The kings of France were directly involved in the development of this great country. Its history began in the first millennium BC. Initially, Celtic tribes lived on the territory of the modern state, and there were a large number of Greek colonies on the seashore. According to ancient sources, around the same time, Julius Caesar managed to subdue the territories inhabited by the Gauls. The great commander even gave the name to the conquered lands - Gallia Komata. After the fall of Rome, France was transformed into the state of the Goths, and they, in turn, were rapidly forced out by the Franks.
Historians' version
It is currently believed that the future French arrived in Western Europe from the Black Sea region. They began to inhabit the lands from the very banks of the Rhine. When Julian handed over vast lands to the Franks, they began to develop the southern territories with no less enthusiasm. By 420 most of the Franks had crossed the Rhine. Their leader was Pharamond.
The people who remained on the banks of the Somme were led by his sonChlodion. There he founded the kingdom of the Franks. Turin was declared the capital. A few decades later, the son of Chlodion decided to form a royal line. The name of this man is Merovei, and the members of the dynasty he formed became known as the Merovingians. This is how the history of the kings of France was born.
Further developments
In the fifth century, King Clovis the First greatly expanded the possessions of the Franks. Now they extended as far as the Loire and the Seine. The kings of France became full rulers in the territories of the entire upper and middle Rhine. In 469, Clovis decided to change his religion. He and his numerous subjects became Christians. This made it possible to intensify the struggle against the rulers of the barbarians, who carried heresy with them. After the death of the king, the lands he conquered were divided among his four sons. Subsequently, the descendants of Clovis extended their power to Gaul, Bavaria, Alemannia and Thuringia.
Unification
After one hundred and fifty years, the state of the Franks regained its territorial unity. Chlothar the Second is a brave French king who managed to realize what his predecessors simply did not dare to do. Under his rule, the kingdom became a vast political association with numerous governors, who later received county titles. Then Dagobert I began to rule.
Unfortunately, his sons did not put the power of the state at the forefront, and therefore, after the death of their 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 go to whom. Due to constant strife, the power of the Franks over Bavaria, Alemannia, Thuringia and Aquitaine was lost.
Deterioration
In the seventh century, it was clear that the kings of France were rapidly losing ground. They no longer held real power. The reins of government passed into the hands of the mayors. The last kings belonging to the Merovingian dynasty were called "lazy" by the French themselves. Over time, the positions of majordoms began to be inherited. Everything came to the fact that their dynasties were equal in power to the royal ones.
In this regard, the palace ruler Pepin Geristalsky declared himself the loudest. In 680, the rights to manage the entire Frankish kingdom passed into his hands. By that time, it had been united by the formal King Theodoric III.
The birth of a new dynasty
In 751, Pope Zachary turned to Major Pepin the Short for help. Without this, it was no longer possible to overcome the Lombards. In gratitude for his help, Zachary promised Pepin the royal crown. The official ruler at that time, Childeric III, had to resign.
This is how the kings of France, representing the Carolingian dynasty, appeared. It is named after Charlemagne, who was the son of Pepin the Short. However, even before the accession of Charles to the throne, his father brought order to the Frankish kingdom, recapturing Aquitaine and Thuringia. In addition, he managed to put to flight the Arabs who occupied Gaul, and occupySeptimania. A great start was made to the development and prosperity of the kingdom.
Charles is the King of France who has achieved 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. Some time later, Pope Leo III crowned Charles as Emperor of Rome.
True, the existence of the empire did not last long. Only Louis the Pious (son of Charles) managed to rule. After his death, the heirs went to the signing of the Treaty of Verdun. 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 a distant relative of the king, Hugo Capet, ascended the throne. He was Count of Prague and Duke of France. The new monarch met with the support of the clergy. Since that time, the state has acquired its modern name - France. A new dynasty was born - the Capetians. Its representatives ruled the country for almost eight centuries (taking into account the offshoots of the Valois and the Bourbons).
Change in everything
The change of rulers led to the transformation of the state system. France has become a classical feudal state. Howeverthe fate of the king was unenviable: under his direct authority was a small area near the capital - Paris. All other regions had vassal relations with him. Often, the territories not controlled by the ruler were richer and more powerful than the 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 have become significant for the country. During this period, the Vikings began to land in large numbers on the northern French coast. They founded the Duchy of Normandy, and after that they made attempts to capture Paris, but to no avail. The militant Vikings managed to assert themselves in England: in 1066 William (Duke of Normandy) managed to seize the English throne. Subsequently, he founded the Norman dynasty there.
Twelfth century
Henry the Second is a wise English ruler who managed to become the we althiest feudal lord. He made regular trips and never returned to his native land empty-handed. In addition, he entered into several very advantageous marriages and conquered Normandy, Aquitaine, Guyenne and Brittany. He also conquered the county of Anjou. However, the heirs of the great ruler could not agree on the division of power. The strife led to the weakening of the state. King Philippe of France took advantage of the situation. He conquered almost all the provinces. Under the rule of England, only Guyenne survived.
Thirteenth century
This century has become prosperous for France. Kings of France, listwhich was expanding, managed to enlist the support of the popes, after which they boldly sent their forces against the Cathar heretics. As a result, Languedoc was recaptured, but Flanders did not succumb.
Fourteenth century
In 1314 another Philip the Handsome, the King of France from the Capetian dynasty, passed away. He had three sons and one daughter. Isabella managed to marry Edward II - the English ruler. Unfortunately, all of Philip's sons had only girls, as a result of which France faced a dynastic crisis, when all direct male heirs found eternal peace.
The nobility had to elect a new ruler. It turned out to be Philippe of Valois. Edward the Third, the son of Isabella, tried to protest this decision, but according to Salic law, the transfer of the throne through the female line was strictly prohibited. The result of his discontent was the Hundred Years War. Success accompanied either France or England. However, the uncertainty disappeared when the talented military leader Henry V took over the reins of the army. At the same time, Charles IV, known for his imbalance, ascended the throne in France. The military advantage was finally assigned to the British.
1415 was marked by the defeat of the French troops near Agincourt. Henry V entered Paris in triumph. The king was forced to recognize the son of Henry the Fifth as heir.
In 1429 Charles VII was crowned. He is responsible for the unification of France. This happened thanks to the peace concluded with Charles of Burgundy. In 1437 Paris was returned, in 1450 Normandy, in 1453 Guyenne, in 1477 Burgundy,and then Brittany. Only Calais remained under British rule.
Francis is the King of France, who ascended the throne in 1515. His father was the Count of Angoulens, cousin of Louis XII. The ruler advocated the renewal of the treaties concluded with Henry the Eighth. The king intended to retake Navarre from the Kingdom of Castile and take the Duchy of Milan with the support of Venice. Under his leadership, a grandiose transition was made through the Argentine Gorge to Italy. Warriors carried artillery pieces on their hands and blasted rocks to make their way. Francis succeeded in conquering the Duchies of Savoy and Milan. Thanks to this campaign, the king was known as a real hero. He was even compared to Caesar.
Henry 2 is the King of France, whose reign began in March 1547. He tried in every possible way to get rid of Protestantism.
Thanks to him in 1550 the city of Boulogne was returned to the country. In addition, Henry 2 is the king of France, who was reputed to be an implacable enemy of Charles the Fifth. He ruled until 1559.
King Henry of France had an heir. However, at the time of his father's death, 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 9th was marked by many sad events, including civil wars and St. Bartholomew's night (mass extermination of the Huguenots).
After the Habsburgs came to power, a crisis began in the country. ATDuring the Reformation, the number of Protestants increased. Increasingly, there were clashes between representatives of different social strata. To restore peace, it was decided to issue an "Edict on religious tolerance." At that time Henry the Third ruled. He was killed in 1589. He had no heirs, so Henry of Navarre (the Fourth) ascended the throne. He converted from Protestant to Catholic to avoid bloodshed. However, it still failed to quickly stop the confrontation.
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 positions of the territories entrusted to him. The country became the most powerful in Europe. It increased due to the annexation of Burgundy, West Flanders and Artois. The emergence of the first colonies in North America and India was also ensured by Louis 14. The King of France built ambitious imperial plans, but the Seven Years' War and the dispute over the Austrian inheritance did not allow him to achieve what he wanted. As a result, control over all colonies was lost.
In 1715, Louis XV, King of France, who belonged to the Bourbon dynasty, ascended the throne. At that time he was only five years old. The young ruler was guarded by the regent Philippe d'Orleans. He was against the policy of Louis 14, so he made 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 the country was ruled byCardinal Fleury. This continued until 1743. Note that the subsequent reign of Louis 15 himself affected the country in the most unfavorable way.
The end of the eighteenth century marked the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment. France was in the hands of monarchs. The policy of the new king - Louis XVI - led to an economic crisis, food shortages and the decline of agriculture. As a result of the convocation of the State General (1789), the power was in the hands of the National Assembly. Its members advocated the abolition of feudal rights, the deprivation of the nobility and clergy of all privileges, as well as the removal of the Church from public affairs.
The country was divided into departments (83 in total). King Louis fled, but was caught and returned to the country. He lost the title of King of France. He was partially returned to nominal power: Louis received the title of King of the French. He vetoed some new decrees, but did not meet with the support of the population. Soon Louis was accused of treason. He was executed in 1793.
On the way to a republic
Many countries, led by royal dynasties, began to fight with France. In 1799, under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte, a grandiose military coup was organized. The population greeted this idea with approval, since civilians were already rather tired of constant hostilities in the once calm cities.
Following the results of a referendum held in 1802, Napoleon was awarded the title of First Consul for life. He quickly de alt with all opponents and gainedunlimited power. The country became a monarchy. In 1804 Bonaparte was crowned. Soon, Austrian troops were defeated near Austerlitz. In 1806, Prussia succumbed to the French.
Fired with victories, Napoleon announced a continental blockade of England. In 1807, the British called on Russia for help. 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 autumn of 1812, French troops were already in Moscow. It seemed that Russia had fallen. However, Kutuzov turned out to be wiser than Bonaparte. As a result, the French army suffered a crushing defeat. From the once great army, there were miserable grains.
In 1814, France was left without a ruler - Napoleon abdicated. It was decided to return the reins of government to the hands of the Bourbons. Louis the Eighteenth became king. He made every effort to return the old order, but the French were categorically against it. And then Napoleon, having gathered a thousandth army, went to regain power. He managed to accomplish what he set out to do. However, at a meeting of monarchs in Vienna, it was decided to take the crown from the ambitious commander. As a result, Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena.
The kings of France, whose list after Bonaparte was still growing, 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 of France. NapoleonThe third was taken prisoner in Prussia and deposed. The monarchs were supposed to be in power again, but Charles X, Henry V and Philip VII, who claimed the throne, could not agree among themselves. The rulers' crowns were sold off piecemeal in 1885. France became a republic.
