Editing Political history of France (section)

==Monarchy of France==
{{Further|Kingdom of France|Ancien Régime|Crown lands of France}}
The [[Kingdom of France]] is the historiographical name or [[umbrella term]] given to various political entities of [[France]] in the [[Middle Ages|medieval]] and [[Early modern France|early modern]] period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe since the [[High Middle Ages]]. It was also an early [[French colonial empire|colonial power]], with colonies in Asia and Africa, and the largest being [[New France]] in North America.

===Origins===
France originated as [[West Francia]] (''Francia Occidentalis''), the western half of the [[Carolingian Empire]], with the [[Treaty of Verdun]] (843). A branch of the Carolingian dynasty continued to rule until 987, when [[Hugh Capet]] was elected king and founded the [[Capetian dynasty]]. The territory remained known as ''Francia'' and its ruler as ''rex Francorum'' ("king of the Franks") well into the [[High Middle Ages]]. The first king calling himself ''rex Francie'' ("King of France") was [[Philip II of France|Philip II]], in 1190, and officially from 1204. From then, France was continuously ruled by the Capetians and their [[Cadet branch|cadet lines]] under the [[House of Valois|Valois]] and [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] until the monarchy was abolished in 1792 during the [[French Revolution]]. The Kingdom of France was also ruled in [[personal union]] with the [[Kingdom of Navarre]] over two time periods, 1284–1328 and 1572–1620, after which the institutions of Navarre were abolished and it was fully annexed by France (though the King of France continued to use the title "King of Navarre" through the end of the monarchy).<ref name="Perry">{{Cite book |last1=Perry |first1=Marvin |title=Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics, and Society: To 1789 |last2=Jacob |first2=Margaret |date=2008 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-0-5471-4742-0 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=XMKpq_nV0J8C&pg=PA235 235] |ol=23212578M |display-authors=1}}</ref>

[[France in the Middle Ages]] was a decentralised, [[Feudalism|feudal]] monarchy. In [[Duchy of Brittany|Brittany]] and [[Principality of Catalonia|Catalonia]] (now a part of Spain), as well as [[Duchy of Aquitaine|Aquitaine]], the authority of the French king was barely felt. [[Duchy of Lorraine|Lorraine]] and [[Kingdom of Arles|Burgundy]] were states of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] and not yet a part of France. West Frankish kings were initially elected by the secular and ecclesiastical magnates, but the regular coronation of the eldest son of the reigning king during his father's lifetime established the principle of male [[primogeniture]], which became codified in the [[Salic law]].

During the [[Late Middle Ages]], rivalry between the Capetian dynasty, rulers of the Kingdom of France and their vassals the [[House of Plantagenet]], who also ruled the [[Kingdom of England]] as part of their so-called competing [[Angevin Empire]], resulted in many armed struggles. The most notorious of them all are the series of conflicts known as the [[Hundred Years' War]] (1337–1453) in which the [[kings of England]] laid claim to the French throne. Emerging victorious from said conflicts, France subsequently sought to extend its influence into [[Italy]], but was defeated by [[Spain]] and the Holy Roman Empire in the ensuing [[Italian Wars]] (1494–1559).<ref name="Duby">{{Cite book |last=Duby |first=Georges |title=France in the Middle Ages 987–1460: From Hugh Capet to Joan of Arc |date=1993 |isbn=0-6311-7026-X |ol=1889049W}}</ref>

===Capetian dynasty===
The [[Capetian dynasty]], also known as the "House of France", is a [[dynasty]] of [[Europe]]an origin, and a branch of the [[Robertians]] and the [[Carolingian dynasty|Karlings]]. It is among the largest and oldest [[dynasty|royal houses]] in [[Europe]] and the world, and consists of [[Hugh Capet]], the founder of the dynasty, and his male-line descendants, who ruled in France without interruption from 987 to 1792, and again from 1814 to 1848. The senior line ruled in France as the [[House of Capet]] from the election of Hugh Capet in 987 until the death of [[Charles IV of France|Charles IV]] in 1328. That line was succeeded by [[cadet branch]]es, the Houses of [[House of Valois|Valois]] and then [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]], which ruled without interruption until the [[French Revolution]] abolished the monarchy in 1792. The Bourbons were restored in 1814 in the aftermath of [[Napoleon]]'s defeat, but had to vacate the throne again in 1830 in favour of the last Capetian monarch of France, [[Louis Philippe I]], who belonged to the [[House of Orléans]].
Cadet branches of the Capetian House of Bourbon are still reigning over Spain and Luxembourg.

The dynasty had a crucial role in the formation of the French state. Initially obeyed only in their own [[demesne]], the [[Île-de-France]], the Capetian kings slowly but steadily increased their power and influence until it grew to cover the entirety of their realm. For a detailed narration on the growth of French royal power, see ''[[Crown lands of France]]''.

Members of the dynasty were traditionally Catholic, and the early Capetians had an alliance with the [[Catholic Church|Church]]. The French were also the most active participants in the [[Crusades]], culminating in a series of five Crusader kings – [[Louis VII of France|Louis VII]], [[Philip II of France|Philip Augustus]], [[Louis VIII of France|Louis VIII]], [[Louis IX]], and [[Philip III of France|Philip III]]. The Capetian alliance with the papacy suffered a severe blow after the disaster of the [[Aragonese Crusade]]. Philip III's son and successor, [[Philip IV of France|Philip IV]], humiliated Pope Boniface VIII and brought the [[Avignon Papacy|papacy under French control]]. The later Valois, starting with [[Francis I of France|Francis I]], ignored religious differences and [[Franco-Ottoman alliance|allied]] with the [[Ottoman sultan]] to counter the growing power of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]] was a Protestant at the time of his accession, but realized the necessity of conversion after four years of religious warfare.

The Capetians generally enjoyed a harmonious family relationship. By tradition, younger sons and brothers of the king of France were given [[appanage]]s for them to maintain their rank and to dissuade them from claiming the French crown itself. When Capetian cadets did aspire for kingship, their ambitions were directed not at the French throne, but at foreign thrones. As a result, the Capetians have reigned at different times in the kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]], [[Kingdom of Sicily|Sicily]] and [[Kingdom of Naples|Naples]], [[Kingdom of Navarre|Navarre]], [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary and Croatia]], [[Kingdom of Poland|Poland]], [[Spain]] and [[Kingdom of Sardinia|Sardinia]], grand dukedoms of [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania|Lithuania]] and [[Luxembourg]], and in [[Latin Empire|Latin]] and [[Empire of Brazil|Brazilian]] empires.

In modern times, King [[Felipe VI of Spain]] is a member of this family, while [[Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg]] is related to the family by [[agnatic kinship]]; both through the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon branch]] of the dynasty. Along with the [[House of Habsburg]], arguably its greatest historic rival, it was one of the two oldest [[Europe]]an royal dynasties. It was also one of the most powerful royal family in European history, having played a major role in its politics for much of its existence. According to [[Oxford University]], 75% of all [[royal family|royal families]] in [[European history]], are related to the Capetian dynasty.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CAFREAAAQBAJ&pg=PA22|title=An Empire of Memory: The Legend of Charlemagne, the Franks, and Jerusalem before the First Crusade|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=22|date=2011|isbn=978-0-19-161640-2 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author1=MacLagan, Michael  |author2=Louda, Jiri|year=1984|title=Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe|location=London|publisher=Orbis|isbn=978-0-85613-672-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author1=Hallam, Elizabeth M.  |author2=Everard, Judith|year=2001|title=Capetian France, 987–1328|edition=second|location=Harlow, UK|publisher=Longman|isbn=978-0-582-40428-1}}</ref>