by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018
This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

The Basilica of Saint-Denis in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis is the burial place of the Kings of France with nearly every king from the 10th to the 18th centuries being buried there, as well as many from previous centuries. The current Gothic cathedral was built in the 12th century. The basilica is named after Saint Denis, a patron saint of France, who became the first Bishop of Paris in the third century. He was decapitated on the hill of Montmartre and is said to have carried his head to the site of the current church, indicating where he wanted to be buried.

During the French Revolution, the remains of French royals were desecrated and some tombs and effigies were destroyed. The remains of 46 kings, 32 queens, and 63 other royals were thrown into two large pits in the monks’ cemetery adjacent to the Basilica of Saint-Denis and covered in quicklime and soil. A combination of 70 effigies and tombs were saved because of the efforts of archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir who claimed them as artworks for his Museum of French Monuments.

In 1817, King Louis XVIII ordered the mass graves adjacent to Saint-Denis to be opened but due to the damage from the quicklime, identification of the remains was impossible. The remains were collected into an ossuary, a site serving as the final resting place of human skeletal remains, in the crypt of the basilica. Many of the effigies and tombs that Alexandre Lenoir had restored and preserved were returned to the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

• • Unofficial Royalty: Basilica of Saint-Denis in Saint-Denis, France
  • Official Website:  Cathedral Basilica of Saint-Denis
  • For a list of burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, see Wikipedia: Basilica of Saint-Denis Burials
  • For a map of the tombs at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, see UK Tourism: Map of the tombs in the Basilica of Saint-Denis

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House of Bourbon (1589 – 1792)

Following the extinction of the House of Valois in the male line, King Henri III of Navarre, Head of the House of Bourbon, became King of France as Henri IV.

• Henri IV, reigned 1589 – 1610, son of Antoine de Bourbon, a ninth-generation descendant of King Louis IX
• Louis XIII, reigned 1610 – 1643, son of Henri IV, King of France
• Louis XIV, reigned 1643 – 1715, son of Louis XIII, King of France
• Louis XV, reigned 1715 – 1774, great-grandson of Louis XIV, King of France
• Louis XVI, reigned 1774 – 1792, grandson of Louis XV, King of France

First Republic (1792 – 1804)

First Empire – House of Bonaparte (1804 – 1814, 1815)

• Napoleon I, reigned 1804 – 1814, 1815

House of Bourbon Claimants During the First Republic and the First Empire

• Louis XVII, claimant 1793 – 1795, son of Louis XVI, King of France
• Louis XVIII, claimant 1795 – 1814, grandson of Louis XV, King of France

Bourbon Restoration – House of Bourbon (1814 – 1830)

• Louis XVIII, reigned 1814 – 1824, grandson of Louis XV, King of France
• Charles X, reigned 1824 – 1830, grandson of Louis XV, King of France

House of Orléans (1830 – 1848)

The House of Orléans is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. Its members were next in the line of succession to the French throne after members of the senior branch of the House of Bourbon who were descended from Louis XIV. The House of Orléans is descended from Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the only sibling of Louis XIV.

• Louis-Philippe I, reigned 1830 – 1848, Head of the House of Orléans

Second Republic (1848 – 1852)

Second Empire – House of Bonaparte (1852 – 1870)

• Napoleon III, reigned 1852 – 1870, nephew of Napoleon I

Note that after the second abdication of Napoleon I in 1815, his four-year-old son, who was in Austria and not France, “reigned” for sixteen days until King Louis XVIII returned to France to resume the throne he had vacated earlier that year due to Napoleon I’s escape from his imprisoned exile and return to France. Napoleon II is not listed below. It was because of the brief but questionable reign of Napoleon II that in 1852, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself the third Napoleon to reign in France.

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All the monarchs listed below are interred at the Basilica of Saint-Denis except Napoleon I, Charles X, Louis-Philippe I, and Napoleon III.

All portraits of Kings and Queens of France are from Wikipedia.

Henri IV, King of France (reigned 1589 – 1610)

• Unofficial Royalty: Henri IV, King of France
• Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Henri III, King of France

King Henri IV of France was the first French king of the House of Bourbon. He was born on December 13, 1553, in the Kingdom of Navarre, the second son of Queen Jeanne III of Navarre and Antoine de Bourbon, Duke de Vendôme. Although he was baptized in the Catholic Church, he was raised as a Protestant.  Henri succeeded to the throne upon the assassination of King Henri III on August 2, 1589. He later converted to Roman Catholicism to consolidate his power as king.

On August 18, 1572, Henri married Marguerite of Valois, the daughter of King Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici. This was a loveless, childless marriage and was annulled in 1599. On December 17, 1600, Henri IV married Marie de’ Medici and the couple had six children including King Louis XIII who succeeded his father, and Henrietta Maria who married King Charles I of England.

On May 14, 1610, Henri IV was assassinated at the age of 56. While traveling through Paris, Henri’s carriage was stopped on the Rue de Ferronnerie. A Catholic zealot, François Ravaillac, took the opportunity to rush up to the carriage and stab the king twice in the chest. Quickly subdued, Ravaillac was taken into custody and later executed. Henri was taken to the Louvre Palace where he died. He was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis but his tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution.

Marguerite of Valois, Queen of France

• Unofficial Royalty: Marguerite of Valois, Queen of France

Marguerite of Valois was the first wife of Henri IV, King of France. Born on May 14, 1553, she was the daughter of King Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici.  Just days after her wedding to Henri, the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre took place. Thousands of Protestant Huguenots were killed. Marguerite is alleged to have hidden several prominent Huguenots, as well as her new husband, to keep them safe from certain death.

After being married for seventeen years, Marguerite and Henri IV still had no children. Henri knew that he needed a male heir and so he began negotiations with Marguerite to have their marriage annulled. The marriage was formally dissolved at the end of 1599 and Marguerite retained her title as Queen of France. Henri would later marry Marie de’ Medici and have six children.

Marguerite died on March 27, 1615, at the age of 61, and was buried in the Valois Chapel at the Basilica of Saint-Denis. The location of her remains is unknown. They were likely destroyed during the French Revolution or could have been moved elsewhere when work was being done on the chapel.

Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France

• Unofficial Royalty: Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France

Marie de’ Medici was the second wife of King Henri IV of France. Born on April 26, 1575, at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, she was the daughter of Francesco I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Joanna of Austria. The House of Medici had come to prominence in the 15th century as founders of the Medici Bank, the largest bank in Europe, and later became Grand Dukes of Tuscany.

Marie married Henri on December 17, 1600, and they went on to have six children. On May 14, 1610, Henri IV was assassinated and Queen Marie was appointed Regent for their eldest son, the eight-year-old King Louis XIII. As Regent, Marie’s policies were greatly unpopular with the people of France and she still maintained power after her son reached the age of majority. Three years later, Louis XIII, tired of his mother’s intrigues, finally stepped in and asserted his position as king. He arrested or exiled Marie’s advisors and also sent her into exile.

Marie died in Cologne on July 3, 1642, at the age of 67 but her son Louis XIII did not immediately send for her remains. It was not until March 1643 that they were returned to France and buried without much ceremony in the Basilica of Saint-Denis. Her tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution.

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Louis XIII, King of France (reigned 1610 – 1643)

• Unofficial Royalty: Louis XIII, King of France

King Louis XIII of France was born September 27, 1601, the eldest son of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. On May 14, 1610, Henri IV was assassinated and eight-year-old Louis became King of France with his mother as Regent.

On October 21, 1615, Louis XIII married Anne of Austria, daughter of King Felipe III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. After four stillborn children and twenty-three years of marriage, the couple had two sons, the future King Louis XIV and Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the founder of the House of Orléans. Louis XIII and his wife Anne are central figures in Alexandre Dumas’s novel, The Three Musketeers and its sequels.

After several weeks of illness, King Louis XIII died on May 14, 1643, at the age of 41. His four-year-old son then began his 72-year-reign as King Louis XIV. Louis XIII was interred at the Basilica of Saint-Denis with very little pomp or ceremony, per his own wishes that the French people not be subjected to any excessive or unnecessary expense due to his death. Louis XIII’s tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution.

Anne of Austria, Queen of France

• Unofficial Royalty: Anne of Austria, Queen of France

Born an Infanta of Spain and Portugal, on September 22, 1601, Anne of Austria was the elder daughter of King Felipe III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. Fourteen-year-old Anne married fourteen-year-old Louis XIII, King of France on October 21, 1615, and became Queen of France.

The marriage was strained from the start. Anne was ignored by her new husband and her mother-in-law, Marie de’ Medici, refused to give any deference. After twenty-three years of marriage and four stillbirths, Anne finally gave birth to a son, the future King Louis XIV. Another son was born two years later.

Before Louis XIII died in 1643, he changed his will to limit any power that Anne might have had, including becoming Regent. This was due to the intrigues of his mother Marie de’ Medici when she had been Regent for him. Instead, Louis XIII instructed that a regency council be established. However, just days after his death, Anne was able to convene the Parliament of Paris, had that part of his will overturned, and was named sole Regent for her four-year-old son King Louis XIV.

On January 20, 1666, Anne of Austria died of breast cancer at the age of 66. She was buried in the Basilica of Saint-Denis but her tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution.

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Louis XIV, King of France (reigned 1643 – 1715)

• Unofficial Royalty: Louis XIV, King of France

King Louis XIV of France was the longest-reigning French monarch, reigning for seventy-two years from 1643 until his death in 1715. He was born on September 5, 1638, the elder son of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria.

On June 9, 1660, Louis XIV married Maria Theresa, Infanta of Spain, the daughter of King Felipe IV of Spain and Elisabeth of France. The couple was first cousins, twice over. Louis and Maria Theresa had six children but only their first son, known as Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, survived childhood.

Louis XIV had several mistresses and many illegitimate children. After Louis XIV’s wife Maria Theresa died in 1683, he married one of his mistresses Françoise d’Aubigné, Madame Scarron, Marquise de Maintenon. Because the marriage was morganatic, she was never publicly acknowledged as his wife or as queen.

King Louis XIV died of gangrene on September 1, 1715, four days before his 77th birthday, after 72 years on the throne.  He was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis but his tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution.

Louis XIV outlived most of his immediate legitimate family. In April 1711, Louis XIV’s only surviving legitimate child, Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, died from smallpox. In February 1712, Louis, Le Petit Dauphin (eldest son of Louis, le Grand Dauphin) died from measles. Within weeks, five-year-old Louis, Duke of Brittany (elder son of Louis, Le Petit Dauphin) also died from measles. The heir to the throne then became two-year-old, Louis, Duke of Anjou (second son of Louis, Le Petit Dauphin) who eventually succeeded Louis XIV, his great-grandfather, as a five-year-old reigning as King Louis XV.

Maria Theresa of Spain, Queen of France

• Unofficial Royalty: Maria Theresa of Spain, Queen of France

The daughter of King Felipe IV of Spain and Elisabeth of France, Maria Theresa was born on September 10, 1638. As the Spanish monarchs at the time were part of the House of Habsburg, she was styled as Archduchess of Austria, as well as Infanta of Spain and Portugal.

Maria Theresa married her first cousin, twice over, Louis XIV, King of France on June 9, 1660. They had six children but only Louis, Grand Dauphin reached adulthood and he predeceased his father. Intensely private, she was humiliated by her husband’s numerous, very public affairs and his countless illegitimate children.

At the end of July 1683, Maria Theresa fell ill, the result of an abscess in her left arm. Septicemia quickly set in and she died on July 30, 1683, at the age of 44. She was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis but her tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution.

Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon

• Unofficial Royalty: Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon

Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, known as Madame de Maintenon, was born on November 27, 1635, the daughter of Constant d’Aubigné, a French nobleman, and Jeanne de Cardilhac. In 1652, she married Paul Scarron, a noted poet and novelist, who quickly introduced his wife to the highest levels of French society including the court at the Palace of Versailles.

After Scarron died, Françoise became the governess to the children of King Louis XIV and his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan. Within a few years, Françoise and Louis XIV had become very close, and she replaced Madame de Montespan as Louis XIV’s mistress.

Several months after the death of Louis XIV’s wife in 1683, Françoise and Louis were married in a private ceremony. As the marriage was morganatic, she was never formally acknowledged as his wife or as queen. However, Françoise held considerable political influence and Louis XIV often consulted with her when making decisions.

After the death of Louis XIV in 1715, Françoise received a large pension and retired to Maison Royale de Saint-Louis, a school she had founded in 1684 for poor girls of noble families, in Saint-Cyr, near Versailles. She died there on April 15, 1719, at the age of 83, and was buried in the central aisle of the school’s chapel.

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Louis XV, King of France (reigned 1715 – 1774)

• Unofficial Royalty: Louis XV, King of France

The second of the two surviving sons of Louis, Duke of Burgundy, and Marie Adélaïde of Savoy, Louis XV, King of France was born on February 15, 1710, during the reign of his great-grandfather Louis XIV, King of France. His father, called Le Petit Dauphin, was the eldest son of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, the son and heir of King Louis XIV. When Louis, Le Grand Dauphin caught smallpox and died in 1711, his son Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petit Dauphin became heir to the throne.

On September 5, 1725, Louis XV, King of France married Maria Leszczyńska, the daughter of the deposed King Stanisław I of Poland.  Louis XV and Maria had ten children including Louis, Dauphin of France who predeceased his father but was the father to three kings: Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X.

King Louis XV died of smallpox on May 10, 1774, at the age of 64, and was succeeded by his grandson King Louis XVI. He was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis but his tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution.

Marie Leszczyńska, Queen of France

• Unofficial Royalty: Marie Leszczyńska, Queen of France

Marie Leszczyńska was born on June 23, 1703, to Stanisław I Leszczyński, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania for two short periods, and his wife Catherine Opalińska. Marie was on a list of potential brides for King Louis XV of France. Initially removed from the list because of her lack of wealth, she was soon the preferred choice by all parties involved in the marriage discussions. The couple married in 1725 and had ten children.

The marriage was a success but after nearly dying during the birth of her last child in 1737, Marie refused her husband’s romantic advances and their relationship quickly fell apart. By that time, Louis V had taken several mistresses, including the famed Madame de Pompadour. Louis XV’s mistresses were often given positions in Marie’s court against her wishes which caused her great distress. Only one, Madame de Pompadour, showed Marie the slightest bit of respect, and the two were able to maintain a friendly relationship.

Marie died June 24, 1768, at the age of 65 and was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis but her tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution.

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Louis XVI, King of France (reigned 1774 – 1792)

• Unofficial Royalty: Louis XVI, King of France
• Unofficial Royalty: Executions of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, King and Queen of France

Born on August 23, 1754, during the reign of his grandfather King Louis XV, King Louis XVI was the third but the eldest surviving son of Louis, Dauphin of France (son of King Louis XV) and Maria Josepha of Saxony. Louis became heir to the French throne upon his father’s death in 1765 from tuberculosis. In 1770, Louis married Maria Antonia of Austria (Marie Antoinette), daughter of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. Eventually, despite not having consummated their marriage until 1777, the couple had four children. Two died in childhood before the French Revolution.

Upon his grandfather’s death in 1774, Louis became King Louis XVI of France. Just 19 years old, and unprepared for his role, he faced growing distrust of the monarchy and a country that was deeply in debt. The political situation worsened over the years until, in 1789, the French Revolution started. Soon, Louis XVI lost much of his absolute power to the National Constituent Assembly and the majority of the French people saw no benefit of retaining the monarchy.

Louis and his family were imprisoned at the Temple, the remains of a medieval fortress in Paris. On September 21, 1792, France officially abolished the monarchy and became a republic. Louis XVI was soon separated from his family and charged with undermining the French Republic. He was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death. The former King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793, at the age of 38.

Louis XVI’s body was taken to the Madeleine Cemetery in Paris, where a brief memorial service was held. His remains were dumped from their coffin into a grave, with his severed head placed at his feet. Years later, in 1815, on the anniversary of Louis’ execution, his remains, along with those of his wife who was also executed, were reinterred at the Basilica of Saint-Denis. On the site of his original burial, in the churchyard of La Madeleine, now stands the Chapelle Expiatoire, built by King Louis XVIII in honor of his elder brother.

Maria Antonia of Austria – Marie Antoinette, Queen of France

• Unofficial Royalty: Maria Antonia of Austria – Marie Antoinette, Queen of France
• Unofficial Royalty: Executions of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, King and Queen of France

Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria was born on November 2, 1755, daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and reigning Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia and Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor. Maria Antonia married Louis, Dauphin of France, grandson and heir of King Louis XV of France on May 16, 1770. She became Dauphine of France and took the French version of her name Marie Antoinette. Louis and Marie Antoinette had four children but two died before the French Revolution.

After the French Revolution broke out, Marie Antoinette, her husband, and their two surviving children were imprisoned at the Temple, a medieval fortress. Her husband Louis XVI was taken away in 1792 and charged with undermining the French Republic. He was tried, found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793. In July 1793, her eight-year-old son Louis-Charles was taken from her, with the intent of turning him against his mother. He later died in 1795 at the Temple from tuberculosis. Marie Thérèse, Marie Antoinette’s daughter, survived the French Revolution.

On August 1, 1793, Marie Antoinette was taken from the Temple and brought to the Conciergerie, originally part of a palace but used as a prison and a court during the French Revolution. There, Marie Antoinette was tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal, found guilty of the charges, and sentenced to death. On October 16, 1793, Marie Antoinette was executed by the guillotine. Like her husband, she was buried in an unmarked grave in the Madeleine Cemetery and re-interred at the Basilica of Saint-Denis in 1815.

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Louis XVII, Titular King of France (1793 – 1795)

• Unofficial Royalty: Louis-Charles, Dauphin of France – Titular King Louis XVII of France

Born on March 27, 1785, Louis-Charles of France was given the title Duke of Normandy at birth, later became the Dauphin of France, and sometimes is called King Louis XVII of France. He was the younger of the two sons but the only surviving son of Louis XVI, King of France and Maria Antonia of Austria, better known as Marie Antoinette. Louis-Charles was imprisoned in 1792 with his parents, his older sister Marie Thérèse, and his paternal aunt Élisabeth at the Temple, a medieval fortress in Paris.

Louis XVI, Louis-Charles’ father was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793. His mother and aunt were also later executed by guillotine but his sister survived the French Revolution. On July 3, 1793, guards entered the royal family’s lodgings at the Temple and forcibly took away eight-year-old Louis-Charles. After being separated from his family, Louis-Charles was moved to a different floor in the Temple. He died in the Temple from tuberculosis on June 8, 1795, at the age of ten. Louis-Charles was buried at the Cimetière Sainte-Marguerite in Paris in a grave without any marker.

After Louis-Charles’ death, there was an autopsy and following the tradition of preserving royal hearts, his heart was removed and then smuggled out during the autopsy by a royalist doctor who preserved it in alcohol. Over the years, the heart changed possession several times. In 1975, the heart was offered to the Memorial of Saint-Denis in Paris, the organization that oversees the royal graves at the Basilica of Saint-Denis. The heart was placed in the underground crypt at the basilica where the remains of French royals that were desecrated during the French Revolution were interred in 1817.

In 2004, DNA tests proved the heart really did belong to Louis-Charles. On June 8, 2004, the 209th anniversary of Louis-Charles’ death, his heart was placed in a niche near the graves of his parents Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

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Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, (reigned 1804 – 1814, 1815)

• Unofficial Royalty: Napoleon I, Emperor of the French

Napoleone di Buonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, on the island of Corsica. When he was in his twenties, he adopted the more French-sounding Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon joined the French army and quickly advanced. During the latter part of the French Revolution, he rose to prominence and by the age of 30 was the First Consul of France. Napoleon was elected Emperor of the French on May 18, 1804.

In 1796, Napoleon married Joséphine de Beauharnais, the widow of Alexandre de Beauharnais, who was guillotined during the French Revolution. The marriage remained childless. By 1809, Napoléon decided to divorce Joséphine so he could marry again and his new wife could produce an heir. In 1810, Napoleon married Marie Louise of Austria, the eldest child of Emperor Franz I of Austria and his second wife Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Marie Louise gave birth to a son Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte in 1811. Young Napoléon died of tuberculosis at the age of 21.

In the early part of the 19th century, Napoleon’s quest for power led to wars throughout a large part of Europe. In 1814, Paris was captured by the coalition fighting against Napoleon and his marshals decided to mutiny. Napoleon had no choice but to abdicate. The Treaty of Fontainebleau exiled Napoleon to the Mediterranean island of Elba, off the coast of Tuscany, Italy.

Napoleon escaped from Elba on February 26, 1815, and arrived in France two days later. He attempted to regain power but he was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. This time Napoleon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, over 1,000 miles from the west coast of Africa. He died on May 5, 1821, at the age of 51, and was buried in a nameless tomb on St. Helena.

In 1840, Louis Philippe I, King of the French, received permission from the British to return Napoleon’s remains to France. The French called this retour des cendres (return of the ashes). On December 15, 1840, a state funeral was held. The funeral cortege traveled through the streets of Paris to St. Jerome’s Chapel, where Napoleon’s remains stayed until his tomb was completed.

Today, Napoleon’s remains rest in a huge tomb made of red quartzite on a green granite base under the dome of Les Invalides in Paris. On April 2, 1861, Napoleon’s coffin was transferred from St. Jerome’s Chapel to the new tomb during a ceremony attended by Emperor Napoleon III (Napoleon’s nephew and Joséphine’s grandson), his wife Empress Eugénie, and their only child Louis Napoleon, Prince Imperial.

Joséphine de Beauharnais, Empress of the French

• Unofficial Royalty: Joséphine de Beauharnais, Empress of the French

The first wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of France, Empress Joséphine, was born Marie-Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie on June 23, 1763, on the Caribbean island of Martinique, the eldest daughter of Joseph-Gaspard Tascher, Seigneur de la Pagerie, a plantation owner, and Rose Claire des Vergers de Sannois. Her aunt was the mistress of Viscount de Beauharnais, and a marriage was arranged between the Viscount’s son Alexandre and Joséphine. The couple married on December 13, 1779, in France. Joséphine and Alexandre had two children and it is through them that Joséphine’s descendants sit on the thrones of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

The marriage was unhappy and Joséphine and Alexandre separated in 1785. In March 1794, her estranged husband was arrested during the French Revolution. Despite their separation, Joséphine was also arrested and imprisoned. Alexandre was sentenced to death and executed by guillotine on July 23, 1794. Joséphine, who had worried about her own life, was released from prison five days later.

In 1795, Joséphine met her future husband, Napoleon Bonaparte, and quickly became his mistress. They became engaged in January 1796 and married on March 9, 1796. In November 1799, Napoleon was named First Consul of the French Republic and the couple took up residence at the Tuileries Palace. Five years later, on May 18, 1804, Joséphine became Empress of the French when her husband was elected Emperor.

The marriage remained childless. In November 1809, Napoleon told Joséphine that he planned to divorce her and find a new wife. She agreed to a divorce, retained her title as Empress, and received a very large pension as well as several residences.

On May 29, 1814, Joséphine died at the age of 50 from pneumonia. She was buried in the nearby church of Saint-Pierre-Saint Paul in Rueil-Malmaison, France, in a temporary vault. In 1825, Joséphine’s remains were transferred to the tomb ordered by her two children Eugene and Hortense. Napoleon’s true love had been his first wife and his last words were, “France, army, head of the army, Joséphine.”

Marie Louise of Austria, Empress of the French

• Unofficial Royalty: Marie Louise of Austria, Empress of the French

Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria was the second wife of the French Emperor Napoleon. She was born on December 12, 1791, the eldest child of Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor (later Emperor Franz I of Austria) and his first wife Maria Teresa of Naples and Sicily.

By the end of 1809, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French was searching for a new bride who could bear him an heir. Although he was encouraged to take a Russian bride, Napoleon began negotiations to take Marie Louise as his wife. The marriage was held in 1810 and the nineteen-year-old Maria Ludovica became Empress of the French. Soon, the couple had their only child, Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte, born in 1811.

In the early part of the 19th century, Napoleon’s quest for power led to wars throughout a large part of Europe and a coalition of European nations joined forces against Napoleon. In 1814, Paris was captured by the coalition and his marshals decided to mutiny. He had no choice but to abdicate and the coalition sent him into an imprisoned exile. Marie Louise returned home to Vienna with her young son.

Marie Louise fell in love with Count Adam Albert von Neipperg, an Austrian general and statesman. Despite still being legally married to Napoleon, she and von Neipperg had two children. Following Napoleon’s death, Marie Louise and von Neipperg were married morganatically on August 8, 1821, before their third child was born. Count von Neipperg died on February 22, 1829, leaving Marie Louise devastated. Three years later, she would be at the bedside of her 21-year-old son by Napoleon when he died of tuberculosis in July 1832. Marie Louise would marry for a third time to Count Charles-René de Bombelles in 1834.

In early December 1847, Maria Louise fell ill with pleurisy and her condition quickly worsened. She died on December 17, 1847, at the age of 56, and was interred in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, the traditional burial site of the Austrian Habsburgs.

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Louis XVIII, King of France (reigned 1814 – 1824)

• Unofficial Royalty: Louis XVIII, King of France

Louis Stanislas, Count of Provence, the future King Louis XVIII of France, was born on November 17, 1755, during the reign of his grandfather King Louis XV. He was the son of Louis, Dauphin of France, who predeceased his father King Louis XV, and Maria Josepha of Saxony. At the time of his birth, he was fourth in line to the French throne, following his father and two living elder brothers. The elder brother died in childhood and the next brother succeeded their grandfather King Louis XV upon his death as the ill-fated King Louis XVI.

On May 14, 1771, Louis Stanislas married Maria Giuseppina of Savoy, daughter of King Vittorio Amadeo III of Sardinia and Maria Antonia of Spain. The marriage was childless. Following the start of the French Revolution, Louis Stanislas and his wife remained in France for two years. Finally, in June 1791, they fled to the Austrian Netherlands. The monarchy was formally abolished in September 1792 and King Louis XVI was executed the following January. After Louis XVI’s son died in 1795, Louis Stanislas became the titular King of France.

Louis Stanislas was given the use of Jelgava Palace in Courland (now Latvia)and a very large pension by Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. At Jelgava Palace, Louis Stanislas attempted to recreate the court of Versailles with all its pomp and ceremony. After the Russian emperor could no longer guarantee his safety, Louis Stanislas spent time in exile in Sweden and Great Britain.

In April 1814, following Napoleon I’s overthrow, the French Senate restored the Bourbons to the French throne and Louis Stanislas officially became King Louis XVIII. Having been in ill health for much of his adult life, Louis XVIII fell ill in early 1824, suffering from gout, gangrene, and extreme obesity. He died on September 16, 1824, at the age of 68, and was buried in the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

Maria Giuseppina of Savoy, Countess of Provence

• Unofficial Royalty: Maria Giuseppina of Savoy, Countess of Provence

Maria Giuseppina of Savoy was the wife of King Louis XVIII of France although he did not actually become King until after her death. Born on September 2, 1753, she was the daughter of King Vittorio Amadeo III of Sardinia and Maria Antonia of Spain.

On May 14, 1771, Maria Giuseppina married Louis Stanislas of France, Count of Provence, the future King Louis XVIII. She took on the French version of her name, Maria Joséphine, and was styled Countess of Provence. The couple had no children. Two years after the start of the French Revolution, Marie Joséphine and her husband fled France. They lived in different parts of Europe before moving to England in 1808, taking up residence at Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire.

Marie Joséphine died on November 13, 1810, from edema at the age of 57. Following a grand funeral attended by the British Royal Family, she was interred in the Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey. The following year, her husband had her remains moved to the Cagliari Cathedral in Sardinia where her brother, King Carlo Felice of Sardinia, had a large tomb built in her honor.

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Charles X, King of France (reigned 1824 – 1830)

• Unofficial Royalty: Charles X, King of France

Charles, Count of Artois, the future King Charles X, was born on October 9, 1757, during the reign of his grandfather King Louis XV. He was the youngest of the three surviving sons of Louis, Dauphin of France, who predeceased his father King Louis XV, and Maria Josepha of Saxony. His eldest brother succeeded their grandfather upon his death as King Louis XVI.

On November 16, 1773, Charles married Maria Teresa of Savoy, the daughter of King Vittorio Amadeo III of Sardinia and Infanta Maria Antonia of Spain. Maria Teresa’s elder sister was the wife of Charles’ elder brother, Louis Stanislas (later King Louis XVIII). The couple had four children.

Shortly after the start of the French Revolution, Charles, his wife Maria Teresa, and their two sons left France for the safety of Maria Theresa’s home country, Savoy. They also lived in exile in Austria, Germany, and Great Britain. In 1805, Charles’ wife Maria Teresa died while they were living in Graz, Austria.

In April 1814, following Napoleon I’s overthrow, the French Senate restored the Bourbons to the French throne and Charles’ brother Louis-Stanislas officially became King Louis XVIII and the family returned to France. When King Louis XVIII died on September 16, 1824, Charles succeeded him as King Charles X. However, Charles X’s ultra-royalist sympathies alienated many members of the working and middle classes. This led to the July Revolution of 1830. On August 2, 1830, King Charles X was forced to abdicate the French throne.

Once again, the former King Charles X lived in exile, first at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland, then at Prague Castle, and finally at the estate of Count Johann Baptist Coronini near Gorizia, which was in Austria but now in Italy. The former King Charles X of France died from cholera on November 6, 1836, in Gorizia at the age of 79. He was buried at the Kostanjevica Monastery, then in Austria, now in Slovenia.

Maria Teresa of Savoy, Countess of Artois

• Unofficial Royalty: Maria Teresa of Savoy, Countess of Artois

Maria Teresa of Savoy was the wife of the future King Charles X of France, although she died before he took the throne. She was born on January 31, 1756, the daughter of the future King Vittorio Amadeo III of Sardinia and Infanta Maria Antonia of Spain. On November 16, 1773, Maria Teresa married Charles, Count of Artois, the future King Charles X of France.

Regarded as very plain and unattractive, Maria Teresa was overshadowed at the French court by her sister-in-law Marie Antoinette and was very unpopular. Her reputation improved a bit when she began quickly to provide children and heirs, something her sister-in-law had so far been unable to do.

In July 1789, just days after the storming of the Bastille, Maria Teresa and her family fled the country, settling for some time in her native Savoy. They eventually moved to Graz, Austria, where Maria Teresa died on June 2, 1805, at the age of 49. She was buried in the Imperial Mausoleum next to the Graz Cathedral.

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Louis-Philippe I, King of the French (reigned 1830 – 1848)

• Unofficial Royalty: Louis-Philippe I, King of the French

Born on October 6, 1773, Louis Philippe I, King of the French was the eldest child of Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and Louise Marie Adélaïde of Bourbon. He succeeded his father as Duke of Orléans and Head of the House of Orléans, founded by King Louis XIV’s only sibling, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans.

At the onset of the French Revolution, Louis Philippe fled the country to avoid likely execution, which would become the fate of his father and other members of the French royal family, including King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. He traveled extensively around Europe and spent several years in the United States.

On November 25, 1809, Louis Philippe married Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, the daughter of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Maria Carolina of Austria. Louis Philippe and Maria Amalia had ten children.

In 1814, Napoleon I was overthrown, and the Bourbons were restored to the French throne. Louis Philippe and his family returned to France and were welcomed to the French court during the reign of King Louis XVIII, a brother of King Louis XVI. King Louis XVIII died in 1824 and was succeeded by his brother, King Charles X.

King Charles X’s ultra-royalist sympathies alienated many members of the working and middle classes. This led to the July Revolution of 1830. On August 2, 1830, King Charles X was forced to abdicate the French throne. The Chamber of Deputies proclaimed Louis Philippe as the new monarch of France – Louis Philippe I, King of the French.

Initially much loved by the French people, Louis-Philippe soon became unpopular when it was clear that his government became increasingly conservative and many felt that it no longer truly represented the average citizen of France. This led to the French Revolution of 1848 and, once again, the end of the French monarchy. On February 24, 1848, Louis Philippe abdicated, and fearing possible imprisonment and execution, he immediately left France. Two days later, the Second Republic was declared.

Louis Philippe spent the rest of his life in England where Queen Victoria loaned him Claremont, a country house in Surrey. Two years later, Louis Philippe died at Claremont on August 26, 1850, at the age of 76. He was first buried at St. Charles Borromeo Chapel in Weybridge, England. In 1876, ten years after his wife’s death, their remains were reinterred at the Royal Chapel of Dreux in Dreux, France, the traditional burial place of members of the House of Orléans.

Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, Queen of the French

• Unofficial Royalty: Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, Queen of the French

Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, born on April 26, 1782, was the daughter of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Maria Carolina of Austria. During the upheaval of the Napoleonic Wars, Maria Amalia’s family had to flee several times for safety. In 1806, she met her future husband Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who had also been forced from his home country. The couple was married on November 25, 1809, and had ten children.

Following the Bourbon Restoration in 1814, the family was permitted to return to France. On August 2, 1830, King Charles X was forced to abdicate the French throne. The Chamber of Deputies proclaimed Louis Philippe as the new monarch of France – Louis Philippe I, King of the French – and Maria Amalia became Queen of the French.

On February 24, 1848, Louis Philippe was forced to abdicate due to the Revolution of 1848. The family left Paris and were eventually welcomed in England by Queen Victoria, who gave them use of Claremont in Surrey where Louis Philippe died two years later.

After her husband’s death, Maria Amalia lived a very private life, spending time with her family and enjoying a close relationship with the British royal family. She died at Claremont on March 24, 1866, at the age of 83, and was buried at the St. Charles Borromeo Chapel in Weybridge, England. At her request, her gravestone identified her as Duchess of Orléans instead of Queen of the French. Ten years later, her remains, along with those of her husband, were moved to the Royal Chapel of Dreux in Dreux, France.

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Napoleon III, Emperor of the French (reigned 1852 – 1870)

• Unofficial Royalty: Napoleon III, Emperor of the French

Born Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (but typically known as Louis-Napoleon) on April 20, 1808, Napoleon III was the son of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, younger brother of Emperor Napoleon I, and Hortense de Beauharnais, daughter of Emperor Napoleon I’s first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais from her first marriage.

In 1814, following Emperor Napoleon I’s defeat at Waterloo and the subsequent Bourbon Restoration, all members of the Bonaparte family were forced to leave France. Louis-Napoleon did not return to France until the French Revolution of 1848 led to the abdication of King Louis-Philippe, and the declaration of the Second Republic. Louis-Napoleon declared his loyalty to the Republic and was elected to the French National Assembly. When France prepared to elect the first President of the Second Republic. Louis-Napoleon immediately threw his hat into the ring, and on December 20, 1848, was declared the winner of the election.

After a failed attempt to change the law which would have required him to step down at the end of his four-year term, Louis-Napoleon soon saw a chance to take power by force. Quickly overpowering his opponents, Louis-Napoleon established himself as the sole ruler within France, supported by a referendum held in December 1851. Not content being simply a Prince-President, Louis-Napoleon arranged for the Senate to schedule another referendum to decide if he should be declared Emperor. On December 2, 1852, following an overwhelming vote in his favor, the Second Republic ended and the Second French Empire was declared. Louis-Napoleon took the throne as Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. He would be the last monarch of France.

Napoleon III married Eugénie de Montijo, Countess of Teba and Marquise of Ardales, from a Spanish noble family, on January 29, 1853. The couple had one son Louis Napoleon, Prince Imperial who was killed at age 23 in the Zulu-Anglo War.

In July 1870, France entered the Franco-Prussian War and the French army was quickly defeated. The Third Republic was declared on September 4, 1870, ending – for the last time – the French monarchy. Napoleon III, his wife, and their son went into exile, arriving in England on March 20, 1871, and settling at Camden Place, a large country house in Chislehurst, Kent, England.

Napoleon III died at Camden Place on January 9, 1873, at the age of 64 and was buried at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Chislehurst. After the death of their son in the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879, Empress Eugénie decided to build a monastery and a chapel for the remains of her husband and their son. In 1888, their remains were moved to the Imperial Crypt at St. Michael’s Abbey in Farnborough, Hampshire, England.

Eugénie de Montijo, Empress of the French

• Unofficial Royalty: Eugénie de Montijo, Empress of the French

Eugénie, Empress of the French was born Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick on May 5, 1826, in Granada, Spain, the daughter of Cipriano de Palafox y Portocarrero, a Spanish nobleman, and María Manuela Enriqueta Kirkpatrick de Closbourn y de Grevigné.

Because of her mother’s position in Spanish society, Eugenie met Queen Isabella II of Spain and took several trips to Europe to find an appropriate husband. On January 22, 1853, Napoleon III, Emperor of the French announced his engagement to Eugénie. Following a civil ceremony at the Tuileries Palace, the couple married at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris on January 29, 1853. They had one son Louis-Napoleon, Prince Imperial.

When Napoleon III lost his crown in 1870, the family settled in England where Eugénie developed a close relationship with Queen Victoria. She was widowed in 1873 and lost her only son when he was killed in the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. After her son’s death, Eugénie spent several months with Queen Victoria at Osborne House. In 1887, she was named godmother of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, daughter of Princess Beatrice, Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, later Queen of Spain.

In 1885, Eugénie moved to Farnborough Hill in Farnborough, Hampshire, England, She bought additional land in Farnborough where she built St. Michael’s Abbey as a burial place for her husband and son. In 1892, she purchased a home, Villa Cyrnos, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the French Riviera, where she often hosted visits from Queen Victoria and other European royals.

Empress Eugénie died on July 11, 1920, at the age of 94, while visiting relatives at the Liria Palace in Madrid, Spain. She was buried in the Imperial Crypt at St. Michael’s Abbey in Farnborough, Hampshire, England along with her husband and son.

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