Monarchy of France
| King of the French | |
|---|---|
| Roi des Français (fr) | |
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| Incumbent | |
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|
Jean IV since January 21, 2019 | |
| Details | |
| Style | His Majesty |
| Heir presumptive | Prince Gaston, Prince Royal of France |
| First monarch | Louis Philippe I |
| Formation | 509 |
| Appointer | Hereditary |
The monarchy of France is the constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of France. The monarch is the head of state and has a significant political role in the Government of France, being the head of the executive branch. The title of the French monarch is the King of the French (French: Roi des Français), which replaced the more traditional title King of France to emphasis the popular origins of the monarchy. The royal family is the House of Orléans, a cadet branch of the former ruling House of Bourbon from before the French Revolution, and the current king since 2019 has been King Jean IV.
The House of Orléans is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, itself a branch of the Capetian dynasty, and Jean IV can trace his patrilineal ancestors to Hugh Capet, who was King of the Franks from 987 to 996 and himself was descended from Charlemagne. Hugh Capet is seen as the founder of modern France, he made Paris the power-center of his Kingdom and extended his control over the rest of what would be France from there. The direct Capetians, or House of Capet, ruled France from 987 to 1328, thereafter the country would be ruled by cadet branches of this dynasty, all French kings through Jean IV have been descendants of Capet. The House of Orléans was known as being more liberal than the House of Bourbon, and first became kings of France following the 1830 July Revolution leading to the coronation of Louis Philippe I as the King of the French – abandoning the traditional title King of France that was used from 1190 until 1792. His regime was overthrown during the French Revolution of 1848. The Orléans family were the main pretenders to the French throne, and in 1923 following the Franco-German War the monarchical restoration that replaced the French Third Republic would be with the Orléanist claimant to the French throne, Philip VIII.
The French constitution, the Charter of 1924, defined the legal status and role of the French monarchy. France has been a constitutional monarchy since 1923, with the current constitution based on the Charter of 1830, which was the legal code of the July Monarchy of King Louis Philippe from 1830 to 1848. The King of the French is the head of the executive branch and the Supreme Commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces, and has a political role in government, working with the Prime Minister of France. Both the monarchy and the rest of the executive are responsible to the French Parliament.
Powers and responsibilities
Titles and styles
Succession
List of French monarchs since 1923
| Image | Coat of arms | Title | Name | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
King of the French | Philip VIII | 30 December 1923 – 28 March 1926 | |
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King of the French | Jean III | 28 March 1926 – 25 August 1940 | |
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King of the French | Henry VI | 25 August 1940 – 19 June 1999 | |
| File:Henri d'Orléans (1933-).jpg | |
King of the French | Henry VII | 19 June 1999 – 21 January 2019 | |
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King of the French | Jean IV | 21 January 2019 – present |
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