The kings of France were directly involved in the development of this great country. Her story began in the first millennium BC. Initially, the Celtic tribes lived on the territory of the modern state, and on the seashore there were a large number of Greek colonies. According to ancient sources, around the same time, Julius Caesar was able to subjugate the territories inhabited by the Gauls. The great commander even gave the name to the conquered lands - Gallia Comata. After the fall of Rome, France transformed into the state of the Goths, and they, in turn, were rapidly replaced by the Franks.
Historians version
Currently, it is believed that future Frenchmen arrived in Western Europe from the Black Sea. They began to inhabit the land from the very banks of the Rhine. When Julian handed over to the Franks vast land, with equal enthusiasm, they began to explore the southern territories. By 420, most Franks had crossed the Rhine. Their leader was Faramond.
The remaining people on the banks of the Somme River were led by his son Chlodion. There he founded the kingdom of Franks. The capital was declared the city of Turin. After several decades, the son of Chlodion decided to form the royal line. The name of this man is Merovei, and members of the dynasty formed by him began to be called Merovingians. This is how the history of the kings of France was born.
Further developments
In the fifth century, King Clovis the First significantly expanded the possession of the Franks. Now they extended to the Loire and the Seine. The kings of France became full rulers in the entire upper and middle Rhine. In 469, Clovis decided to change religion. He and his many subjects became Christians. This allowed to intensify the fight against the rulers of the barbarians who carried with them heresy. After the death of the king, the lands he conquered were divided between his four sons. Subsequently, the descendants of Clovis extended their power to Gaul, Bavaria, Alemania and Thuringia.
Union
One hundred and fifty years later, the state of the Franks regained territorial unity. Hlothard II is a brave French king who managed to realize what his predecessors simply did not dare to do. Under his rule, the kingdom became an extensive political association with numerous governors, who subsequently received the count's titles. Then Dagobert I began to rule.
Unfortunately, his sons did not prioritize the power of the state, and therefore, after the death of his father, with such difficulty, the united territory was again divided into four parts. Then followed a series of internecine wars, because the descendants could not decide what would get to them. Due to constant strife, the power of the Franks over Bavaria, Alemania, Thuringia and Aquitaine was lost.
Deterioration
In the seventh century, it was evident that the kings of France began to rapidly surrender their positions. They no longer belonged to real power. The reins of power passed into the hands of mayordom. The last kings belonging to the Merovingian dynasty, the French themselves called "lazy." Over time, the posts of mayordom began to be inherited. Everything came to the conclusion that their dynasties were equal in power to the royal ones.
In this regard, the palace ruler Pepin Geristalsky made himself the loudest. In 680, the right to govern the entire Frankish kingdom passed into his hands. By that time, it was united by the efforts of the formal king Theodoric the Third.
The birth of a new dynasty
In 751, Pope Zachary turned to Mayor Pipin Korotky for help. Without this, it was no longer possible to overcome the Lombards. In gratitude for the help, Zachary promised Pipin the royal crown. The then official ruler, Childeric III had to resign.
Thus appeared the kings of France, representing the Carolingian dynasty. It is named after Charlemagne, who was the son of Pepin Short. However, even before Karl entered the throne, his father put things in order in the Frankish kingdom, again recapturing Aquitaine and Thuringia. In addition, he managed to put the Arabs who occupied Gaul into flight and occupy Septimania. A great start was made to the development and prosperity of the kingdom.
Karl is the king of France, who managed to achieve even more. He greatly expanded the borders of the country. Thus, the state of the Franks in the northeast began to extend to the Elbe, in the east to Austria and Croatia, in the southwest to Northern Spain, and in the southeast to Northern Italy. After some time, Pope Leo III crowned Charles as emperor of Rome.
True, the existence of the empire did not last long. Only Louis the Pious (Carl's son) managed to edit. After his death, the heirs went to sign the Verdun Treaty. This happened in 843. Thus, the empire of Charles was divided into three parts - Lorraine, East Frankish (later Germany) and West Frankish state (modern France).
The last representative of the Carolingian dynasty - Louis V - died in 987. There were no direct heirs, so the king’s distant relative, Hugo Capet, ascended the throne. He was the Count of Prague and the Duke of France. The new monarch met with the support of the clergy. Since that time, the state gained its modern name - France. A new dynasty was born - the Capetings. Its representatives ruled the country for almost eight centuries (when taking into account the branches of Valois and the Bourbons).
Change in everything
The change of rulers entailed the transformation of the state system. France has become a classic feudal state. However, the king’s fate was unenviable: under his direct authority was a small territory near the capital - Paris. All other areas had vassal relations with him. Often, territories beyond the control of the ruler were richer and more powerful than royal ones. That is why no one even thought of starting uprisings against the existing government.
The most important period
The ninth and tenth centuries became iconic for the country. During this period, the Vikings began to land in large numbers on the northern French shores. They founded the Norman Duchy, and then made attempts to capture Paris, but to no avail. The warlike Vikings managed to assert themselves in England: in 1066, William (Norman Duke) managed to capture the English throne. He subsequently founded the Norman dynasty there.
Twelfth century
Henry II is a wise English ruler who managed to become the wealthiest feudal lord. He made regular trips and never returned to his native land with empty hands. In addition, he entered into several very profitable marriages and conquered Normandy, Aquitaine, Guyenne and Brittany. The county of Anjou submitted to him. However, the heirs of the great ruler could not agree on a separation of powers. The feuds caused a weakening of the state. King of France Philippe took advantage of the situation. He conquered almost all the provinces. Under the rule of England, only Hyenas survived.
Thirteenth century
This century has become prosperous for France. The kings of France, whose list was expanding, managed to enlist the support of the popes, after which they boldly sent their forces against the heretic Cathars. As a result, Languedoc was conquered, but Flanders did not succumb.
Fourteenth century
In 1314, another Philippe the Beautiful departed into the world - the king of France from the Capetian dynasty. He had three sons and one daughter. Isabella managed to marry Edward II, the English ruler. Unfortunately, all the sons of Philip were born only girls, as a result of which France was faced with a dynastic crisis, when all the direct male heirs found eternal peace.
Nobles had to elect a new ruler. It turned out to be Philippe Valois. Edward the Third - the son of Isabella - tried to appeal this decision, however, according to the Salic law, the transfer of the throne along the female line was strictly prohibited. The result of his dissatisfaction was the Hundred Years War. Success accompanied either France or England. However, the uncertainty disappeared when the reins of the army took over the talented military leader Henry V. At the same time, Charles IV, known for his imbalance, ascended the throne in France. The military advantage was finally entrenched in the British.
The year 1415 was marked by the defeat of the French troops near Agincourt. Henry V triumphantly entered Paris. The king was forced to recognize the heir of the son of Henry the Fifth.
In 1429, Charles VII was crowned. He is credited with the unification of France. This happened thanks to the world, concluded with Karl of Burgundy. In 1437, Paris was returned, in 1450 - Normandy, in 1453 - Hyenne, in 1477 - Burgundy, and then Brittany. Only Calais remained under British rule.
Francis - King of France, ascended the throne in 1515. His father was the Earl of Angoule, cousin of Louis the Twelfth. The ruler advocated the renewal of agreements concluded with Henry the Eighth. The king intended to recapture Navarre from the Castile kingdom and take the Duchy of Milan with the support of Venice. Under his leadership, a tremendous transition was made through the Argentine gorge to Italy. Warriors carried artillery on their hands and blew up rocks to make their way. Francis managed to conquer the Duchy of Savoy and Milan. Thanks to this campaign, the king was known as a real hero. He was even compared with Caesar.
Henry 2 is the king of France, whose reign began in March 1547. He tried in every way to get rid of Protestantism.
Thanks to him, in 1550 the city of Boulogne was returned to the country. In addition, Henry 2 - the king of France, who was reputed to be the implacable enemy of
Charles the Fifth. He ruled until 1559.
King Henry of France had an heir. However, at the time of the death of his father, he was only ten years old. Nevertheless, Charles 9 ascended the throne. The King of France was the last representative of the Valois family. Until 1563, his mother, Catherine de Medici, acted as regent. The reign of Charles the Ninth was marked by many sad events, including the Civil War and Bartholomew’s Night (the mass extermination of the Huguenots).
After the Habsburgs came to power, a crisis began in the country. During the Reformation, the number of Protestants increased. Clashes between representatives of different social strata were increasingly occurring. To restore peace, it was decided to publish the Edict on Tolerance. At that time, Henry the Third ruled. He was killed in 1589. He had no heirs, so Henry of Navarre (Fourth) ascended the throne. He moved from the Protestant faith to the Catholic faith in order to avoid bloodshed. However, to quickly stop the confrontation still did not work.
XVII-XVIII centuries
During this period, absolutism was established in the country. After Louis 13 , Louis 14 ascended the throne. The King of France strengthened the position of the territories entrusted to him. The country has become the most powerful in Europe. It increased due to the annexation of Burgundy, West Flanders and Artois. The appearance of the first colonies in North America and India was also provided by Louis 14. The king of France made ambitious imperial plans, but the Seven Years War and the dispute over the Austrian legacy did not allow him to achieve what he wanted. As a result, control over all colonies was lost.
In 1715, Louis 15, king of France, who belonged to the Bourbon dynasty, ascended the throne. He was only five years old at that time. Regent Philip of Orleans took care of the young ruler . He was against the policy of Louis 14, so he entered into an alliance with England and unleashed a war with Spain. Even after the young ruler came of age, power remained in the hands of his uncle Philip. In 1726, Louis 15 nevertheless announced that he was taking the reins of government, but in reality Cardinal Fleury ruled the country. This continued until 1743. Note that the subsequent reign of Louis 15 himself reflected in the country in the most unfavorable way.
The end of the eighteenth century marked the beginning of the Enlightenment. France was in the hands of the monarchs. The policy of the new king - Louis XVI - led to an economic crisis, food shortages and a decline in agriculture. As a result of the convocation of the General State (1789), power was in the hands of the National Assembly. Its members advocated the abolition of feudal law, the deprivation of the nobility and clergy of all privileges, as well as the removal of the Church from state affairs.
The country was divided into departments (a total of 83). King Louis took flight, but was caught and returned to the country. He lost the title of king of France. He was partially returned nominal power: Louis received the title of King of the French. He vetoed some new decrees, but did not find support from the population. Soon, Louis was accused of treason. He was executed in 1793.
On the way to the republic
Many countries led by the royal dynasties began to fight with France. In 1799, a grand military coup was organized under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte. The population welcomed this venture with approval, since civilians are already quite tired of the constant fighting in the once-quiet cities.
According to the results of the referendum held in 1802, Napoleon was awarded the life title of the First Consul. He quickly dealt with all opponents and gained unlimited power. The country has become a monarchy. In 1804, Bonaparte was crowned. Soon, Austrian troops were defeated near Austerlitz. In 1806, the French succumbed to Prussia.
Heated with victories, Napoleon declared the continental blockade of England. In 1807, the British called for help to Russia. This did not bother Napoleon at all, he enthusiastically accepted a new rival with vast territories, which he decided to capture at all costs. In the fall of 1812, French troops were already in Moscow. It seemed that Russia had fallen. However, Kutuzov was wiser than Bonaparte. As a result, the French army suffered a crushing defeat. From the once great army were miserable grains.
In 1814, France was left without a ruler - Napoleon abdicated. It was decided to return the reins to the hands of the Bourbons. Louis the Eighteenth became King. He made every effort to restore the old order, but the French were categorically against it. And then Napoleon, collecting a thousandth army, went to regain power. He managed to carry out his plan. However, at a meeting of the monarchs in Vienna, it was decided to take the crown from the ambitious commander. As a result, Napoleon was exiled to the island of St. Helena.
The kings of France, whose list after Bonaparte was still replenished, ruled in extremely difficult conditions. So, Napoleon II was overthrown a few days after ascending the throne, Louis-Philippe was forced to immediately renounce his honorary title and become king of the French, but not France. Napoleon the Third was captured in Prussia and deposed. The monarchs were to be in power again, but Charles X, Henry V, and Philip VII, who claimed the throne, could not agree among themselves. The crowns of the rulers were sold in parts in 1885. France has become a republic.