Editing Dauphin of France

{{short description|Title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
[[File:Coat of Arms of the Dauphin of France.svg|thumb|right|Coat of arms of the Dauphin of France.]]
[[File:Arms of the Dauphin of France.svg|thumb|right|Arms of the Dauphin of France, depicting the [[fleur-de-lis]] and the [[dolphin]].]]
'''Dauphin of France''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɔː|f|ɪ|n}}, <small>also</small> {{IPAc-en|UK|d|ɔː|ˈ|f|ɪ|n|,_|ˈ|d|oʊ|f|æ̃}} {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|d|oʊ|f|ɪ|n|,_|d|oʊ|ˈ|f|æ̃}}; {{langx|fr|Dauphin de France}} {{IPA|fr|dofɛ̃ də fʁɑ̃s||LL-Q150 (fra)-Benoît Prieur-dauphin.wav}}), originally '''Dauphin of Viennois''' (''Dauphin de Viennois''), was the title given to the [[heir apparent]] to the [[List of heirs to the French throne|throne of France]] from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/dauphin-French-political-history|title=dauphin {{!}} French political history|access-date=2016-09-03}}</ref> The word ''dauphin'' is French for [[dolphin]] and was the hereditary title of the ruler of the [[Dauphiné|Dauphiné of Viennois]]. While early heirs were granted these lands to rule, eventually only the title was granted.

==History==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2017}}
[[Guigues IV of Albon|Guigues IV]], Count of [[Vienne, Isère|Vienne]], had a [[dolphin]] on his [[coat of arms]] and was nicknamed ''le Dauphin''. The title of [[Dauphin de Viennois]] descended in his family until 1349, when [[Humbert II of Viennois|Humbert II]] sold his [[Manorialism|seigneury]], called the [[Dauphiné]], to King [[Philip VI of France|Philippe VI]] on condition that the heir of France assume the title of ''le Dauphin''. The wife of the Dauphin was known as ''la Dauphine''.

The first French prince called ''le Dauphin'' was Charles the Wise, later ascending to the throne as [[Charles V of France]]. The title was roughly equivalent to the Spanish ''[[Prince of Asturias]]'', the Portuguese ''[[Prince of Brazil]]'', the English (thence British) ''[[Prince of Wales]]'', the Dutch ''[[Prince of Orange]]'', and the Scottish ''[[Duke of Rothesay]]''. The official style of a Dauphin of France, prior to 1461, was ''par la grâce de Dieu, dauphin de Viennois, comte de Valentinois et de Diois'' ("By the Grace of God, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Valentinois and of Diois"). A Dauphin of France united the coat of arms of the Dauphiné, which featured dolphins, with the French [[fleurs-de-lis]], and might, where appropriate, further unite that with other arms (e.g. [[Francis, Dauphin of France (1518-1536)|Francis]], son of [[Francis I of France|Francis I]], was ruling [[Duke of Brittany]], so united the arms of that province with the typical arms of a Dauphin; [[Francis II of France|Francis II]], while Dauphin, was also King of Scots by marriage to [[Mary, Queen of Scots|Mary I]], and added the arms of the [[Kingdom of Scotland]] to those of the Dauphin).

Originally the Dauphin was personally responsible for the rule of the [[Dauphiné]], which was legally part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], and which the emperors, in giving the rule of the province to the French heirs, had stipulated must never be united with France. Because of this, the Dauphiné suffered from anarchy in the 14th and 15th centuries, since the Dauphins were frequently minors or concerned with other matters.

During his period as Dauphin, Louis, son of [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]], defied his father by remaining in the province longer than the king permitted and by engaging in personal politics more beneficial to the Dauphiné than to France. For example, he married [[Charlotte of Savoy]] against his father's wishes. [[Duchy of Savoy|Savoy]] was a traditional ally of the Dauphiné, and Louis wished to reaffirm that alliance to stamp out rebels and robbers in the province. Louis was driven out of the Dauphiné by Charles VII's soldiers in 1456, leaving the region to fall back into disorder. After his succession as [[Louis XI]] of France in 1461, Louis united the Dauphiné with France, bringing it under royal control.

The title was automatically conferred upon the next heir apparent to the throne in the direct line upon birth, accession of the parent to the throne or death of the previous Dauphin, unlike the British title ''Prince of Wales'', which has always been in the gift of the monarch (traditionally conferred upon the heir's 21st birthday).

The sons of the King of France held the style and rank of ''[[fils de France]]'' (son of France), while male-line grandsons were given the style and rank of ''petits-enfants de France'' (Grandson of France). The sons and grandsons of the Dauphin ranked higher than their cousins, being treated as the king's children and grandchildren respectively. The sons of the Dauphin, though grandsons of the king, were ranked as Sons of France, and the grandsons of the Dauphin ranked as Grandsons of France; other great-grandsons of the king ranked merely as [[Prince du sang|princes of the blood]].

The title was abolished by the [[French Constitution of 1791|Constitution of 1791]], which made France a constitutional monarchy. Under the constitution the heir-apparent to the throne (Dauphin [[Louis XVII|Louis-Charles]] at that time) was restyled ''Prince Royal'' (a ''Prince of the Blood'' retitled ''prince français''), taking effect from the inception of the [[Legislative Assembly (France)|Legislative Assembly]] on 1 October 1791. The title was restored ''in potentia'' under the [[Bourbon Restoration in France|Bourbon Restoration]] of [[Louis XVIII]], but there would not be another Dauphin until after his death. With the accession of his brother [[Charles X of France|Charles X]], Charles' son and heir [[Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême]] automatically became Dauphin.

With the removal of the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbons]] the title fell into disuse, the heirs of [[Louis-Philippe I|Louis-Philippe]] being titled ''Prince Royal''. After the death of [[Henri, comte de Chambord]], [[Carlos, Duke of Madrid]], the heir of the [[legitimists|legitimist]] claimant, [[Juan, Count of Montizón]], made use of the title in [[Pretender|pretense]], as have the Spanish legitimist claimants since.

== Gallery of Arms ==

<gallery class="center">
Image:Dauphin of Viennois Arms.svg|Arms of the [[Dauphiné]]
Image:Blason dauphine fr Bretagne.svg|Arms of Dauphin [[Francis, Dauphin of France (1518-1536)|François]], [[Duke of Brittany]].
File:Arms of Francis, Dauphin of France and King consort of Scots.svg|Arms of Dauphin [[Francis II of France|Francis]], [[King-consort]] of Scots.
Image:Crown of the Dauphin of France.svg|Heraldic Crown of the Dauphin of France.
</gallery>

==List of Dauphins==
{{See also|List of Counts of Albon and Dauphins of Viennois}}

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|- valign=bottom
! N°
! Name as Dauphin
! Heir of
! Birth
! Became Dauphin
! Ceased to be Dauphin
! Death
! Other titles before or while Dauphin
! Name as King
! [[Dauphine of France|Dauphine]]

|-
! 1
| [[File:Charles V France.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Charles V of France|Charles]]'''
| [[John II of France|John II]]
| 21 January 1338
| 22 August 1350
| 8 April 1364<br/><br/>{{Small|Became King}}
| 16 September 1380
| [[Duke of Normandy]]
| Charles V
| [[Joanna of Bourbon]]

|-
! 2
| [[File:Young Charles VI of France.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Charles VI of France|Charles]]'''
| [[Charles V of France|Charles V]]
| colspan=2 | 3 December 1368
| 16 September 1380<br/><br/>{{Small|Became King}}
| 21 October 1422
| —
| Charles VI
| –

|-
! 3
| '''Charles'''
| rowspan=5 | [[Charles VI of France|Charles VI]]
| colspan=2 | 26 September 1386
| colspan=2 | 28 December 1386
| —
| –
| –

|-
! 4
| [[File:Charles, 6th Dauphin.jpg|70px]]<br/>'''Charles'''
| colspan=2 | 6 February 1392
| colspan=2 | 13 January 1401
| [[Duke of Aquitaine|Duke of Guyenne]]
| –
| –

|-
! 5
| [[File:Louis de Guyenne, dauphin of France.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis, Dauphin of France (1397-1415)|Louis]]'''
| 22 January 1397
| 13 January 1401
| colspan=2 | 18 December 1415
| [[Duke of Aquitaine|Duke of Guyenne]]
| –
| [[Margaret of Burgundy (1393-1441)|Margaret of Burgundy]]

|-
! 6
| [[File:Jean de Touraine, dauphin of France.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[John, Dauphin of France (1398-1417)|John]]'''
| 31 August 1398
| 18 December 1415
| colspan=2 | 5 April 1417
| [[Duke of Touraine]]
| –
| [[Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut|Jacqueline of Hainaut]]

|-
! 7
| [[File:Charles7.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Charles VII of France|Charles]]'''
| 22 February 1403
| 5 April 1417
| 21 October 1422<br/><br/>{{Small|Became King}}
| 22 July 1461
| [[Count of Ponthieu]]
| Charles VII
| –

|-
! 8
| [[File:Louis-XI-dauphin.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis XI of France|Louis]]'''
| [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]]
| colspan=2 | 3 July 1423
| 22 July 1461<br/><br/>{{Small|Became King}}
| 30 August 1483
| —
| Louis XI
| [[Margaret Stewart (Dauphine of France)|Margaret of Scotland]];<br/>[[Charlotte of Savoy]]

|-
! 9
| '''François'''
| rowspan=2 | [[Louis XI]]
| colspan=4 | 4 December 1466
| —
| –
| –

|-
! 10
| [[File:Charles VIII de france.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Charles VIII of France|Charles]]'''
| colspan=2 | 30 June 1470
| 30 August 1483<br/><br/>{{Small|Became King}}
| 7 April 1498
| —
| Charles VIII
| –

|-
! 11
| [[File:Master of Moulins - The Dauphin Charles-Orlant - WGA14467.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France|Charles-Orlando]]'''
| rowspan=3 | [[Charles VIII of France|Charles VIII]]
| colspan=2 | 11 October 1492
| colspan=2 | 16 December 1495
| —
| –
| –

|-
! 12
| [[File:Charles (1496).jpg|80px]]<br/>'''Charles'''
| colspan=2 | 8 September 1496
| colspan=2 | 2 October 1496
| —
| –
| –

|-
! 13
| '''François'''
| colspan=4 | July 1497
| —
| –
| –

|-
! 14
| [[File:Francis Dauphin Bretagne.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Francis, Dauphin of France (1518-1536)|François]]'''
| rowspan=2 | [[Francis I of France|Francis I]]
| colspan=2 | 28 February 1518
| colspan=2 | 10 August 1536
| [[Duke of Brittany]]
| –
| –

|-
! 15
| [[File:Henri II of France - Limoges.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Henry II of France|Henry]]'''
| 31 March 1519
| 10 August 1536
| 31 March 1547<br/><br/>{{Small|Became King}}
| 10 July 1559
| [[Duke of Orléans]], [[Duke of Brittany]]
| Henry II
| [[Catherine de' Medici]]

|-
! 16
| [[File:Francois II de france.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Francis II of France|Francis]]'''
| [[Henry II of France|Henry II]]
| 19 January 1544
| 31 March 1547
| 10 July 1559<br/><br/>{{Small|Became King}}
| 5 December 1560
| [[List of Scottish consorts|King-consort of Scotland]]
| Francis II
| [[Mary, Queen of Scots]]

|-
! 17
| [[File:Louis XIII.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis XIII|Louis]]'''
| [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]]
| colspan=2 | 27 September 1601
| 14 May 1610<br/><br/>{{Small|Became King}}
| 14 May 1643
| —
| Louis XIII
| –

|-
! 18
| [[File:LouisXIV-child.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis XIV|Louis-Dieudonné]]'''
| [[Louis XIII]]
| colspan=2 | 5 September 1638
| 14 May 1643<br/><br/>{{Small|Became King}}
| 1 September 1715
| —
| Louis XIV
| –

|-
! 19
| [[File:The Grand Dauphin by Rigaud.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis, Dauphin of France (1661-1711)|Louis, ''le Grand Dauphin'']]'''
| rowspan=4 | [[Louis XIV]]
| colspan=2 | 1 November 1661
| colspan=2 | 14 April 1711
| —
| –
| [[Duchess Maria Anna of Bavaria]]

|-
! 20
| [[File:Louis Duc de Bourgogne.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis, Dauphin of France (1682-1712)|Louis, ''le Petit Dauphin'']]'''
| 16 August 1682
| 14 April 1711
| colspan=2 | 18 February 1712
| [[Duke of Burgundy]]
| –
| [[Princess Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy]]

|-
! 21
| [[File:Louis de bourbon (1707-1712).jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis, Dauphin of France (1707-1712)|Louis]]'''
| 8 January 1707
| 18 February 1712
| colspan=2 | 8 March 1712
| [[Duke of Brittany]]
| –
| –

|-
! 22
| [[File:Musée Ingres-Bourdelle - Portrait de Louis XV enfant - Hyacinthe Rigaud - Joconde06070000235.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis XV|Louis]]'''
| 15 February 1710
| 8 March 1712
| 1 September 1715<br/><br/>{{Small|Became King}}
| 10 May 1774
| [[Duke of Anjou]]
| Louis XV
| –

|-
! 23
| [[File:Louis de France, dauphin (MV 6583).jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765)|Louis-Ferdinand]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/louis-dauphin-of-france-21257403|title=Louis, Dauphin of France Biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321033523/https://www.biography.com/people/louis-dauphin-of-france-21257403|website=biography.com|publisher=A&E Television Networks|date=2 April 2014|archive-date=21 March 2019|access-date=3 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>'''
| rowspan=2 | [[Louis XV]]
| colspan=2 | 4 September 1729
| colspan=2 | 20 December 1765
| —
| –
| [[Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain]];<br/>Duchess [[Maria Josepha of Saxony (1731–1767)|Maria Josepha of Saxony]]

|-
! 24
| [[File:Van Loo, Louis-Michel - The Dauphin Louis Auguste, later Louis XVI.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis XVI|Louis-Auguste]]'''
| 23 August 1754
| 20 December 1765
| 10 May 1774<br/><br/>{{Small|Became King}}
| 21 January 1793
| [[Duke of Berry]]
| Louis XVI
| Archduchess [[Marie Antoinette|Maria Antonia of Austria]]

|-
! 25
| [[File:Louis Joseph of France.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis-Joseph, Dauphin of France|Louis-Joseph]]'''
| rowspan=2 | [[Louis XVI]]
| colspan=2 | 22 October 1781
| colspan=2 | 4 June 1789
| —
| –
| –

|-
! 26
| [[File:Louis Charles of France6.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis XVII|Louis-Charles]]'''
| 27 March 1785
| 4 June 1789
| 1 October 1791<br/><br/>{{Small|Retitled as "Prince-royal"}}
| 8 June 1795
| [[Duke of Normandy]]
| Louis XVII
| –

|-
! 27
| [[File:Louis Antoine d'Artois.jpg|80px]]<br/>'''[[Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême|Louis-Antoine]]'''
| [[Charles X of France|Charles X]]
| 6 August 1775
| 16 September 1824
| 2 August 1830<br/><br/>{{Small|Abdication}}
| 3 June 1844
| [[Duke of Angoulême]]
| Louis XIX
| [[Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France]]

|}

==In literature==
[[File:Lineographic Dauphin Coat of Arms.jpg|thumb|right|A [[lineographic]] representation of the [[coat of arms|arms]] of the Dauphin. Designed by [[Jean de Beaugrand]] in 1604.]]
In [[Mark Twain]]'s ''[[Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'', Huck encounters two odd characters who turn out to be professional [[Confidence trick|con men]]. One of them claims that he should be treated with deference, since he is "really" an impoverished English [[duke]], and the other, not to be outdone, reveals that he is "really" the Dauphin "[[Louis XVII|Looy the Seventeen]], son of [[Louis XVI|Looy the Sixteen]] and [[Marie Antoinette|Marry Antonet]]".

[[Louis, Duke of Guyenne]], the Dauphin of Viennois, is a character in [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]''.

In Baroness [[Emma Orczy]]'s ''[[Eldorado (novel)|Eldorado]]'', the [[Scarlet Pimpernel]] rescues the Dauphin from prison and helps spirit him from France.

[[Alphonse Daudet]] wrote a short story called "The Death of the Dauphin", about a young Dauphin who wants to stop Death from approaching him.

The Dauphin is also mentioned in [[Cormac McCarthy]]'s ''[[Blood Meridian]]''.

[[The Dauphin (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|"The Dauphin"]] is a 1988 episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''. As the titular character is female, the episode title gets the gender incorrect (the French female equivalent is "Dauphine").

[[Robert Pattinson]] portrays the Dauphin of Viennois in ''[[The King (2019 film)|The King]]''.

==See also==
* [[Dauphine of France]]
* [[Fundamental laws of the Kingdom of France]]
* [[List of heirs to the French throne]]
* [[Prince of Asturias]]
* [[Prince of Beira]]
* [[Duke of Braganza]]
* [[Crown prince]]
* [[Tsarevich]]
* [[Counts of Albon and Dauphins of Viennois|Dauphins of Viennois]]
* [[Dauphins of Auvergne]]
* [[King of the Romans|King of Rome]]
* [[Madame Royale]]
* [[Mediterranean cetaceans]]
* [[Monsieur]]
* [[Madam]]e
* {{lang|fr|[[Fils de France]]}}
* [[Petit-Fils de France]]
* [[Prince du Sang]]
* [[Prince of Tarnovo]]
* [[Prince of Wales]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Dauphins of France}}
{{Prince of the Blood (House of Bourbon)}}
{{Princess of the Blood (House of Bourbon)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dauphin of France}}
[[Category:Dauphins of Viennois| ]]
[[Category:Dauphins of France| ]]
[[Category:Heirs to the throne|France]]
[[Category:Royal titles]]
[[Category:French monarchy]]