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Jan 1, 1300
Bourbon Family
Bourbon kings began ruling in France and Navarre. At one point in time they were the most important ruling family in Europe. They started in Spain with Robert de Clermont reigning. He married into the Bourbon family. They had a child, Louis I, and that was the start of the Bourbon dynasty. -
Jan 2, 1572
Henry IV
Henry IV, also known as Good King Henry, began as the King of Navarre. With the death of his cousin and brother-in-law, Henry III, he was called to the French succession. Henry IV was baptised as a Catholic but raised with a mother of the Protestant faith. While ruling, the main religion was Catholicism but he allowed Protestants to practice their faith freely. He married Margaret of Valois before he was throned and Gabrielle d'Estrées in 1589 for the importance of a heir to the throne. -
Louis XIII
Louis XIII became king at the astonishing age of nine years old due to the assasination of his father. When he took power, he did not want anyone getting in the way so he exiled his mother and all her followers. His chief ministers played a large role in governing France and he relied on them very heavily. Louis XIII encouraged exploration and sent voyagers to Morocco, the Americas, and more. -
Louis XIV
Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King or Louis the Great, ruled 72 years. That is the longest reign of any monarch in European history. He worked on creating a centralized state of government from the capital like his predecessors. He had a very strong military and kingdom in general. France was the strongest European monarch during his reign. -
Louis XV
Louis XV, also known as Louis the beloved, was not one of France's best rulers. He was known to have weakened France as a country, and made it more vunerable to destruction and damage. During his reign, he lost many wars and ruined France. He was married to his cousin at age 11, the Infanta Maria Anne Victoria of Spain. -
Louis XVI
Louis XVI tried to repair France to its old ways. His efforts went towards abolishing serfdom, removing the taille, and increasing tolerance toward non-Catholics. During his reign, France went through a bad harvest and bread prices were raised. The people revolted and eventually Louis was beheaded. -
Louis XVII
He became king when his father was executed in 1793. He never actually ruled for he was imprisoned for his whole life till he died of illness. The reason for his imprisonment was France had becone a republic and did not want the threat of a king. He died of illness at the early age of 10.
