Rulers of France

Updated October 30, 2022 | Infoplease Staff
Name Born Ruled1
Carolingian Dynasty
Pepin the Short c. 714 751–768
Charlemagne2 742 768–814
Louis I the Pious3 778 814–840
Charles I the Bald4 823 840–877
Louis II the Stammerer 846 877–879
Louis III5 c. 863 879–882
Carloman5 ? 879–884
Charles II the Fat6 839 884–8877
Eudes (Odo), count of Paris ? 888–898
Charles III the Simple8 879 893–9239
Robert I10 c. 865 922–923
Rudolf (Raoul), duke of Burgundy ? 923–936
Louis IV d'Outremer c. 921 936–954
Lothair 941 954–986
Louis V the Sluggard c. 967 986–987
Capetian Dynasty
Hugh Capet c. 940 987–996
Robert II the Pious11 c. 970 996–1031
Henry I 1008 1031–1060
Philip I 1052 1060–1108
Louis VI the Fat 1081 1108–1137
Louis VII the Young c.1121 1137–1180
Philip II (Philip Augustus) 1165 1180–1223
Louis VIII the Lion 1187 1223–1226
Louis IX (St. Louis) 1214 1226–1270
Philip III the Bold 1245 1270–1285
Philip IV the Fair 1268 1285–1314
Louis X the Quarreler 1289 1314–1316
John I12 1316 1316
Philip V the Tall 1294 1316–1322
Charles IV the Fair 1294 1322–1328
House of Valois
Philip VI 1293 1328–1350
John II the Good 1319 1350–1364
Charles V the Wise 1337 1364–1380
Charles VI the Well-Beloved 1368 1380–1422
Charles VII 1403 1422–1461
Louis XI 1423 1461–1483
Charles VIII 1470 1483–1498
Louis XII the Father of the People 1462 1498–1515
Francis I 1494 1515–1547
Henry II 1519 1547–1559
Francis II 1544 1559–1560
Charles IX 1550 1560–1574
Henry III 1551 1574–1589
House of Bourbon
Henry IV of Navarre 1553 1589–1610
Louis XIII 1601 1610–1643
Louis XIV the Great 1638 1643–1715
Louis XV the Well-Beloved 1710 1715–1774
Louis XVI 1754 1774–179213
Louis XVII (Louis Charles de
France)
14
1785 1793–1795
First Republic
National Convention 1792–1795
Directory (Directoire) 1795–1799
Consulate
Napoléon Bonaparte15 1769 1799–1804
First Empire
Napoléon I 1769 1804–181516
Restoration of House of Bourbon
Louis XVIII le Désiré 1755 1814–1824
Charles X 1757 1824–183017
Bourbon-Orleans Line
Louis Philippe (“Citizen King”) 1773 1830–184818
Second Republic
Louis Napoléon19 1808 1848–1852
Second Empire
Napoléon III (Louis Napoléon) 1808 1852–187020
Third Republic (Presidents)
Louis Adolphe Thiers 1797 1871–1873
Marie E. P. M. de MacMahon 1808 1873–1879
François P. J. Grévy 1807 1879–1887
Sadi Carnot 1837 1887–1894
Jean Casimir-Périer 1847 1894–1895
François Félix Faure 1841 1895–1899
Émile Loubet 1838 1899–1906
Clement Armand Fallières 1841 1906–1913
Raymond Poincaré 1860 1913–1920
Paul E. L. Deschanel 1856 1920–1920
Alexandre Millerand 1859 1920–1924
Gaston Doumergue 1863 1924–1931
Paul Doumer 1857 1931–1932
Albert Lebrun 1871 1932–1940
Vichy Government (Chief of State)
Henri Philippe Pétain 1856 1940–1944
Provisional Government (Presidents)
Charles de Gaulle 1890 1944–1946
Félix Gouin 1884 1946–1946
Georges Bidault 1899 1946–1947
Fourth Republic (Presidents)
Vincent Auriol 1884 1947–1954
René Coty 1882 1954–1959
Fifth Republic (Presidents)
Charles de Gaulle 1890 1959–1969
Georges Pompidou 1911 1969–1974
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing 1926 1974–1981
François Mitterrand 1916 1981–1995
Jacques Chirac 1932 1995– 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy 1955 2007– 2012
François Hollande 1954 2012–2017
Emmanuel Macron 1977 2017-
1. For kings and emperors through the Second Empire, year of end of rule is also that of death, unless otherwise indicated.
2. Crowned Emperor of the West in 800. His brother, Carloman, ruled as king of the Eastern Franks from 768 until his death in 771.
3. Holy Roman Emperor, 814–840.
4. Holy Roman Emperor, 875–877 as Charles II.
5. Ruled jointly, 879–882.
6. Holy Roman Emperor, 881–887, as Charles III.
7. Died 888.
8. King, 893–898, in opposition to Eudes.
9. Died 929.
10. Not counted in regular line of kings of France by some authorities. Elected by nobles but killed in Battle of Soissons.
11. Sometimes called Robert I.
12. Posthumous son of Louis X; lived for only five days.
13. Executed 1793.
14. Titular king only. He died in prison according to official reports, but many pretenders appeared during the Bourbon restoration.
15. As first consul, Napoléon held the power of government. In 1804, he became emperor.
16. Abdicated first time, June 1814. Reentered Paris, March 1815, after escape from Elba; Louis XVIII fled to Ghent. Abdicated second time, June 1815. He named as his successor his son, Napoléon II, who was not acceptable to the Allies. He died 1821.
17. Died 1836.
18. Died 1850.
19. President; became emperor in 1852.
20. Died 1873.

 

.com/ipa/A0107521.html
.com/ipa/0/1/0/7/5/2/A0107521.html
Sources +

About the author

Infoplease Staff


Infoplease staff work hard to create, curate, and edit a variety of content for all audiences.

Infoplease: your gateway to knowledge and enriching minds, one fact at a time.


View More About Our Editors, Experts, Authors, & Advisors