History UsefulNotes / LetatCestMoi

Louis Philippe's grandson. A liberal and democrat (like his father), Philippe had fought on the side of the Union in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar.

His father attempted to abdicate to him after the 1848 Revolution, but the Second Republic was proclaimed instead.

Technically he was never king, as the monarchy had been dissolved by the time his father was executed. However, royalists considered him the heir to the throne, and during the Bourbon Restoration, his uncle (more on him later) styled himself Louis XVIII, thus incorporating the prince into the French regnal numbering system.

Technically he was never king, as the monarchy had been dissolved by the time his father died. However, royalists considered him the heir to the throne, and during the Bourbon Restoration, his uncle (more on him later) styled himself Louis XVIII, thus including the prince in the French regnal numbering system.

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In 1873, when the Second French Empire fell, there was a sufficient amount of monarchists in the French National Assembly that a return to the monarchy was considered, and as the heir of Louis Philippe I, Philippe was considered the heir to the throne by the Orléanists. Philippe also had the selling point that unlike Duke Henri of Chambord (see above), he was willing to let himself be a constitutional monarch and had no objections to the ''tricolor'' flag. However, he withdrew his claims to the throne in favour of Chambord. Chambord was old and childless, but never recognized Philippe as his heir presumptive, and by the time he died, public opinion opposed a return to the monarchy. So Philippe's claim to the throne went unheeded.

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In 1873, when the Second French Empire fell, there was a sufficient amount of monarchists in the French National Assembly that a return to the monarchy was considered. Unlike Duke Henri of Chambord (see above), Philippe was willing to let himself be a constitutional monarch and had no objections to the ''tricolor'' flag. However, he withdrew his claims to the throne in favour of Chambord. Chambord was old and childless, but never recognized Philippe as his heir presumptive, and by the time he died, public opinion opposed a return to the monarchy. So Philippe's claim to the throne went unheeded.

!!Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême / Louis XIX

!!Henri, Count of Chambord / Henri V

He had a very good chance of finally becoming king after the end of the Second Empire, but he wanted a return to an absolute monarchy and did not want to serve under the Republican tricolour, demanding a return to the old white banner with gold fleur-de-lis of the ''ancien regime''.[[note]]Ironically, in his youth as ''comte de Chambord'', Henri had himself designed a "royal tricolour" with the Bourbon coat of arms and crown in the center, a compromise that probably would've been acceptable had he still been willing to use it. Many including the Pope were beyond baffled that the man would give up a throne over this.[[/note]] By then, most French--including all but the most die-hard conservative monarchists (the right wing of the "Legitimists")--agreed that the monarch ought to be a constitutional figurehead and wanted to keep the tricolour. More frustrating than anything, however, is that the count was an elderly bachelor by this point, meaning that the Orléanist pretender, Louis-Philippe, comte de Paris, would become king upon his death under the Salic Law the Legitimists recognized (as modified by the [[UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession Treaty of Utrecht]] that cut the Spanish Bourbons from the French succession). The younger count, a liberal and democrat (like his father) who had fought on the side of the Union in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, was more than happy to be a figurehead under the tricolour.

!!Louis-Philippe I

Alas for the House of Orléans, the building proved to be too slow. Grumbling about censorship and social inequality gradually built over the years, and rather than let these voices take their place in the public sphere, the bourgeois liberal-conservative ministry led by François Guizot contented itself to up the censorship and play games with the electoral laws to prevent reformists from gaining a foothold. Meanwhile, although Louis-Philippe clearly saw the need for reform, he feared that the major reformist leaders--particularly Adolphe Thiers--were too nationalistic and aggressive in foreign policy matters, and would lead France into a disastrous war if allowed to take control (he was probably right about Thiers, but we'll never know). Louis-Philippe therefore hesitated to call out Guizot on his shenanigans, recognizing that for all his faults, Guizot was the opposite of a warmonger.

Thus despite the umbrella-carrying, [[UsefulNotes/RevolutionsOf1848 another revolution in 1848]] forced Louis-Philippe to abdicate in favor of his grandson Philippe. The Deputies were willing to keep the constitutional monarchy and install Philippe as King, but public opinion forced the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a Second Republic.

After abdicating, Louis-Philippe decamped with his family to England, where he died in 1850. He and his wife's remains would be returned to France in 1876.

Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette's second son. Arrested along with his family, he officially became king upon his father's execution. He died in prison in 1795, aged ten.

'''Spouse:''' Margaret of Scotland\\
'''Consort:''' Charlotte of Savoy\\

He occasionally appears in fiction and media about UsefulNotes/HenryVIII, as the two knew each other and were sort of frenemies. He died in 1547 – just two months after Henry VIII, oddly enough.

He was officially Charles VI's son, but there were rumours that he had been fathered by Charles' brother, Louis d'Orléans. He is best known for his alliance with UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc. Thanks in part to her efforts, Charles reclaimed the French throne, and the English were finally driven out (except in Calais, which wouldn't fall until 1558).

Unexpectedly kingless, the nobles got together and elected a new king: a guy named Hughes ("Hugh"), who liked to wear a little cape. (And lo, the secret origins of ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' are revealed.) The people called him Hughes Capet, Hughes of the Little Cape. His descendants were the Capetians, who, between one branch of the family or another, would rule for nearly a thousand years. Capetians still sit on the thrones of modern-day Spain and Luxembourg (and might still be sitting on the throne of France were it not for the stubbornness of one of his descendants—for details see below).

His nickname comes from the fact that he often wore a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cope cope]] (''chape'' in French) because he was lay abbot of Saint-Martin-de-Tours.

Unexpectedly kingless, the nobles got together and elected a new king: a guy named Hughes ("Hugh"), who liked to wear a little cape. (And lo, the secret origins of ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' are revealed.) The people called him Hughes Capet, Hughes of the Little Cape. His descendants were the Capetians, who, between one branch of the family or another, would rule for nearly a thousand years.

Grandson of Robert I. He had been a major power broker in France from the reign of Louis IV until his own election as king in 987. His dynasty, the Capetians, is the oldest continuously reigning dynasty in European history; Capetians still sit on the thrones of modern-day Spain and Luxembourg (and might still be sitting on the throne of France were it not for the stubbornness of one of his descendants—for details see below).

Although the powers of the French King had been weak (Capet himself risked being held for ransom if he left his bailiwick of the Ile-De-France), he was able to have his son Robert crowned as co-monarch during his own rule; this practice (which continued for quite some time) kept the Crown lands away from the Frankish partible-inheritance laws and enabled his successors to gradually centralize power (if there is one king, and he dies, then the royal land[[note]]''Not'', by this point, the royal title or the kingdom; the land at issue was the royal demesne, i.e. the land the king owned/ruled as local lord without any great nobles in the way; the demesne was the source of a disproportionately large part of the royal income, as the king could (1) be more certain that tax revenue would be assessed and sent to his treasury, and (2) much of the wealth in the demesne, like the land, was his personal property. The smaller the demesne, the poorer the king, the harder it is to keep the nobles in line. On the other hand, keep your demesne intact, and you can expand the demesne by making strategic marriages to heiresses, figuring out ways to take land from nobles by force, and sometimes just outright buying it.[[/note]] is divided among his sons; but if there are ''two'' kings, and one dies, the surviving one keeps the whole thing--talk about LoopholeAbuse!).

He desired the vacated crown of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire, promising to finish the Ottoman Empire if they gave it to him, but the Spanish candidate UsefulNotes/CharlesV beat him at it, after which the two became arch-rivals. François launched a series of ambitious wars against Charles, but his old-fashioned military ways (he was nicknamed the ''Roi-Chevalier'', the "Knight-King") caused him to lose most of the time, often in disastrous fashion. He was captured on the battlefield and held hostage in Madrid for awhile, from which he got out by pretending to accept humiliating terms of peace only to resume the war after being freed. During his reign, France made an alliance with the Ottoman Empire, which was, aside from ironic given the previous claims, rather scandalous in the Christian Europe.

Crowned as co-monarch under his father, Robert II. However, he wound up rebelling against his father. While doing this, he wound up dying at the age of 18.

As king, he had to contend with a number of dissident barons, and was assisted in fending them off by his capable queen, Adélaide of Maurienne, as well as Abbot Suger of the monastery of St. Denis.

He occasionally appears in fiction and media about UsefulNotes/HenryVIII, as the two knew each other and were sort of frenemies. He died in 1547.

When the English invaded France, he signed a treaty disinheriting the Dauphin and recognizing his son-in-law, [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet Henry V of England]], as his successor. However, Henry predeceased Charles by two months, so his claim to the throne went to Henry's son and Charles VI's grandson, [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet Henry VI]], who it turns out, had inherited Charles' insanity. Eventually, the Dauphin made an effort to reestablish his own claim, allowing him to become…

He had a very good chance of finally becoming king after the end of the Second Empire, but he wanted a return to an absolute monarchy and did not want to serve under the Republican tricolour, demanding a return to the old white banner with gold fleur-de-lis of the ''ancien regime''.[[note]]Ironically, in his youth as ''comte de Chambord'', Henri had himself designed a "royal tricolour" with the Bourbon coat of arms and crown in the center, a compromise that probably would've been acceptable had he still been willing to use it. Many including the Pope were beyond baffled that the man would give up a throne over this.[[/note]] By then, most French--including all but the most die-hard conservative monarchists (the right wing of the "Legitimists")--agreed that the monarch ought to be a constitutional figurehead and wanted to keep the tricolour. More frustrating than anything, however, is that the count was an elderly bachelor by this point, meaning that the Orléanist pretender, Louis-Philippe, comte de Paris, would become king upon his death under the Salic Law the Legitimists recognized (as modified by the [[UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession Treaty of Utrecht]] that cut the Spanish Bourbons from the French succession). The younger count, a liberal and democrat (like his father) who had fought on the side of the Union in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, was more than happy to be a figurehead under the tricolour. As a result, the Third Republic was established while waiting for the comte de Chambord to die already, but six years before he could do that the people decided that monarchy really wasn't on anymore and the monarchists lost their majority in the National Assembly. He died in 1883.

When the English invaded France, he signed a treaty disinheriting Dauphin Charles and recognizing his son-in-law, [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet Henry V of England]], as his successor. However, Henry predeceased Charles by two months, so his claim to the throne went to Henry's son and Charles VI's grandson, [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet Henry VI]], who it turns out, had inherited Charles' insanity. Eventually, the Dauphin made an effort to reestablish his own claim, allowing him to become…

When the English invaded France, he signed a treaty disinheriting the Dauphin and recognizing [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet Henry V of England]] as his successor. However, Henry predeceased Charles by two months, so his claim to the throne went to Henry's son and Charles VI's grandson, [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet Henry VI]], who it turns out, had inherited his grandfather's insanity. This enabled the Dauphin to reestablish his own claim, allowing him to become…

He was officially Charles VI's son, but there were rumours that he had been fathered by Charles' brother, Louis d'Orléans. He is best known for his alliance with UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc. It was during his reign that the English were finally driven out (except for Calais, which wouldn't fall until 1558).

Insanity ran in his mother, Joanna of Bourbon's family, and from 1392 onwards, [[AxCrazy Charles suffered bouts of psychosis]]. He would randomly murder men out of paranoia, believed he was made of glass, and even underwent an exorcism. His grandson, [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet Henry VI of England]], was also insane. The people of France thought Charles was cursed and suffered insanity because of their sins, hence the ''Beloved'' nickname.

When the English invaded France, he signed a treaty disinheriting the dauphin and recognizing [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet Henry V of England]] as his successor.

'''Nicknames:''' ''le Victorieux'' ("the Victorious")[[note]]by his supporters[[/note]]; ''le Bien-Servi'' ("the Well-Served")[[note]]by his detractors, to indicate that most of the work was done for him[[/note]]

He was officially Charles VI's son, but there were rumours that he had been fathered by Charles' brother, Louis d'Orléans. He is best known for his alliance with UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc. It was during his reign that the English were finally driven out.

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Because he never was King in his own right, so he never received the name 'Hughes II.' Most tend to just forget about him.

Grandson of Robert I. He had been a major mover-and-shaker in France from the reign of Louis IV until his own election as king in 987. His dynasty, the Capetians, is the oldest continuously reigning dynasty in European history; Capetians still sit on the thrones of modern-day Spain and Luxembourg (and might still be sitting on the throne of France were it not for the stubbornness of one of his descendants—for details see below).

!!Henri I
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->'''Lived:''' 4 May 1008 – 4 August 1060\\
'''Reigned:''' 14 May 1027 – 20 July 1031 (co-reign); 20 July 1031 – 4 August 1060 (solo reign)\\

'''Consorts:''' (1) Matilda of Frisia (1034–1044); (2) Anne of Kyiv (1051–1060)

!!Louis VII
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->'''Lived:''' 1120 – 18 September 1180\\
'''Reigned:''' 25 October 1131 – 1 August 1137 (junior king); 1 August 1137 – 18 September 1180 (senior king)\\

'''Consorts:''' (1) UsefulNotes/EleanorOfAquitaine (1137–1152); (2) Constance of Castile (1154–1160); (3) Adèle of Champagne (1160–1180)\\
'''Nickname:''' ''le Jeune'' ("the Young")

Originally intended for the clergy, he was plucked from his monastery and made heir after his elder brother was killed when his horse was tripped by a "diabolical pig."

He married the beautiful heiress UsefulNotes/EleanorofAquitaine but she found him 'more monk than king.' After several childless years, a war sparked by her sister running off with his cousin, a disastrous trip on the [[UsefulNotes/TheCrusades Second Crusade]] (because he felt guilty after [[KillItWithFire burning down a church and all the inhabitants of a little town called Vitry-en-Perthois]]), and accusations that Alienòr was cheating on him with her own uncle, Louis and Alienòr divorced. She married [[UsefulNotes/HenryTheSecond the future king of England]].

Became king at the age of seven upon his father's death. He is best known for eloping with the beautiful Bertrade of Montfort in 1092; their marriage was illegal due to the slight problem that both the bride and the groom had living spouses. He was excommunicated several times but refused to leave Bertrade. He died in 1108, and was buried at the church of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire instead of at the royal tombs at St. Denis because he felt he was not worthy to be buried with his ancestors.