Kingdom of the French Republic (Diplomacy)

In the 1870s the openly monarchist President of the French Republic, Patrice de Mac Mahon, orchestrated an end to the rivalry between the Légitimist and Orléanist claimants to the French throne and the restoration of the French Monarchy.

Essentially, the childless Légitimist Henri V named the Orléanist heir of Louis-Philippe (who had reigned 1830-1848) as his heir-apparent, thus effectively uniting the two Capétien lines. The fully-resorted monarchs of France are as follows:


 * Louis XV (1715-1774)
 * Louis XVI (1774-1793) who had been overthrown in 1792 Révolution and beheaded
 * Louis XVII (1793-1795) who died age 10 and was succeeded by his uncle
 * Louis XVIII (1795-1824) who was briefly on the throne 1814,1815-1824
 * Charles X (1824-1836) who succeeded his brother, forced to abdicate in 1830
 * Louis XIX (1836-1844) who was forced to abdicate along with father in 1830
 * Henri V (1844-1883) who theoretically ascended after the 1830 abdications
 * Philippe VII (1883-1894) who was the grandson and heir-apparent of Louis-Philippe
 * Philippe VIII (since 1894)

Having learned well from history, the throne was restored as a limited constitutional monarchy with the King as Chief of State and with the Prime Minister as Head of Government.

In order to ensure stability, at the time of the restoration the new title of “Duc de Corse” (or “Duke of Corsica”) was created specifically for the Bonapartist heirs of Napoléon who were also claimants and pretenders to the French throne. Urged by his mother, Eugénie de Montijo, the 23-year old Louis Napoléon (formerly known as Napoléon IV by his supporters) accepted this title and renounced all claims to the throne of France for himself and all descendents of the House of Bonaparte in perpetuity.

''Note: The only other possible claimant to the throne of France was the dethroned Scottish House of Stuart. Their titular pretender in 1879 was the 29-year old Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (whom the Jabobites styled Queen Mary IV of Scotland and III of Engalnd). However, no Jocobite has made a public claim to their titles since the death of Henry Benedict Stuart in 1807. There is no evidence that Maria Theresa was either offered or accepted a title from King Henri V on behalf of the House of Stuart.''

Patrice de Mac Mahon resigned as the last President of the French Republic on Thursday 30 January 1879 upon the formal coronation of His Majesty King Henri V by the French Parliament.