1. Clovis I

Reigned: 509- 511

Clovis changed into the primary to unite the Frankish tribes below one banner. Prior to his short rule as King the Franks, the territories were ruled with the aid of using corporations of chieftains. He consolidated strength, and ensured a hereditary monarchy.

Clovis changed into born pagan however later transformed to Christianity in 498, on the behest of his wife, Clotilde. Many observed suit, and it marked the start of France’s allegiance to the Catholic Church, and to destiny Popes of Rome.

2. Charlemagne

Reigned: 768- 814

Charlemagne (additionally referred to as ‘Charles the Great’) changed into a warrior king, and is credited as being the ‘father of present day Europe’. His titles include: King of the Franks, King of the Lombards, and Holy Roman Emperor. Charlemagne united plenty of western Europe, and changed into the primary to preserve the identify of Holy Roman Emperor for the reason that fall the of the western Roman Empire.

3. Louis IX

Reigned: 1226- 1270

Louis IX is the best French monarch to were canonized with the aid of using the Catholic Church, as Saint-Louis. He took component in exceptional crusades withinside the holy land, and payed a hefty sum for holy relics from the king of Constantinople. Sainte-Chapelle changed into constructed with the aid of using Louis IX to residence the relics, and is a beautiful instance of medieval-gothic architecture.

4. Philippe IV

Reigned: 1285-1314

Known as ‘Philippe the Fair’ and ‘the Iron King’, Philippe IV definitely reigned with an iron fist. He is maximum remembered for suppressing the Knights of the Templar, and for the execution in their leader, Jacques de Molay.

The Knights of the Templar had been a catholic army order of aristocrats who grew very effective because of their financial stronghold over plenty of Europe. They had been distinguished because of their involvement withinside the Crusades. But whilst the hunt to dominate the holy land and failed, so did aid for the order. Philippe IV had borrowed pretty a chunk of cash from them, and without a doubt had reasons to result in their ruin.

When Philippe seized the Templar’s stronghold, he changed into bowled over to locate that the full-size treasure had disappeared. The lacking Templar’s treasure has been the obsession of Indiana Jones hopefuls, and treasure hunters for the reason that Middle Ages. It has by no means been found, or at least, nobody has publicly admitted to locating it.

5. Charles VI

Reigned: 1380 – 1422

The ‘Mad King’ suffered from psychosis and at instances did now no longer even recognise he changed into king at all. During the length of the Hundred Years’ War with England, Charles VI’s troops had been defeated with the aid of using Henry V on the strugglefare of Agincourt. With the signing of the Treaty of Troyes in 1420, Charles relinquished his ancestral rites of the throne of France in favour of King Henry V of England, at the situation that he preserve his kingship till death. His son, and rightful heir, changed into disinherited. Charles VI’s unhappy legacy is that of a mentally unwell monarch who gave away his kingdom.

6. Charles VII

Reigned: 1422 – 1461

Having been disinherited with the aid of using his father (Charles VI) whilst he changed into seventeen, Charles left for Bourges to installation his very own court. France changed into in chaos, now no longer best because of the Hundred Years’ War, however additionally due to an ongoing civil battle among the Armagnacs and Burgundians.

Charles had all however given up hope (each his budget and aid for his reason had been dwindling) whilst Joan of Arc changed into provided to him at court. She have become France’s religious and warrior champion, main infantrymen into strugglefare in opposition to the English. They had been capable of take again Reims (wherein French kings had been historically crowned) and Joan changed into gift at Charles VII’s coronation in 1422. Although Joan changed into injured in strugglefare, captured and surpassed over to the British with the aid of using Burgundian sympathizers, the sacrifice she made for her us of a has now no longer been forgotten. (She changed into made a saint in 1920.)

French forces proved triumphant withinside the years to come, and Charles VII is referred to as ‘the Victorious’, as he sooner or later positioned an give up to the horrible war of the Hundred Years’ War.

7. François I

Reigned: 1515 – 1547

François I changed into large than life, in stature as in spirit, and is referred to as ‘the Renaissance king’. He changed into a brilliant purchaser of the arts, befriended Leonardo da Vinci, and received the Mona Lisa from him. He additionally standardized the French language, and ordered that French ought to update Latin because the legitimate language of the kingdom. Also, it changed into at some stage in his reign that Jacques Cartier made his explorations withinside the ‘new world’.

Much like his predecessors, his reign changed into additionally marred with the aid of using battle. He changed into held captive in Madrid following defeat withinside the Battle of Pavia (17 March 1526), and changed into later released.

8. Henri IV

Reigned: 1572 – 1610

Henri IV changed into King of Navarre, which later have become a part of France (now Spain). Although protestant, he married Margot (Princess of France, daughter of Henri II and Catherine de Medici). The marriage changed into supposed to quell the discord among catholics and protestants, and produce an give up to the wars of religion. Sadly, it changed into now no longer to be. During the marriage festivities Gaspard de Coligny (a protestant noble) changed into assassinated. What observed changed into absolute carnage, and is referred to as the ‘Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.’ Henri narrowly escaped together along with his life, and transformed to catholicism below excessive stress from his new family. In a weird twist of fate, Henri might later emerge as king of France whilst his brother in law, Henri III, died childless.

Henri have become referred to as ‘the Good King’, in component due the Edict of Nantes, which proclaimed non secular freedom in France, however additionally due to the fact he cared for the welfare of his subjects. Not all of Henri IV’s humans favoured the ‘bon vivant’ king, he changed into assassinated on May 14, 1610.

9. Louis XIV

Reigned: 1643 – 1715

The indomitable Louis XIV styled himself as ’the Sun King’, and is probably one of the maximum well-known French kings. His creation, the palace of Versailles, moved the seat of strength farfar from Paris into the us of a-side, wherein he had overall manipulate over his courtiers and nobility. Louis XIV changed into the longest reigning monarch in France, and held the throne for seventy- years.

10. Louis XVI

Reigned: 1774 – 1791

When the Bastille jail changed into stormed on July 14, 1789, Louis XVI changed into in no way concerned. Perhaps he didn’t completely recognize the gravity of the situation, nor the desperateness of his humans. The taxation wall constructed round Paris in 1784, drought, famine, in addition to the growing fee and shortage of bread had been a number of the contributing elements that caused the 1789 Revolution.

King Louis XVI and Queen Marie- Antoinette had been stripped in their royal titles and held prisoner withinside the Tuileries palace. They subsequently escaped, and had been en-course to Austria after they had been captured withinside the city of Varennes. The flight sealed their fate. Louis XVI changed into deemed a traitor to the Revolution, sentenced to death, and changed into guillotined at Place de l. a. Concorde in Paris, on January 21, 1793.