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Period: Feb 1, 1328 to
Valois Dynasty
- preceded by the Capetian dynasty
- the taille was collected during this time
- collapsed because of the French Wars of Religion
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Jul 22, 1461
Louis XI
- opposed his father on many occasions
- earned the nickname "the Spider" because of his devious tactics
- brought unity to France by supporting the bourgeoisie
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Aug 30, 1483
Charles VIII
- began the Itallian Wars between the Valois and Hapsburgs
- all of his sons died during infancy
- introduced the Italian Renaissance to France
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Apr 7, 1498
Louis XII
- called "Father of his People" because of his great domestic policies
- had terrible foreign policies, which resulted in conflict with the Holy League
- never had any sons
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Jan 1, 1515
Francis I
- failed at capturing Milan many times
- centralized the power of the king
- strongly patronized the Renaissance in France
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Mar 31, 1547
Henry II
- married Catherine de Medicis and had several children
- went to extremes to destroy the Hapsburg dynasty
- died from a splinter that pierced his brain in a jousting match
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Jul 10, 1559
Francis II
- took the throne at a young age
- advisers took control of the country
- died only a year and a half after becoming king
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Dec 5, 1560
Charles IX
- authorized the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
- Catherine, who initially ruled as regent for Charles, convinced him that the Protestants were going to overthrow the Crown
- this all was a part of the French Wars of Religion
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May 30, 1574
Henry III
- became involved with the French Wars of Religion and the War of Three Henrys
- attempted to stop his brother-in-law, Henry of Navarre, from taking the throne because he was Protestant
- eventually lost the throne and allied himself with Henry of Navarre (and was killed by a Catholic as a result)
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Henry IV
- ended the French Wars of Religion through the Edict of Nantes
- brought a much needed peace to France
- used guile and charm instead of war to get what he wanted
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Period: to
Bourbon Dynasty
- saw many absolutist rulers
- held firm control over Europe in the seventeenth century
- possessed the largest army by the French Revolution
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Louis XIII
- had to fight for control of the throne from a young age
- was dominated by Cardinal Richlieu
- entered the Thirty Years' War against Spain and Austria to weaken the Hapsburg dynasty
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Louis XIV
- revoked the Edict of Nantes, angering protestants
- faced virtually all of the European nations in the War of the Grand Alliance
- France claimed the regency of Spain and England and the HRE attack France
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Louis XV
- struggled with the parlements during his reign
- drove France into debt during the Seven Years' War against Britain and Prussia
- left the monarchy with no money and shaky power
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Louis XVI
- inherited the financial problems of Louis XV
- ruled when the French Revolution occurred
- was killed during the Revolution
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National Convention
- one of the many Revolutionary governments
- waged war with Austria, the German states, Britain, and Holland
- abolished the remnants of the feudal system in France
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Period: to
First Republic
- established during the French Revolution
- was not at all stable
- was the first republic France had ever experienced
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Directory
- leaders did not stay in power for long
- relied almost entirely on war
- attempted to return to monarchy, but failed
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Consulate
- provided a more powerful executive body then the Directory
- included three rulers
- was the last government of the French Revolution
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Napoleon Bonaparte
- established France's first ever empire
- tried to conquer all of Europe
- came back for a 100 days after being exiled, but was defeated and forced to flee again
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Period: to
First Empire
- established by Napoleon Bonaparte
- was known for its strong military
- dissolved in only a couple decades
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Louis XVIII
- cleaned up the mess left behing by Napoleon
- promised a constitutional monarchy, but never delivered
- maintained French strength in Europe
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Period: to
Bourbon Dynasty
- the Bourbon dynasty was restored after Napoleon abdicated
- Napoleon scared other countries when he returned from exile
- the rulers of the restored dynasty were all heavily influenced by the French Revolution
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Charles X
- passed reforms that supported the old regime
- became increasingly reactionary over time
- was forced to abdicate after the July revolution
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Louis Philippe
- tried to use French colonization to gain popular support
- did not realize the importance of the growing middle class
- eventually fled to exile during the 1848 revolution
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Period: to
Orleans Dynasty
- short-lived dynasty
- succeeded the restored Bourbon dynasty
- was the last monarchy in France
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Eugene Cavaignac
- ruler of France for a very short time
- never could assert control over France
- was overshadowed by Louis Napoleon
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Period: to
Second Republic
- citizens of France barricaded the streets
- republicans put Eugene Cavaignac in control
- Napoleon III (Louis Napoleon) returns from exile and takes control
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Louis Napoleon
- tried many times unsuccessfully to gain control in France
- exploited his family name to gain power
- was a terrible war leader, partly due to a physical disability
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Period: to
Second Empire
- established by Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte
- used the popularity of the Napoleon to gain support
- was defeated by Prussia at war
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Period: to
Third Republic
- one of the longest lasting Republics of France, only rivaled in duration by the current Fifth Republic
- biggest challenge was the Dreyfus Affair
- survived WW1 but not WW2 in which the Vichy goverment was set up
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Adolphe Thiers
- initially a monarchist
- became republican during his rule
- was almost forced to resign
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Duc de Magenta
- only monarchist to serve as president during the Third Republic
- dissolved the Chamber of Deputies that was created by Louis XVIII
- first president under an official Third Republic constitution
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Jules Grévy
- first president to rule for a full term
- eventually forced to resign
- was involved with a scandal concerning his son-in-law
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Marie François Sadi Carnot
- involved with Panama scandals
- assassinated by Santa Geronimo Caserio
- had important diplomatic relations with Russia
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Jean Casimir-Perier
- ruled the shortest amount of time for any French president
- resigned after six months
- did very little for France
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Félix Faure
- helped forge an alliance with Russia
- was responsible for much French colonization
- was president during the Dreyfus Affair
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Émile Loubet
- ruled when the Separation of Church and State occurred
- was part of the Democratic Republican Alliance
- did not seek re-election
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Armand Fallières
- was president when French troops first occupied Morocco
- entered France into the Triple Entente
- did not seek re-election
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Raymond Poincaré
- served five times as Prime Minister of France
- ruled during World War I
- carried out the reoccupation of the Rhineland after the War
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Paul Deschanel
- nobody was executed during his presidency
- walked out of a conference and into a lake
- resigned due to mental health issues
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Alexandre Millerand
- known for being a socialist
- was nearly assassinated by a French anarchist
- eventually resigned as president
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Gaston Doumergue
- first Protestant president of France
- opposed German nationalism
- was considered to be radical
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Paul Doumer
- started out governing French Indochina
- took a position of Finance Minister before becoming president
- was assassinated by a mentally unstable Russian
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Albert Lebrun
- was reelected in 1939
- was part of the Democratic Alliance
- World War II displaced him, making him the last president of the Third Republic
