France in the early modern period

Kingdom of France Royaume de France (French)
c. 15th century–1791 (Ancien Régime)
Top: Royal Banner[1] Bottom: Royal Standard (1643 design) Coat of arms of France & Navarre (1589–1792)
Motto:  "Montjoie Saint Denis!" (French) "Mountjoy Saint Denis!"
Anthem:  Marche Henri IV ("March of Henry IV") (1590–1792)
The Kingdom of France in the late 18th century
Capital	Paris (987–1682, 1789–1791) Versailles (1682–1789)
Common languages	Latin, French (official) Occitan, Franco-Provencal, Breton, German, Basque, Catalan, Dutch, Corsican
Religion	Roman Catholicism[2]
Demonym(s)	French
Government	Feudal monarchy (987–1648) Absolute monarchy (1648–1791)
King of France
Legislature	Estates General
Historical era	Early modern
Currency	Livre Franc Écu Louis d'or
Preceded by Succeeded by France in the Middle Ages Duchy of Burgundy Kingdom of France (1791–92) French First Republic

The Kingdom of France in the early modern period, from the Renaissance (c. 1500–1550) to the Revolution (1789–1804), was a monarchy ruled by the House of Bourbon (a Capetian cadet branch). This corresponds to the so-called Ancien Régime ("old rule"). The territory of France during this period increased until it included essentially the extent of the modern country, and it also included the territories of the first French colonial empire overseas.

The period is dominated by the figure of the "Sun King", Louis XIV (his reign of 1643–1715 being one of the longest in history), who managed to eliminate the remnants of medieval feudalism and established a centralized state under an absolute monarch, a system that would endure until the French Revolution and beyond.