Bourbon France

Portrait of Louis XIV by Hyacinth Rigaud (1701)

King Louis V, the last male-line descendant of Charlemagne, died childless in 987, ending the Carolingian Dynasty in France. Hugh Capet was elected to succeed him. His descendants, called the "Capetian Dynasty," became one of the most powerful royal families of Europe, and the main rival to the Habsburgs.

In 1328, the French throne passed to a "cadet branch" (descended through a younger son) of the family, the House of Valois. When Valois King Henry III was assassinated in 1589, under Salic Law the throne passed to another cadet branch of the family, the House of Bourbon. The Bourbons would rule France until 1830. The War of Spanish Succession in 1701 saw both the Habsburgs and the Bourbons attempt to name a successor to Spanish King Charles II. The Bourbons won out and are still on the Spanish throne today.

The most famous Bourbon monarch was King Louis XIV, who ascended the throne in 1643 at the age of 5. He ruled France for the next 72 years, making him the longest-reigning monarch in European history (although Queen Elizabeth II will pass him if she is still alive on Sunday, May 26, 2024.) Whereas the English monarchy was continually weakened during the seventeenth century, the opposite happened in France. Louis XIV consolidated power to himself. He weakened the French nobility by compelling many of the nobles to live with him in the Palace of Versailles, removing them from their feudal power bases. France became a strong European and global power, fighting several wars among its neighbors and establishing colonies in the New World, most notably Saint-Domingue (Haiti) and Louisiana (named after King Louis himself.)

Louis XIV is remembered for transforming France into a global power, establishing an "absolute monarchy," and for the sheer opulence (or decadence) of his baroque lifestyle.