History ; French kings ; French revolutions
 
  Getting mixed up with all those kings ?
The USA had one Revolution             but the French had several, some of them very violent and bloody.             Why ? One could say that the national inability to change progressively             and the reluctance to consensus (read more about the             French and change ) makes change unavoidable other than through             violent leaps. In the French collective memory, each of these             revolutions is associated with a major progress or a lost paradise             (and not only on the Left-Wing political side). After these major             dramas, the French society is very similar, by all standards,             to the other European countries which did not go through this             kind of ordeal but the French sincerely believe that without             these revolutions, they would not enjoy what they consider important             (democracy, protection, vacations, etc...). Among these revolutions :
"La Fronde" (literally : the sling) in 1648 is the first French urban revolution,                   to be followed by several others. It largely explains the haughty                   and autoritarian attitude of Sun King Louis 14th who went through                   it as a child.
"The" big French                   Revolution started with the storming of the Bastille (July                   14, 1789) ; after two years, the attempt to build a constitutional                   monarchy (like in England) failed, due to the stupidity of poor                   king Louis 16th and the intransigence of the revolutionary "Jacobins" ; the king (and a few thousands others) was beheaded, the                   war was declared on Europe, the "Convention" put                   an end to the old society and established the bases of the republic                   ; after a year of craziness in the name of liberty and purity                   (the "Terreur") under Robespierre "the Uncorruptible", a calmer (and corrupt) government (the "Directoire") was established in 1794 and most French citizens were                   happy to see a young and brilliant general, Napoleon Bonaparte,                   re-establish order and peace in 1799. Then he too became crazy                   and attacked the whole of Europe, but this is another story.                   It is a fact that most of French democracy comes from the Revolution,                   whatever its excesses.
The July Revolution :                   After Napoleon, the kings came back with the two brothers of poorr Louis 16th : Louis 18th (1814) then (1824) Charles 10th who was so stupidly reactionary that a                   brief revolution in July 1830 ("les Trois Glorieuses")                   replaced him by King Louis-Philippe 1rst who tried, once again                   to build a constitutional monarchy similar to England's where he had lived in exile.
The 1848 Revolution :                   in 1848, the ideas of republic and socialism were flourishing                   all over Europe : the king was banished and replaced by the (second)                   French republic ; the nephew of Napoleon was elected president                   and two years later after a coup, he became Emperor under the name Napoleon                   3rd.
 
When touring in France, you may             get confused with all those Louis and Charles. Here are a few             facts to help you situate roughly what century they belong to             and what they are known for !
Remarkably enough, France had                   only three dynasties of kings over a period of 15 centuries                     : the Mérovingiens (from Clovis, who became Christian                     in 496 and who is the very first French king) then the Carolingiens                     (from Pépin le Bref, i.e. The Short, crowned in                     752) and finally the Capétiens (from Hugues Capet who                     became king in 987 : this dynasty lasted until 1848).
Almost all of these kings were                   buried in the Basilique Royale de Saint-Denis , near Paris, which is definitely worth                     a visit.
Napoleon tried to found a dynasty, but only his nephew                   became emperor in 1852 (after a coup) and was booted out in 1870
More to come
Question : why does the current             Constitution refer to "the Fifth Republic" ? The             First Republic was founded by the Revolution and King Louis XVI             was dismissed, then came Napoleon and later a Restoration of             Royalty ; in 1848 (another revolution) the Second Republic was             established and disappeared with a coup by Napoleon III ; in             1870, the Third republic was proclaimed after the war was lost             against Germany, it collapsed in 1940 after another lost war             against Germany ; the Fourth Republic, founded in 1944, was succeeded             by the Fifth Republic after a major constitutional change conceived             by Charles de Gaulle who was recalled to put an end to the Algerian war.
Question : what was the relation             between the kings and Paris ? Since the very beginning, the             history of France is the history of kings trying to unite its             very diverse elements into a unified nation ; this why the state             is still so strong and this is also why Paris has so many prestigious             monuments to illustrate the glory of the king and the power of             the state (see historical             Paris ). The kings were afraid of the population of Paris             and its frequent riots and they often decided to live outside             Paris (Loire chateaux, Versailles, Fontainebleau).