List of the Dauphins of France

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The coat of arms of the Dauphin de France. In addition to the royal fleur-de-lys, it contains the dolphin of the Dauphins of Viennois, called Counts of Albon.

The title Dauphin of France ( Dauphin de France ) was given to the eldest son and heir to the throne of the reigning French king since the late Middle Ages. It was derived from the title Dauphin von Viennois , which the medieval Counts of Albon ( Dauphiné ) used to wear.

In a broader sense, this title is the French equivalent of the English Prince of Wales or the Spanish Príncipe de Asturias .

In 1349 the Dauphin Humbert II of Viennois bequeathed his county of Albon, which belonged de jure to the Holy Roman Empire, to the French King Philip VI. In order not to become a lieutenant to the emperor, he transferred the county (also called Dauphiné ) to his grandson, the presumptive crown prince and later King Charles V. When he ascended the throne in 1364, he continued this practice and gave the Dauphiné to his eldest son, the later Charles VI , further. This established the custom for several generations of giving the respective heir to the throne the Dauphiné, including the title Dauphin, as an apanage. King Charles VII annexed the Dauphiné to the French crown domain in 1457 , with which this principality ceased to exist as an autonomous regional body. Due to tradition, however, the title Dauphin remained associated with the respective heir to the throne of France, who was now called Dauphin de France .

Numerous Dauphins never became king because they died earlier than their father (e.g. son Ludwig and grandson Ludwig of Louis XIV ). In these cases the title passed to the brother or grandson succeeding in the line of succession. In contrast, five kings were never Dauphins because either, like Charles IX. and his younger brother and successor, Heinrich III. , when younger brothers of a king ( Franz II. ) came to the throne or because they were not king's sons themselves, but came from secondary lines, like Ludwig XII. (Valois-Orléans), Francis I (Valois-Angoulême) and Henry IV (Bourbon).

For the Counts of Albon / Dauphins von Viennois until 1349 see the article: Dauphin von Viennois

Dauphins of Viennois from the royal house of Valois

The Dauphin and later French King Louis XI. with dolphin in the coat of arms and as a crest, around 1450 (Hyghalmen Scroll, Heralds' College Manuscript )
Dauphins Reign Remarks
Charles of France 1349-1364 eldest son of King John II King as Charles V from 1364
John of France 1366 first son of King Charles V died before the father
Charles of France 1368-1380 second son of King Charles V King as Charles VI. from 1380
Charles of France 1386 first son of King Charles VI. died before the father
Charles of France 1392-1401 second son of King Charles VI. died before the father
Louis of France 1401-1415 third son of King Charles VI. died before the father
John of France 1415-1417 fourth son of King Charles VI. died before the father
Charles of France 1417-1422 fifth son of King Charles VI. King as Charles VII from 1422
Louis of France 1423-1457 eldest son of King Charles VII.
King Charles VII annexed the Dauphiné in 1457 and united it with the French crown domain.

Dauphins of France

House Valois

dauphin Reign Remarks
Louis of France 1457-1461 eldest son of King Charles VII. King as Louis XI. from 1461
Francis of France 1466 third son of King Louis XI. died before the father
Charles of France 1470-1483 fourth son of King Louis XI. King as Charles VIII from 1483
Karl Roland of France 1492-1495 first son of King Charles VIII. died before the father
Charles of France 1496 third son of King Charles VIII. died before the father
Francis of France 1497-1498 fourth son of King Charles VIII. died before the father

House of Valois-Orléans

dauphin Reign Remarks
NN of France 1508 first son of King Louis XII. died before the father
NN of France 1512 third son of King Louis XII. died before the father

House Valois-Angoulême

dauphin Reign Remarks
Francis of France 1518-1536 first son of King Franz I. died before the father
Henry of France 1536-1547 second son of King Franz I. King as Henry II from 1547
Francis of France 1547-1559 eldest son of King Henry II King as Franz II from 1559

House of Bourbon

Portrait of the Grand Dauphin Ludwig (1661–1711)
dauphin Reign Remarks
Louis of France 1601-1610 eldest son of King Henry IV. King as Louis XIII. from 1610
Louis of France 1638-1643 eldest son of King Louis XIII. King as Louis XIV from 1643
Louis of France 1661-1711 eldest son of King Louis XIV. called le Grand Dauphin
died before the father
Louis of France 1711-1712 eldest son of the Grand Dauphin called le Petit Dauphin
died before the grandfather
Louis of France 1712 second son of Petit Dauphin died before the great-grandfather
Louis of France 1712-1715 third son of Petit Dauphin King as Louis XV. from 1715
Louis of France 1729-1765 third son of King Louis XV. died before the father
Louis August of France 1765-1774 Grandson of King Louis XV King as Louis XVI. from 1774
Ludwig Joseph of France 1781-1789 first son of King Louis XVI. died before the father
Ludwig Karl of France 1789-1791 second son of King Louis XVI.
The title of Dauphin of France was abolished in 1791 and replaced by Prince de France .
Ludwig Anton, the last Dauphin.

Prince of France during the Revolution

Prince Reign Remarks
Ludwig Karl of France 1791-1792 second son of King Louis XVI.
Abolition of the monarchy after the proclamation of the first republic.

Dauphin of France during the restoration

dauphin Reign Remarks
Ludwig Anton of France 1824-1830 Son of King Charles X.
The title of Dauphin of France was abolished after the July Revolution of 1830 .