Kings, Emperors and Presidents of France Part

1 : The Mérovingien dynasty

In the History of France, the country has been ruled by four dynasties of sovereigns and by five Republics. You will find the details of all these rulers in chronological order.

Clovis the King of the Franks who united all the Frankish tribes. He’s also the first of the Mérovingien dynasty. Clovis is also remembered to be the first Catholic King. At his death in AD 511, his Kingdom was divided between his five children (Clodomir, Thierry, Childebert, Clotaire and Clotilde the Young). This division created armed conflicts between the children.

Clodomir, eldest son of Clovis.

Clotilde the Young, daughter of Clovis and Queen of the Franks.

Théodoric I ( Thierry ), son of Clovis.

Théodebert I , son of Théodoric. Killed during a hunt.

Théodebald I , son of Théodebert, died without children.

Childebert I , third son of Clovis, remembered for being very pious and an expansionist King.

Clotaire I the Old, last son of Clovis, considerably increased the size of his Kingdom by unifying and annexing parts of actual Germany. At his death, once again, his lands are divided between his children.

Caribert I, son of Clotaire I and excommunicated for his excesses. He was father of two daughters.

Sigebert I, son of Clotaire I.

Chilpéric I, son of Clotaire I.

Gontran, son of Clotaire I, King of the Burgundian and Catholic Saint

• Note : The succession of King Clotaire I brought several wars between his sons making hard to establish a logical line of succession. Their wives also plotted to kill the different heirs.

Childebert II, son of Sigebert I.

Théodebert II, son of Childebert II.

Théodoric II, son of Childebert II.

Sigebert II, son of Théodoric II, killed at 12 years old by Clotaire II.

Clotaire II the Great ( or the Young ), son of Chilpéric I, he achieved to reunify the Kingdom.

Dagobert I, son of Clotaire II.

Caribert II, son of Clotaire II.

Sigebert III the Saint, son of Dagobert I.

Clovis II the Lazy, son of Dagobert I.

Childebert III the Adopted, an adoptive child of Sigebert III.

Clotaire III, son of Clovis II.

Childéric II, son of Clovis II.

Théodoric III, son of Clovis II.

Clovis III, who may not be a son of Clotaire III.

Dagobert II, son of Sigebert III.

Clovis IV, son of Théodoric III.

Childebert IV, son of Théodoric III.

Dagobert III, Childebert IV.

Clotaire VI, certainly a son of Théodoric III , he fought Chilpéric II in a succession war for the throne and he lost

Chilpéric II, certainly a son of Théodoric III.

Théodoric IV, son of Dagobert III.

Childéric III the Insane. He accessed the throne with the help of Pépin le Bref whom will take it back later and put an end to the Mérovingien dynasty.

The first Mérovingien was Clodion the Hairy ( Great-grand father of Clovis ) but the Kingdom of the Franks was created with Clovis. His dynasty kept the throne from AD 428 to AD 751.

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