888[vi] – 3 January 898 (9 years, 10 months and 15 days)	Son of Robert the Strong; elected king by the French nobles following the deposition of Charles. Initially rivaled by Guy III of Spoleto and Ranulf II of Aquitaine	c. 858 – 3 January 898[i] (aged approx. 40) Defended Paris from the Vikings; died of natural causes[35]

Portrait	Name	Reign	Succession	Life details
	Charles III "the Simple"	3 January 898[vii] – 29 June 922 (24 years, 5 months and 26 days)	Posthumous son of Louis II the Stammerer; proclaimed king in opposition to Odo in January 893	17 September 879 – 7 October 929 (aged 50) Deposed by Robert's followers; later captured by Herbert II, Count of Vermandois. Died in captivity[36]

Portrait	Name	Reign	Succession	Life details
	Robert I	29 June 922[viii]– 15 June 923 (11 months and 17 days)	Son of Robert the Strong and younger brother of Odo	865 – 15 June 923 (aged 58) Killed at the Battle of Soissons against Charles III. Sole king to die in battle[38]

Portrait	Name	Reign	Succession	Life details
	Rudolph Rodolphe or Raoul	15 June 923[ix]– 14 January 936 (12 years, 6 months and 30 days)	Son of Richard, Duke of Burgundy and son-in-law of Robert I	Duke of Burgundy since 921. Died of illness after a reign of constant civil war and viking raids. Lost Lotharingia (Lorraine) to Henry I of Germany[39]

Portrait	Name	Reign	Succession	Life details
	Louis IV "from Overseas"	19 June 936[x] – 10 September 954 (18 years, 2 months and 22 days)	Son of Charles the Simple, recalled to France after being exiled to England	921 – 10 September 954 (aged 33) Died after falling off his horse[40]
	Lothair Lothaire	10 September 954[xi] – 2 March 986 (31 years, 5 months and 20 days)	Son of Louis IV	941 – 2 March 986 (aged 44) Died of natural causes[41]
	Louis V "the Do-Nothing"	2 March 986[xii] – 22 May 987 (1 year, 2 months and 20 days)	Son of Lothair	967 – 22 May 987[k] (aged 20) Died in a hunting accident[43]

The Capetian dynasty is named for Hugh Capet, a Robertian who served as Duke of the Franks and was elected King in 987. Except for the Bonaparte-led Empires, every monarch of France was a male-line descendant of Hugh Capet. The kingship passed through patrilineally from father to son until the 14th century, a period known as Direct Capetian rule. Afterwards, it passed to the House of Valois, a cadet branch that descended from Philip III. The Valois claim was disputed by Edward III, the Plantagenet king of England who claimed himself as the rightful king of France through his French mother Isabella. The two houses fought the Hundred Years' War over the issue, and with Henry VI of England being for a time partially recognized as King of France.

The Valois line died out in the late 16th century, during the French Wars of Religion, to be replaced by the distantly related House of Bourbon, which descended through the Direct Capetian Louis IX. The Bourbons ruled France until deposed in the French Revolution, though they were restored to the throne after the fall of Napoleon. The last Capetian to rule was Louis Philippe I, king of the July Monarchy (1830–1848), a member of the cadet House of Bourbon-Orléans.

The House of Capet are also commonly known as the "Direct Capetians".

Portrait	Name	Arms	Reign	Succession	Life details
	Hugh "Capet" Hugues[l]		1 June 987[xiii] – 24 October 996 (9 years, 4 months and 23 days)	Elected king by the French nobles. Son of Hugh the Great and grandson of Robert I[m]	c. 940 – 24 October 996 (aged approx. 55) Duke of the Franks since 956. Died of natural causes.[47]
	Robert II "the Pious"		24 October 996[xiv] – 20 July 1031 (34 years, 8 months and 26 days)	Only son of Hugh Capet	c. 970 – 20 July 1031 (aged approx. 60) Married thrice, getting excommunicated by the Catholic Church. Incorporated the Duchy of Burgundy[48]
	Hughes (junior king)[n]		19 June 1017 – 17 September 1025 (under Robert II)	Son of Robert II	c. 1007 – 17 September 1025 (aged approx. 18)[49]
	Henry I Henri		20 July 1031[xv] – 4 August 1060 (29 years and 15 days)	Son of Robert II	c. 1005 – 4 August 1060 (aged approx. 55) His reign was marked with internal struggle against feudal lords[50]
	Philip I "the Amorous" Philippe		4 August 1060[xvi] – 29 July 1108 (47 years, 11 months and 25 days)	Son of Henry I	1052 – 29 July 1108 (aged 56) Ruled under the regency of Anne of Kiev and Count Baldwin V until 1066[51]
	Louis VI "the Fat"		29 July 1108[xvii] – 1 August 1137 (29 years and 3 days)	Son of Philip I	1081 – 1 August 1137 (aged 56) His reign contributed to the centralization of royal power. First king to wage war against the English[52]
	Philippe (junior king)[n]		14 April 1129 – 13 October 1131 (under Louis VI)	Son of Louis VI	29 August 1116 – 13 October 1131 (aged 15)[53]
	Louis VII "the Young"		1 August 1137[xviii] – 18 September 1180 (43 years, 1 month and 17 days)	Son of Louis VI	1120 – 18 September 1180 (aged 60) Known for his rivalry with Henry II of England and his military campaigns during the Second Crusade[54]
	Philip II "Augustus" Philippe Auguste		18 September 1180[xix]– 14 July 1223 (42 years, 9 months and 26 days)	Son of Louis VII	21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223 (aged 57) Regarded as one of the greatest French rulers. First monarch to style himself as "King of France"[55]
	Louis VIII "the Lion"		14 July 1223[xx]– 8 November 1226 (3 years, 3 months and 25 days)	Son of Philip II	5 September 1187 – 8 November 1226 (aged 39) Proclaimed king of England in 1216, after which he led an unsuccessful invasion[56]
	Louis IX "the Saint"		8 November 1226[xxi]– 25 August 1270 (43 years, 9 months and 17 days)	Son of Louis VIII	25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270 (aged 56) Ruled under the regency of Blanche of Castile until 1234. Died during the 8th Crusade; only king to be venerated by the Catholic Church[57]
	Philip III "the Bold" Philippe		25 August 1270[xxii]– 5 October 1285 (15 years, 1 month and 10 days)	Son of Louis IX	3 April 1245 – 5 October 1285 (aged 40) Greatly expanded French influence in Europe. Died of a fever[58]
	Philip IV "the Fair" Philippe		5 October 1285[xxiii] – 29 November 1314 (29 years, 1 month and 24 days)	Son of Philip III	1268 – 29 November 1314 (aged 46) King of Navarre (as Philip I) since 16 August 1284, following his marriage with Joan I. Remembered for his struggle with the Roman papacy and his consolidation of royal power, which helped to reduce the influence of feudal lords[59]
	Louis X "the Quarreller"		29 November 1314[xxiv]– 5 June 1316 (1 year, 6 months and 7 days)	Son of Philip IV	3 October 1289 – 5 June 1316 (aged 26) King of Navarre (as Louis I) since 2 April 1305. His short reign was marked by conflicts with the nobility[60]
	John I "the Posthumous" Jean		15–19 November 1316 (4 days)	Posthumous son of Louis X	King for the four days he lived; youngest and shortest undisputed monarch in French history[o]
	Philip V "the Tall" Philippe		20 November 1316[xxv]– 3 January 1322 (5 years, 1 month and 14 days)	Son of Philip IV and uncle of John I	1293/4 – 3 January 1322 (aged 28–29) King of Navarre as Philip II. Died without a male heir[65]
	Charles IV "the Fair"		3 January 1322[xxvi]– 1 February 1328 (6 years and 29 days)	Son of Philip IV and younger brother of Philip V	1294 – 1 February 1328 (aged 34) King of Navarre as Charles I. Died without a male heir, ending the direct line of Capetians[66]

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Kings_of_France
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