Embed from Getty Images.
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, Napoléon III, Emperor of the French, the last monarch of France, reigned 1852 – 1870
There were monarchies in France, with several interruptions, from the establishment of the Kingdom of the Franks in 486 until the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870. Descendants of Hugh Capet (reigned 987 – 996), founder of the House of Capet, were the first rulers to adopt the title of King of France, with Philippe II (reigned 1180 – 1223), the first French monarch to do so.
The Capetian line was succeeded by cadet branches, the House of Valois and then the House Bourbon, which ruled without interruption until the French Revolution abolished the monarchy in 1792. Napoléon Bonaparte made himself Napoléon I, Emperor of the French and reigned 1804 – 1815. Napoléon I’s four-year-old son by his second wife was Napoléon II, Emperor of the French for sixteen days. Ultimately, the Bourbons were restored in the aftermath of Napoléon I’s defeat and final exile and reigned from 1815 – 1830. The House of Orléans, descendants of King Louis XIV’s brother Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, reigned from 1830 – 1848 with Louis Philippe I, as King of the French. In 1848, the Second Republic was declared, once again ending the monarchy in France.
Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (typically known as Louis-Napoléon), the son of Louis Bonaparte, (younger brother of Emperor Napoléon I) and Hortense de Beauharnais (the daughter of Emperor Napoléon’s first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais and her first husband) became Prince-President of the Second Republic. He was able to have the French Senate declare him Emperor. In 1852, the Second Republic ended and the Second French Empire was declared. Louis-Napoléon took the throne as Napoléon III, Emperor of the French. In 1870, after France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the Third Republic was declared, ending, for the last time, the French monarchy.
Below is an indexed listing with links to articles and information about the French Royal Family at Unofficial Royalty. If it says “Notable Issue” before a name, that means not all of the children for the parent of that person are listed.
Earlier French Royals
- Margaret of France, Queen of England (daughter of King Philippe III of France)
- Isabella of France, Queen of England (daughter of King Philippe IV of France)
- Isabella of Valois, Queen of England (daughter of King Charles VI of France)
- Catherine of Valois, Queen of England (daughter of King Charles VI of France)
House of Valois (1328–1589)
Monarchs from 1483-1589
Family of King Charles VIII of France
- Charles VIII, King of France (reigned 1483 – 1498)
- Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France (wife of Charles VIII, no surviving issue, and 2nd wife of Louis XII)
Family of King Louis XII of France
- Louis XII, King of France (reigned 1498 – 1515)
- Jeanne of France, Queen of France, Saint Joan of Valois (1st wife of Louis XII, marriage annulled, no issue)
- Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France (wife of Charles VIII and 2nd wife of Louis XII)
- Notable Issue: Claude of France (1st wife of King François I of France, see below)
- Mary Tudor, Queen of France (3rd wife of Louis XII, no issue)
Family of King François I of France
- François I, King of France (reigned 1515 – 1547)
- Claude of France, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France (1st wife of François I)
- Notable Issue: Henri II, King of France (see below)
- Notable Issue: Madeleine of Valois, Queen of Scots (1st wife of James V, King of Scots, no issue)
- Eleanor of Austria, Queen of France (2nd wife of François I, no issue)
Family of King Henri II of France
- Henri II, King of France (reigned 1547 – 1559)
- Catherine de’ Medici, Queen of France (wife of Henri II)
- Notable Issue: François II, King of France, King Consort of Scotland (see below)
- Notable Issue: Elisabeth of Valois, Queen of Spain (3rd wife of King Philip II of Spain, had two daughters)
- Notable Issue: Charles IX, King of France (see below)
- Notable Issue: Henri III, King of France (see below)
- Notable Issue: Marguerite of Valois, Queen of France (1st wife of King Henri IV of France, marriage annulled, no issue, see below)
King François II of France, King Consort of Scotland
- François II, King of France (reigned 1559 – 1560)
- Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen of France (wife of François II, no issue)
Family of King Charles IX of France
- Charles IX, King of France (reigned 1560 – 1574)
- Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France (wife of Charles IX, one daughter, died in childhood)
King Henri III of France
- Henri III, King of France (reigned 1574 – 1589, assassinated)
- Louise of Lorraine, Queen of France (wife of Henri III, no issue)
House of Bourbon (1589–1792)
Family of King Henri IV of France
- Henri IV, King of France (reigned 1589 – 1610, assassinated)
- Marguerite of Valois, Queen of France (1st wife of Henri IV, marriage annulled, no issue)
- Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France (2nd wife of Henri IV)
- Louis XIII, King of France (see below)
- Elisabeth, Queen of Spain (wife of King Felipe IV of Spain, had issue)
- Christine, Duchess of Savoy (wife of Vittorio Amedeo I, Duke of Savoy, had issue)
- Gaston, Duke of Orléans
- Henrietta Maria, Queen of England (wife of King Charles I of England, had issue)
Family of King Louis XIII of France
- Louis XIII, King of France (reigned 1610 – 1643)
- Anne of Austria, Queen of France (wife of Louis XIII)
- Louis XIV, King of France (see below)
- Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
- Henrietta of England (1st wife of Philippe, had issue)
- Notable Issue: Marie Louise of Orléans, Queen of Spain
- Notable Issue: Anne Marie of Orléans, Queen of Sardinia
- Elizabeth Charlotte (Liselotte) of the Palatinate (2nd wife of Philippe, had issue)
Family of King Louis XIV of France
- Louis XIV, King of France (reigned 1643 – 1715)
- Maria Theresa of Spain, Queen of France (1st wife of Louis XIV, surviving issue and descent to Louis XV below)
- Notable Issue: Louis, Le Grand Dauphin
- Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, Dauphine of France (wife of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin)
- Notable Issue: Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin
- Marie Adélaïde of Savoy, Duchess of Burgundy (wife of Louis of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin)
- Notable Issue: Louis XV, King of France (see below)
- Notable Issue: Philippe, Duke of Anjou, later Felipe V, first Bourbon King of Spain
- Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon (mistress, morganatic 2nd wife of Louis XIV)
Family of King Louis XV of France
- Louis XV, King of France (reigned 1715 – 1774)
- Marie Leszczyńska, Queen of France (wife of Louis XV)
- Notable Issue: Louis, Dauphin of France
- Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain, Dauphine of France (1st wife of Louis, Dauphin of France, died in childbirth, one daughter who died in early childhood)
- Maria Josepha of Saxony, Dauphine of France (2nd wife of Louis, Dauphin of France)
- Notable Issue: Louis XVI, King of France (see below)
- Notable Issue: Louis XVIII, King of France (see below)
- Notable Issue: Charles X, King of France (see below)
- Notable Issue: Marie Clotilde, Queen of Sardinia
- Notable Issue: Madame Élisabeth (beheaded)
Family of King Louis XVI of France
- Louis XVI, King of France (reigned 1774 – 1792, beheaded)
- Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (Maria Antonia of Austria, wife of Louis XVI, beheaded)
- Notable Issue: Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, Duchess of Angoulême (married Louis Antoine of France, Duke of Angoulême, Legitimist pretender, no issue, see below)
- Notable Issue: Louis-Charles (titular King Louis XVII of France)
House of Bonaparte, First Empire (1804–1814), (Hundred Days, 1815)
Family of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French
- Napoleon I, Emperor of the French (first reign 1804 – 1814 – abdicated, second reign 1815 – defeated in battle)
- Joséphine de Beauharnais, Empress of the French (1st wife of Napoleon I, divorced, no issue)
- Marie Louise of Austria, Empress of the French (2nd wife of Napoleon I)
House of Bourbon (1814–1815) (1815–1830)
King Louis XVIII of France
- Louis XVIII, King of France (first reign 1814 – 1815, second reign 1815 – 1824)
- Maria Giuseppina of Savoy, Princess of France (wife of Louis XVIII, no issue)
Family of King Charles X of France
- Charles X, King of France (reigned 1824 – 1830, abdicated)
- Marie Thérèse of Savoy, Princess of France (wife of Charles X)
- Notable Issue: Louis Antoine of France, Duke of Angoulême (Legitimist pretender)
- Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, Duchess of Angoulême (wife of Louis Antoine, daughter of Louis XVI, no issue)
House of Orléans (1830–1848)
Family of Louis Philippe I, King of the French
- Louis Philippe I, King of the French (reigned 1830 – 1848, abdicated, monarchy abolished)
- Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, Queen of the French (wife of Louis Philippe)
- Notable Issue: Ferdinand-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, Prince Royal, Prince of Orléans
- Notable Issue: Louise-Marie d’Orléans, Queen of the Belgians
House of Bonaparte, Second Empire (1852–1870)
Family of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, Napoleon III, Emperor of the French
- Napoleon III, Emperor of the French (reigned 1852 – 1870, monarchy abolished)
- Eugénie de Montijo, Empress of the French (wife of Napoleon III)
Pretenders to the Throne
Orléanist
- LAST REIGNING: Louis Philippe I, King of the French (1848-1850)
- Former: Philippe, Count of Paris (1850-1873) – First term
- Former: Henri, Count of Chambord (1873-1883)
- Former: Philippe, Count of Paris (1883-1894) – Second term
- Former: Philippe, Duke of Orléans (1894-1926)
- Former: Jean, Duke of Guise (1926-1940)
- Former: Prince Henri of Orléans, Count of Paris (1940-1999)
- Former: Prince Henri of Orléans, Count of Paris (1999-2019)
- Current: Prince Jean, Count of Paris (2019-present)
Legitimist
- LAST REIGNING: King Louis XVI of France
- Former: Louis-Charles, Dauphin of France (Louis XVII) – (1793-1795)
- Former: Louis XVIII, King of France (??) – (1795-1824)
- Former: Charles X, King of France (??) – (1824-1836)
- Former: Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême (1836-1844)
- Former: Henri, Count of Chambord (1844-1883)
- Former: Juan de Borbón, Count of Montizón (1883-1887)
- Former: Carlos, Duke of Madrid (1887-1909)
- Former: Jaime, Duke of Madrid (1909-1931)
- Former: Alfonso Carlos of Bourbon, Duke of San Jaime (1931-1936)
- Former: King Alfonso XIII of Spain (1936-1941)
- Former: Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia (1941-1975)
- Former: Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz (1975-1989)
- Current: Prince Louis, Duke of Anjou (1989-present)
Bonapartist
- LAST REIGNING: Emperor Napoleon III of the French
- Former: Louis-Napoleon, Prince Imperial, Count of Pierrefonds (1873-1879)
- Former: Victor, Prince Napoleon (1879-1926)
- Former: Louis, Prince Napoleon (1926-1997)
- Current: Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoleon **DISPUTED WITH HIS FATHER**
- Current: Charles, Prince Napoleon ** DISPUTED WITH HIS SON **
Other French Royals
- Louise Élisabeth d’Orléans, Queen of Spain (daughter of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and Françoise Marie de Bourbon, the legitimized daughter of King Louis XIV of France and his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan. Her paternal grandparents were Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (the only sibling of King Louis XIV of France) and his second wife Elizabeth Charlotte (Liselotte) of the Palatinate.)
- Louise Marie Thérèse of France, Duchess of Parma, Regent of Parma (granddaughter of King Charles X of France)
- Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, Queen of Spain (granddaughter of Louis Philippe I, King of the French)
- Princess Clémentine of Belgium, Princess Napoléon (wife of Prince Victor Bonaparte, Head of the House of Bonaparte)
Notable French Mistresses
- Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henri II
- Gabrielle d’Estrées, mistress of King Henri IV
- Louise de La Vallière, mistress of King Louis XIV
- Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, mistress of King Louis XIV
- Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon (mistress, morganatic 2nd wife of Louis XIV)
- de Mailly Sisters, mistresses of King Louis XV
- Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV
- Jeanne Bécu, Madame du Barry, mistress of King Louis XV
- Countess Marie Walewska, mistress of Emperor Napoleon I
- Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione, mistress of Emperor Napoleon III
- Marguerite Bellanger, mistress of Emperor Napoleon III
Notable French Favorites
- Leonora Dori Galigai, favorite of Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France
- Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes, favorite of King Louis XIII
- Marie de Hautefort, favorite of King Louis XIII
- Cardinal Jules Mazarin, favorite of King Louis XIV
- Axel von Fersen the Younger, favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette
- Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princesse de Lamballe, favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette
- Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchesse de Polignac, favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette
France: First Cousins
- First Cousins: Louis XIV, King of France
- First Cousins: Louis XV, King of France
- First Cousins of Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X, Kings of France
French Royal Churches
- Basilica of Saint-Denis in St. Denis, France
- Chapel Royal of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
- Notre-Dame de Reims in Reims, France
French Content Areas and Miscellaneous Articles
- Assassination of Henri III, King of France (1589)
- Assassination of Henri IV, King of France (1610)
- Basilica of Saint-Denis – A History of the French Royal Burial Site
- Executions of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, King and Queen of France (1793)
- French Royal Burial Sites – House of Valois
- French Burial Sites – House of Bourbon, House of Bonaparte, House of Orléans
- Royal Connections of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris