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You Gotta Know
You Gotta Know These Kings of France
1.
Louis XIV (1638-1715, r. 1643-1715) House of Bourbon. Louis XIV's reign is often cited as the
best historical example of an absolute monarchy. Louis led France against most of the rest of
Europe to win the throne of Spain for his grandson (the War of the Spanish Succession). He
championed classical art, religious orthodoxy, and instituted a great program of building
throughout France. Known as the "Sun King," his 72-year-reign is the second longest in recorded
history.
2. Louis XIII (1601-1643, r. 1610-1643) House of Bourbon. Sometimes working with his chief
minister, Cardinal Richelieu, and sometimes against, Louis XIII turned France into the preeminent European power during his reign. This was largely achieved via French victories in the
Thirty Years' War. The Three Musketeers is set in the early years of his reign.
3. Francis I (1494-1547, r. 1515-1547) House of Valois. Francis's early military victories (like the
Battle of Marignano), his lavish court, and his support of luminaries like Leonardo da Vinci
augured a splendid reign. His rivalry with Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire spelled his doom,
however. He was captured in battle in 1525 and held for a humiliating ransom. Wars continued
after his release, but bankruptcy and religious strife laid France low.
4. Henry IV (1553-1610, r. 1589-1610) Founder of the house of Bourbon. Henry, the king of
Navarre, became the heir to the throne when Henry III's brother died in 1584. After fighting
Catholic opposition in the War of the Three Henries, he renounced Protestantism and accepted
Catholicism in order to enter Paris and become king. With the help of Maximilien Sully he erased
the national debt and removed much of the religious strife with the Edict of Nantes (1598).
5. Philip II (1165-1223, r. 1179-1223) House of Capet. Philip was the first of the great Capetian
kings of France. Fighting and negotiating against Henry II, Richard I, and John of England, Philip
won back Normandy, Brittany, Anjou, and other territories. He also took part in the famous Third
Crusade (with Richard I and Frederick Barbarossa) and made use of the Albigensian crusade to
pave the way for the annexation of Languedoc by his successor.
6. Charles VIII (1470-1498, r. 1483-1498) House of Valois. Charles' short reign is remarkable for
the enormous cost in men and money of his Italian campaign but more so for the number of his
successors that to followed his catastrophic lead. Charles was motivated by a desire to govern
Naples, which he had theoretically inherited. He died before he could surpass or absolve his
disastrous first campaign with another.
7. Louis IX (1214-1270, r. 1226-1270) House of Capet. Louis led the Seventh Crusade that ended
in military disaster, but after his ransoming remained in the Holy Land to successfully negotiate
for what he couldn't win. He returned to Europe with his reputation intact and negotiated a peace
with England that saw Henry III become his vassal. He stabilized the French currency and is
generally held to have reduced corruption in the kingdom. He died leading a crusade against
Tunisia. St. Louis is the only canonized king of France.
8. Louis VIII (1187-1226, r. 1223-1226) House of Capet. Though he reigned for only three years,
Louis' contributions to the rise of French power were enormous. He annexed Languedoc and
captured Poitou from England. Perhaps more importantly, he established the systems of
appanages (land grants) which replaced the older, local nobles with barons who owed their fiefs
to the crown. This allowed for the subsequent rise in French royal (and national) power.
9. Charles V (1338-1380, r. 1364-1380) House of Capet. Charles had an inauspicious start (before
his reign even began) with having to ransom his father, John II, from England for three million
crowns and most of southwestern France. Later, with military advisor Bertrand du Guesclin, he
recaptured almost all of that territory. He also concluded alliances with Portugal, Spain, and
Flanders, reorganized the army, and restructured the collection of taxes while leading France's
recovery from the devastation of the early period of the Hundred Years' War.
10. Henry III (1551-1589, r. 1574-1589) House of Valois. Henry's reign was suffused with blood, at
first because of the continuous Wars of Religion that pitted Catholics against Huguenots, but later
because of the struggles that arose when it became clear that he was going to be the last of the
Valois line. The War of the Three Henries broke out after his brother died and the then-Protestant
Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV) became heir, leading the Catholic Holy League to strike out of
fear for its interests. Henry III was assassinated by a crazed friar in 1589.
NAQT's editors opted to not include kings of Franks; had we, several of them (including Charles Martel and
Charlemagne) would have made this list. Similarly, Louis Philippe, the "king of the French" placed on the
throne after Charles X abdicated in 1830, was excluded from consideration, though it's not clear at all that
he would have merited a mention in the first place.