The House of Bourbon was the last ruling family in France. It saw the rise of the Sun King and the fall of the French monarchy during the French Revolution.
Henri IV 1553-1610
- Parents – Anthony Duc de Vendôme and Jeanne III of Navarre
- Ascended the throne in 1589
- Reigned for 20 years (he was assassinated)
- Married (1) Marguerite of Valois (daughter of Henri II) (2) Marie de Medici
- Children: Louis XIII, Elisabeth Queen of Spain, Christine Duchess of Savoy, Gaston Duc de Orléans, Henrietta Maria Queen of England & Scotland
Notable Accomplishments: Henri IV (originally known as Henri of Navarre) inherited the throne from his brother-in-law Henri III. He worked to unite France after thirty years of religious wars. “Paris is well worth a mass,” Henri III, a champion of Protestantism, declared when he converted to Catholicism as a condition for inheriting the French throne. He helped lay the foundation for Absolutism in France.
Louis XIII 1601- 1643
- Parents - Henri IV and Marie de Medici
- Ascended the throne in 1610
- Reigned for 33 years
- Married Anne of Austria
- Children include Louis XIV, Philip Duc de Orléans
Notable Accomplishments: With the help of his advisor, Cardinal Richelieu, Louis XIII became the first Absolute monarch in France. He helped organize French settlements in Quebec, Canada and is responsible for commissioning much of the ornate decorations of the Louvre.
Louis XIV 1638- 1715
- Parents - Louis XIII and Anne of Austria
- Ascended the throne in 1643
- Reigned for 72 Years
- Married (1) Marie Therese of Austria and (2) Mme de Maintenon
- Children include: Louis of France (Dauphin, who died before his father), Anne-Élisabeth de France, Marie-Anne de France, Marie-Thérèse de France, Philippe-Charles de France,
- Louis-François de France
Notable Accomplishments: Louis XIV is known as the The Sun King. The ideal Absolute monarch, Louis built the magnificent palace of Versailles, as a way to keep an eye on all his nobles. He created thousands of titles and posts that the aristocracy spend hug sums of money to purchase. Louis XIV’s reign is still the longest in European history. Louis XIV also reversed the Edict of Nantes, which his Grandfather, Henri IV put in place in 1598, allowing French Protestants (Huguenots) freedom to worship.
Louis XV 1710-1774
- Parents- Louis Duc de Bourgogne and Marie Adelaide of Savoy
- Ascended the throne in 1715
- Reigned for 58 years
- Married Marie Leszcynska of Poland
- Children include: Louise-Élisabeth, Duchess of Parma, Henriette-Anne of France, Louis, Dauphin of France, Marie Adélaïde of France, Victoire-Louise of France, Sophie-Philippine of France, Louise-Marie of France
Notable Accomplishments: Louis XVfought in the War of the Austrian Succession and gained the territory of Lorraine for France. He is also well known for his very long line of mistresses, including Madame Pompadour and the ultra greedy Madame Du Barry.
Louis XVI 1754- 1793
- Parents- Louis, Dauphin of France and Marie-Joséphe of Saxony
- Ascended the throne in 1774
- Reigned 18 years
- Married Marie Antoinette (Marie Antonia of Austria)
- Children include: Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte Dauphine of France, Louis-Joseph-Xavier-François, Dauphin of France, Louis-Charles, future titular Louis XVII, Sophie Hélène Béatrix of France
Notable Accomplishments: Losing his throne and then his head during the French Revolution. But to his credit, Louis did send aid and soldiers to help the American win their revolution against the English. He may have had second thoughts when it helped inspire a revolution in his own country.
Sources:
Burns, Ralph, Lerner, Meacham. World Civilizations, Sixth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1982.
Farquar, Michael. A Treasury of Royal Scandals. New York: Penguin Book, 2001.
Lang, Sean. European History for Dummies. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, 2006.
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