Lost in the Louis

When discussing Kathryn Davis's novel, Versailles,  someone in class remarked that it was easy to get "lost in the Louis." Of course Louis, in French, is pronounced just like Louie in English. So I found this quite amusing and stored away the idea for a blog in which I could demystify the Louis lineage. But there are a lot of Louis, so I'm not going to set you straight on all of them.

Pictured at left is the first Louis, son of Charlemagne. Louis the Pious or Debonaire.

Louis II, the Stammerer, took throne after the rule of a Charles.

Skipping forward a couple hundred years, and over Louis the III and IV, we have Louis V, aka, Louis the Lazy.

Louis VII the Young succeeded Louis VI, the Fat Louis. This is a depiction in a late medieval manuscript of him receiving clergyman.

After a Philip and Louis the Lion, Louie IX the Saint came to the throne. He was the only canonised king of France.

Louis XI the Prudent or Universal Spider came to power over a century after Louis X, the Quarreler. There were a number of Charles in the interim. He was known for unifying France and spinning webs of plot and conspiracy.

After Louis XIII the Just, came Louis XIV the Great or the Sun King. He reigned for over seventy-two years, the longest documented reign of any European monarch.

Next came Louis XV the Beloved. This is a picture of him as a child.  While he earned his nickname for his popularity at the beginning of his reign, he was one of the most unpopular kings by the end. He was known for his debauchery and losing the American colonies. Apparently, they liked to dress him like  a girl.

And finally, Louie XVI the Last. He was the last of the Louis, husband of Marie Antoinette. He may or may not have suffered from phimosis and was really into forging locks. And that whole French Revolution and beheading thing...