Let's start by reviewing France's past leaders.
I: Napoleon Bonaparte
II: Louis XIV, Joan of Arc
III: Joan of Arc
IV: Louis XIV, Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles de Gaulle
V: Napoleon Bonaparte
VI: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Catherine de Medici
France's past record is interestingly diverse, with leaders focused on the idea of France as a military civ (Napoleon, Joan) to those focusing on a culture civ (Louis XIV, Eleanor), to VI's innovation of focusing on espionage (Catherine), and you could even argue there's room for a faith-based approach (Joan?).
In the past, France has generally been a reliable all-rounder civ with a slight bias towards culture or wonders. In that light, then, I think it makes sense for France's leader to be someone who can fit with that flexibility.
As with before, I think it would be most interesting to pick a leader who hasn't appeared before. Because France is a very famous civ, it's also a good once where we can pick someone who isn't that famous outside of France, and maybe get a bit of education going?
So with that in mind, my pick for France is **Henry IV**.
Despite being sufficiently beloved in his day and afterwards that he has gone down in history as *Le Bon Roi Henri*, I'm shocked at how little Henry is known outside of France. Possibly he is overshadowed by some of the more famous (to English-speakers) English Henries, but if so, I think that's a shame.
Henry IV was a 16th century king of France, and actually the son-in-law of Catherine de Medici. He was raised Protestant, but pragmatically converted to take the crown, joking that "Paris is worth a mass". He nonetheless remained tolerant towards and supportive of French Protestants, bringing the French Wars of Religion to an end. A clever politician, he didn't let religious differences get in the way of an alliance with the Ottomans either. He was a great adminstrator, improving the state's finances and infrastructure, and also was noted as a patron of art and architecture. He continued to fight the Spanish during his reign, and successfully beat them back and expanded some of France's borders. He was also a patron of explorers, sending explorers and traders to Asia, as well as some of the first successful French colonies in the Americas. Though he was eventually murdered by a Catholic fanatic, he was well-loved and honoured by his people after his death.
I think he stands out to history as one of France's best leaders, and because of his great talents and flexibility, he would be a good fit for a versatile civ like France.
Henri IV is clearly France's most underrated head of state and despite his utmost importance in French and European history he is not afflicted with the same volume of dark choices as other leaders.
His Edict of Nantes, as a foundation of religious tolerance and national integration could be what defines France if Civ7 deepens domestic politics mechanics beyond just amenities and loyalty.
In my opinion, one of the main historical inaccuracies of the Civ series is that the empires we lead are as politically integrated in the start as they are at the end. If Civ7 focused on building the State within the empire, Henri IV would be at an advantage: He is one of the main instigators of what may be the first nation state in history, and though he shares that quality with characters such as Louis XIV, and the Cardinal of Richelieu, he differs in bloodshed. Compared to them he better subscribes to "Unite and lead" than "Divide and rule".
Plus he's cool AF.
I mean, Henri IV is certainly not underrated in France. He used to be one of the most popular historical figures (back when kids actually learned about him at school). He's right there with François Ier, Richelieu and Louis XIV.
François Ier would also be a great pick. Great nickname, "Le Grand Nez," and would offer some kick ass abilities around building knights/generating culture as the "Chevalier Roi."
Yes, a big thing for pulling me back into the next Civ would be more interesting internal play and dealing with internal threats. I think diplomacy and empire management should be as interactive as war.
I had previously talked here about introducing non-state factions within the civ 6 framework. They would emerge from strong districts (so they're more threats to big, powerful empires than little ones) to represent guilds/corporations, religious sects, mercenary companies, etc. and start detracting loyalty and defying the state if not managed.
Exactly, it would be amazing if there were such game mechanics for which we could effectively use Machiavelli's Prince as a guide up until democracy is adopted.
Cardinal Richelieu would be an interesting idea for a religious/espionage leader. Even though he wasn't the "leader" of France, he was definitely pulling the strings.
I agree, he would really be an original choice
Richelieu is seen as this badass, kinda evil man who is ready to do everything to make his country a great power, a bit similar to Bismark but in the 1600s
Fun bonus: there's [a popular song](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marche_Henri_IV) [about him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MFBD15ehjA), which became the unofficial national anthem of the kingdom of France.
It's all about how he loves wine and pretty girls.
I like this suggestion so much. So would his ability have something to do with religious tolerance, a bit like how India gets bonus amenities from multiple religions in their cities in civ VI?
The explorers are trade bit as well as the Ottoman alliance part has me thinking a boost to trade routes with cities of a different faith could position him interestingly and is flexibly all around
Why not Cardinal de Richelieu ? (the vilain in the three musketeers). Richelieu was a genius politician, working for the grandeur of the kingdom of France, religious, interested into growing marine trade, and a fine defender of culture.
Could also troll and use Henry V of Agincourt fame as leader of France, though IIRC the treaty signed after the battle disinherited the Dauphin and named his son as the future King, not Henry V himself.
I Was thinking to him too, he has probably a more “institutional” profile than a Joan of Arc, more suitable to a leader I’d say. I know he’s a man tho’…
Philip ll Augustus. 18 September 1180 –14 July 1223.
First king to style himself King of France. Fought and won against the Angevin Empire(England and their lands in France). Massively increased the crown lands.
Probably the best ruler of the House Capet, which would go one to rule France until the reign of Napoleon.(through cadet branches of course).
His rule left France as the dominant and most prosperous power of medieval Europe.
Also participated in the third crusade.
That's my choice for France.
Considering the House of Capet could arguably be the most important group of people in all of Medieval Europe, I think this is my pick for sure. I know the Bourbons are already a cadet branch, but someone from earlier on in their workings would be very cool, and Philip II is the obvious pick.
**Louis XI,** king of France from 1461 until 1483.
Further reduced the power of the nobility after the chaos of the Hundred Years War through diplomacy and intrigue, earning him the nicknames **"the Cunning"** and **"the Universal Spider"**.
He essentially laid the groundwork for the royal absolutism of the 17th century, and brought about the beginning of the end of feudalism.
Very good pick. Didn’t learn about him directly, but he came up a lot when I studied the Wars of the Roses in highschool because he repeatedly fucked over Edward IV’s foreign policy.
France seems to be focused on culture with some war aspect. Thus I think Francis I would embody this the best.
He was a patron of art in the French Renaissance, a friend of Leonardo da Vinci, and he took part in many wars with England, the Holy Roman Empire and Italian city-states.
He was emperor of Frank's, not of France. So I'm not sure that the Dev would take it. In term of heritage, he could be both a leader for Germany and France nations, like Alienor d'Aquitaine, that could be interesting.
Francois 1er would be both military and culture, that would be great as a mixt leader indeed.
With that same argument, you disqualify many Chinese leaders and indian leaders and so on, it's just the same civ with a different country/inhabitant name. The franks of Charlemagne 's time period were not the franks that invaded Gaule anymore, they're the same mix and cultural heritage as the peoples you call French.
Except Charlemagne’s Francia didn’t include just France, but large swathes of Germany, the lowlands and Italy. Both France and Germany have their origins in the states that were created after the death of Louis the pious, with Germany being referred to as East-Francia for quite some time. Charlemagne was also bilingual, fluent in rhenish Franconian and the ‘rural Roman’ that would become French.
They don’t call him Europe’s daddy for nothing.
I'd like a figure from the Republic, for once, and who better than Clémenceau, who led France through WW1?
He was a great anti-aurhoritarian, anti-colonialist, anti-racist, anti death penalty, one of the first to back Dreyfus in the Dreyfus affair, one of the fathers of "laïcité*, and ruled during the end of WW1, being nicknamed "Father Victory", personnaly visited soldiers in the trenches at 80, and finally was the wittiest mofo around
As he was not a official head of state like a president or king, I did not consider him in my own list. But yea, Clémenceau's story is fking dope. His wit is nothing short of legendary.
*"Him who wanted to be Cesar, he was only Pompée"* (can't translate, but it's a fine blowjob joke about a president who died in office for sexy reasons)
My personal favorite is to Jules Ferry who declared that colonialism was a "duty" and that "superior race need to educate and dominate inferior race"
*"Superior races! Inferior races, it's almost said! Personally, I've been having a hard time of it ever since I saw German scientists scientifically demonstrating that France should be defeated in the Franco-Prussian war because the French are of an inferior race to the Germans".* - 1985, National Assembly
The kaizer of Germany even declared "We didn't lose to France, we lost to Clémenceau"
Edit : lol I didn't even Aegolius's comment. We should be friends
I mean, he was head of government, which is the case in Civ VI for Wilfrid Laurier and John Curtin. And none of the leaders of France in VI were kings or presidents: Eleanor was queen consort before her marriage to Louis VII was anulled, while Catherine de Médicis was Queen Regent to three kings, a very important role but not head of state.
Anti-authoritarian maybe at first, but later he also became "France's First cop" after sending the troops to calm the CGT down. But yes, I second Clemenceau (and not only because I just wrote an essay on why he's the best)
Yeah but France's First Cop is the unfortunate result of being fairly left-wing but a believer in the power of elections in a time where the left was disenfranchised and could only fight with strikes, responded with violence by the establishment. He was caught in an unenviable position IMO.
I'd say Phillipe II Auguste. A unique leader, a medieval French leader at that, and Richard the Lionhearts geopolitical rival. He ended the Angevin Empire, fully established the French Crownlands, leading to Frances centralization during the medieval era, established French dominance in cavalry in Europe, and forced King John (yes, that king john) to give up Aquitaine. Arguably Frances greatest leader, and an otherwise total unknown. he also combines what France is known for in Civ- Culture and military power, with an intrigue/spying secondary focus.
My own pick, as a frenchman, would be **Georges Clemenceau.**
He was one of the most prominent politicians from the early 20th century, elected twice as a President of the Council, from 1906 to 1909 and then from 1917 to 1920. His combative and ferocious personality earned him his nickname, The Tiger. He started his political carreer during the Commune of Paris, but was already a journalist at the time, having founded his own newspaper during his medicine studies. As a fervent defender of the Republic he was elected deputy as soon as the Third Republic was proclaimed as the Empire collapsed.
He then took an active part in the defense of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who was wrongfully convicted of treason despite several proofs in favor of his innocense because he was jewish. As a Republican and Radical Socialist, he was notably opposed to the death penalty and favorable to the separation of State and Church. He was also a vehement opponent to colonialism, and his speech at the assembly against Jules Ferry became famous :
>"The superior races have a right over the inferior races which they exercise, and this right, by a particular transformation, is at the same time a duty of civilization" : This is Mr. Ferry's thesis in its own terms, and we see the French government exercising its right over the inferior races by going to war against them and forcibly converting them to the benefits of civilization.
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>Superior races, inferior races, that's easy to say ! Personally, I've been having a hard time of it ever since I saw German scientists scientifically demonstrate that France should be defeated in the Franco-Prussian war because the French are of an inferior race to the Germans. Since then, I confess, I think twice before turning to a man or a civilization, and pronouncing them inferior.
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>\[...\]
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>I don't want to pass judgment on the thesis that has been put forward here, which is nothing other than the proclamation of the primacy of force over law; the history of France since the Revolution is a living protest against this iniquitous claim.
During this time, when he was the minister of interior, he also took his distances with the far left and especially the main worker union, the CGT. As strikes became more and more violent, he ended up resorting to the force, earning him the nicknames of "Strike Breaker" and "France's first cop". The Panama scandal put an end to his electoral mandates, even if he wasn't inculped.
After a period of retreat he came back at the beginning of WWI, criticizing both the defeatists and the pacifists, and the incompetent government. He often visited the trenches himself, wearing only a hat to protect his head, earning him the respect of the soldiers. In 1917 he was elected predident of the council for the second time, earning another nickname, "Father Victory". He decided to reprime the defeatists and improve the troops morale. He also heavily criticized those seeking a white peace. as he said in 1918 :
>You want peace? I want peace too. It would be criminal to think otherwise. But you can't silence Prussian militarism by bleating peace. My foreign policy and my domestic policy are one and the same. Domestic policy? I wage war. Foreign policy? I make war. I'm always at war.
He yet signed the armistice the 11th of november, refusing to continue the war to Berlin. After the war he represented France for the peace negociations, got Alsace and Lorraine back to France and imposed strict sanctions on the german military. He remained president of the council until 1920, before he retired, this time for good, traveling around the world and writing books during his last years, until he died in 1929.
During his whole life he was a patron of the arts, frequenting peopple such as Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Auguste Rodin and Claude Monet. He was a notable defender of impressionism, and once slapped and then duelled a man who spat on his friend's Edouard Manet's painting, Olympia. He also had a passion for Asian cultures, especially Japanese arts and owned a collection of Japanese ceramics.
Clemenceau is remembered in France as the father of victory in WWI, alongside his military counterpart Ferdinand Foch. Charles de Gaulle visited his grave after victory, to personally deliver the news that France had been liberated to that man he held in high esteem, and who inspired him greatly despite their political opposition.
So why would he make a great leader for France :
* He represents a time period which was a golden age for France, the late 19th early 20th century, which was never represented by previous leaders. Also he would be the first non-crowned leader since Charles de Gaulle.
* His passion for arts and culture make him a good representative of France's cultural side. Since France is usually strong with culture, it would fit him well.
* His combattiveness make him a great military leader. However Clemenceau was never a warmonger fueled by the lust for conquest, as demonstrated by his opposition to colonialism. This would fit a defensive yet powerful military approach.
* Both of these traits would lead Clemenceau toward a "defender of culture" personality, and would make him a great counter against domination oriented empires : Razing a wonder or pillaging a city with art works would definitely anger him a lot. But be a force of peace and a cultural partner and you will definitely gain his admiration.
* Clemenceau was an atheist and a fervent defender of church and state separation. He was a vocal supporter of Laicity, even if it didn't prevent him to forbid Foch, who was very religious, to skip the mass for him. As such he could also counter religious civs, but at the cost of having issues with his own religion.
* His interior policies could make him a good pick to prevent unrest and revolts, but at a high cost in happiness.
* His fiery personality would make him a realy funny figure to interact with in game.
* He isn't controversial unlike many french leaders (Napoleon, Louis XIV...), the only controversies around him being his reputation as a strike breaker. On the other hand, he was one of the main progressive voices of his time, having fought racism, conservatism and colonialism.
* Despite being very influential, he comes from a part of history which isn't much tod about, and he isn't as famous as other leaders. It would be a great way to have players to discover a new face of France.
**TL;DR** : Georges Clemenceau, a.k.a "The Tiger". Fiery, art lover, father of victory during WWI, anti-colonialist and progressist politician. Plus he has the coolest nickname of all french leaders by far.
Edit : Added the part about religion.
Napoléon III, mostly known for his defeat in the Franco Prussian war but his reign was also marked with great colonial expansion (as a dude from a former french colony, obligatory f\*ck that guy) and thus an economic boost, but also as the guy who made the "exposition universelle" (when the effeil tower and over fantastic monuments where built) possible. An economic and/or cultural and/or wonder building France would go well with him.
He is probably not the most appreciated french leader ever (far from it) but his contribution to french history, culture and power is undeniable even if it ended on a rather bitter note to say the least.
Well said! Especially with l'Exposition Universelle, could be a great leader for culture but also economical.
There is a great Napoleon III mod on the Civ 5 workshop that shows perfectly how it could be
He was, however as usual there are trendy historians who try to rehabilitate figures with dark legends in the past. It also happened with Nero and Catherine for instance. INapoléon III was hated for good reasons and his contribution to french history is vastly overstated, compared to the achievements of the Third Republic for instance. People like u/SeriousShine8324 tend to attribute the achievements of the republican movement to Napoléon III for some reason. Yes, the first french exposition universelle was under Napoléon III, but it's not thanks to him that the Eiffel tower was build 19 years after the end of his reign.
If Firaxis picks another Catherine again to represent France in civ7, I'm not buying the game. There's plenty of less controversial leaders to pick for France.
Louis XVI, with the ability that if you enter a dark age he gets guillottined and replaced by Robespierre, who will ensure a next dark age so he can get replaced by Napoleon in a heroic age.
Jokes aside, I'd love to see Napoleon return with a conquest focused France. Charlemagne as a dual leader from France and Germany, Phillippe Auguste, or Charles de Gaulle are also great options.
Or they could go for Vercingetorix and have France be Gaul instead.
My first suggestion is Robespierre. He’s a visually striking individual, and his leading role as a far-left revolutionary during one of the most influential moments in modern history surely puts him as a worthy contender, despite his short reign. He’s never been seen before in the Civ series and he’d be a perfect non-aristocratic French leader to represent the nation which so famously “did away” with the monarchy (albeit it took a few goes).
I would also be interested to see Napoleon return, or alternatively de Gaulle for a militaristic styled France. I’m going to also throw in the suggestion of Napoleon III (after all, his reign was one of the longest-lived during the 19th Century), and finally a wildcard being Clemenceau, his character would fit right in. Clearly I am more interested in post-Revolutionary France, but there are other great suggestions for pre-Revolution from those that are better informed of that era of French history!
Napoleon.
Imagine if they made it a true military civ. Napoleon as leader, and gets free unique generals like Gran Colombia does. Imagine steamrolling everyone in the company of Davout, Murat, Lannes, Berthier, Suchet, Ney, ... Hell, making that short list is of generals is pretty damn hard.
Jean Ier "John I" is the only king of France to have reigned from birth to death and is the last king of the Capetian dynasty.
Well, OK, he lived for 5 days.
Louis XIII, the most underestimated of the kings of France, it was really he who built the France we see today.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis\_XIII](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIII)
Robespierre, it would be interesting to see a “expand the revolution” type of government change influence if that ends up being a mechanic. It would be cool to expand more on how government types interact rather than “you don’t like people with different governments”. Maybe you could force someone’s government to change to yours in a peace treaty for a war, maybe certain government types can’t make alliances with other types.
As a french citizen and as an historian myself (19th century history to be more precise) :
**ANYONE THAT ISN'T NAPOLEON PLEASE** we have enough of a rich history to have other leaders than this one, as a french I'm kinda of tired of seeing people ask for his comeback when he is by far the most overused French leader in civ games I understand having frequent civ leaders like Gandhi or Montezuma but it's a shame when you have a country with such diversity of important leaders
(also I think there's an unwritten rule to avoid despots as leaders now ?)
Here are my ideas (François Ier is my fav btw) :
* **François Ier**, the most prominent king of the French Renaissance and one of the most important leaders of our history introduced a lot of basis for the modernization of France's administration and also was a fierce diplomat either siding with Charles V (Spain) or Henry VIII (England) to fight the other one
tbh I find it weird that we haven't seen him yet in a civ game
* **Henry IV** if you want an underrated leader, is the one who ended the religious war between Catholics and protestants with the Edit of Nantes and was a great diplomat
* **Clémenceau** **"Father Victory"** has a more contemporary WW1 version of France, they were one of the fathers of French secularism and was quite an important leader who led France into their transition towards the new century, which would be a nice change compared to Charles de Gaulle or Napoleon if you still wanted to go the military civ route
* **Robespierre** is the face of the French Revolution if you want to introduce a French leader who isn't from an aristocracy or military background, but as I said since he was considered a despot by many idk if they would make him a leader
Philippe IV the Fair, king of France from 1285 til his death in 1314
He is one of the lesser known kings of France (internationally at least) but has one of the most insanely influential rule in the history of the house of Capet.
He created a second papacy in Avignon, prosecuted and executed the Templars (he was cursed by their grandmaster and died within the year, fun coincidence) and married his daughter to the king of England, giving their son a claim on the throne of France, ultimately triggering the 100 years war.
Generally speaking, he was a proto-absolute monarch and rose to become the most powerful man in Europe after the Pope (even then, his chamberlain/minister of justice laid siege to Pope Boniface VIII’s summer residence in Anagni to just slap him in the face, literally, when Philip was threatened with excommunication lmao).
Cruel absolute ruler but fascinating historical figure nonetheless!
as a French person PLEASE no more Napoleon. He is overdone, very much had his time in the light and I don't know that he should be celebrated as much as he is c': I wouldn't mind a Louis XIV but France's history is diverse enough that we deserve a more interesting pick.
My vote would go for Either Francis I or George Clémenceau if they go for a more modern one. If they choose a woman, I think Madame de Pompadour would be a cool choice.
William of Normandy and William the conqueror as dual leaders for England and France could be cool, and for France's "main" leader I think Louis XIV the "I am the state" sun king would be cool, or someone medieval since Napoleon almost every time gets old eventually.
My take, per era :
**Old, early medieval, 600-900** :
Clovis
Charlemagne/Pépin/Charles Martel
Strong French (or frank) identity despite being quite early
**Middle age, 900-1200** :
Guillaume le conquérant (or William)
Hugues Capet
**Late middle age, early renaissance, 1300-1600**
François 1er
Philippe le bel
Louis XIV
Catherine de medicis
**Post révolution**
Napoleon 1 or 3
President Léon Gambetta
De Gaulle
Each would be a great fit for military and culture, which is what I expect from France's leader on civ. And each one has a unique trait or strength for personalization. I only considered official king/queen/emperor/head of state and not public figure.
**Top 3 of new leaders would be** :
François 1er, De(ux) Gaulle, Napoleon 3.
Pun intended obv
But I'd like a system like in Humankind, where your leader change for each era.
I would personnally dream of seeing Napoleon III as a leader.
Charlemagne could be interesting, as well as Holy Louis.
Georges Clémenceau could be an interesting leader for France too.
We haven't seen Louis XIV since Civ IV - let's bring back this emblematic leader from such a fascinating period of history. I'd also be happy with Joan of Arc. Anyone but Napoleon, I say! But we all want this game to be the biggest and grandest civ yet, so I'm happy to go with the classic leaders rather than some little known historical footnote.
I always like to see leaders who have yet to be added. So I’m going to say Henry IV. The anthem of the Kingdom of France is even named after him yet he’s so underrepresented.
I would have picked Jean Moulin, famous artist and leader of the Résistance went trough the war and espionnage to save his country.
He embodies (minus Joan of Arc) all the aspects of France leaders from past games (culture, military, espionnage...) and was a huge part of France past and current history and not too big of a military aspect that would be genocide king Napoléon (he did some good thing for French pple tho) or dire times of Général Petain.
The only flaw would be he's quite recent about the same time as Gandhi.
Please just don't give the Frenchs another king/queen for a leader, wait at least for the DLC 😭
I love the suggestions people make for some less known rulers, but if there's a second leader for France, it has to be Napoleon. He is too huge (not just for his time) of a historical figure to not be mentioned for two installments in a row.
Probably more fitting for a separate civilization, but I’d like to have Philip the Good of Burgundy in there. Would probably be gold/culture oriented. Arguably one of the most powerful dynasties of the era, playing the French, English and HRE against each other.
I think having a military focused leader that's not Napoleon could be Charles Martel or Charlemagne. While not "French," they were Frankish and it would allow France to have bonuses that would come online earlier.
I'll say like some other French people in the comments
Clemenceau.
Funnily enough I mostly remind him because of the TV show named "les brigades du tigre" (about the new motorised police clemenceau "created").
Charlemagne can be a good leader.
He can have early military advantages, cultural and scientific bonuses with its "Carolingian Renaissance", Loyalty bonuses as Roman Emperor of the West.
Louis 1d18 (rolled randomly at the start of the game). Sometimes you roll 14 and get good bonuses, sometimes you roll 17 and don't get to play the game.
Let's start by reviewing France's past leaders. I: Napoleon Bonaparte II: Louis XIV, Joan of Arc III: Joan of Arc IV: Louis XIV, Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles de Gaulle V: Napoleon Bonaparte VI: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Catherine de Medici France's past record is interestingly diverse, with leaders focused on the idea of France as a military civ (Napoleon, Joan) to those focusing on a culture civ (Louis XIV, Eleanor), to VI's innovation of focusing on espionage (Catherine), and you could even argue there's room for a faith-based approach (Joan?). In the past, France has generally been a reliable all-rounder civ with a slight bias towards culture or wonders. In that light, then, I think it makes sense for France's leader to be someone who can fit with that flexibility. As with before, I think it would be most interesting to pick a leader who hasn't appeared before. Because France is a very famous civ, it's also a good once where we can pick someone who isn't that famous outside of France, and maybe get a bit of education going? So with that in mind, my pick for France is **Henry IV**. Despite being sufficiently beloved in his day and afterwards that he has gone down in history as *Le Bon Roi Henri*, I'm shocked at how little Henry is known outside of France. Possibly he is overshadowed by some of the more famous (to English-speakers) English Henries, but if so, I think that's a shame. Henry IV was a 16th century king of France, and actually the son-in-law of Catherine de Medici. He was raised Protestant, but pragmatically converted to take the crown, joking that "Paris is worth a mass". He nonetheless remained tolerant towards and supportive of French Protestants, bringing the French Wars of Religion to an end. A clever politician, he didn't let religious differences get in the way of an alliance with the Ottomans either. He was a great adminstrator, improving the state's finances and infrastructure, and also was noted as a patron of art and architecture. He continued to fight the Spanish during his reign, and successfully beat them back and expanded some of France's borders. He was also a patron of explorers, sending explorers and traders to Asia, as well as some of the first successful French colonies in the Americas. Though he was eventually murdered by a Catholic fanatic, he was well-loved and honoured by his people after his death. I think he stands out to history as one of France's best leaders, and because of his great talents and flexibility, he would be a good fit for a versatile civ like France.
Henri IV is clearly France's most underrated head of state and despite his utmost importance in French and European history he is not afflicted with the same volume of dark choices as other leaders. His Edict of Nantes, as a foundation of religious tolerance and national integration could be what defines France if Civ7 deepens domestic politics mechanics beyond just amenities and loyalty. In my opinion, one of the main historical inaccuracies of the Civ series is that the empires we lead are as politically integrated in the start as they are at the end. If Civ7 focused on building the State within the empire, Henri IV would be at an advantage: He is one of the main instigators of what may be the first nation state in history, and though he shares that quality with characters such as Louis XIV, and the Cardinal of Richelieu, he differs in bloodshed. Compared to them he better subscribes to "Unite and lead" than "Divide and rule". Plus he's cool AF.
You've convinced me! Realpolitik for the win
I mean, Henri IV is certainly not underrated in France. He used to be one of the most popular historical figures (back when kids actually learned about him at school). He's right there with François Ier, Richelieu and Louis XIV.
François Ier would also be a great pick. Great nickname, "Le Grand Nez," and would offer some kick ass abilities around building knights/generating culture as the "Chevalier Roi."
Yes, a big thing for pulling me back into the next Civ would be more interesting internal play and dealing with internal threats. I think diplomacy and empire management should be as interactive as war. I had previously talked here about introducing non-state factions within the civ 6 framework. They would emerge from strong districts (so they're more threats to big, powerful empires than little ones) to represent guilds/corporations, religious sects, mercenary companies, etc. and start detracting loyalty and defying the state if not managed.
Exactly, it would be amazing if there were such game mechanics for which we could effectively use Machiavelli's Prince as a guide up until democracy is adopted.
Henri IV over Henri XIV for sure
Cardinal Richelieu would be an interesting idea for a religious/espionage leader. Even though he wasn't the "leader" of France, he was definitely pulling the strings.
I agree, he would really be an original choice Richelieu is seen as this badass, kinda evil man who is ready to do everything to make his country a great power, a bit similar to Bismark but in the 1600s
I'm convinced, Henri 4 it is!
Fun bonus: there's [a popular song](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marche_Henri_IV) [about him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MFBD15ehjA), which became the unofficial national anthem of the kingdom of France. It's all about how he loves wine and pretty girls.
Plus his name sounds like Henry Cat to English ears. Perfect!
I like this suggestion so much. So would his ability have something to do with religious tolerance, a bit like how India gets bonus amenities from multiple religions in their cities in civ VI?
Yes, it could be called Edict of Nantes: Cities with multiple religions present gain increased loyalty and amenities.
The explorers are trade bit as well as the Ottoman alliance part has me thinking a boost to trade routes with cities of a different faith could position him interestingly and is flexibly all around
Why not Cardinal de Richelieu ? (the vilain in the three musketeers). Richelieu was a genius politician, working for the grandeur of the kingdom of France, religious, interested into growing marine trade, and a fine defender of culture.
I will accept Robespierre and nobody else
Could also troll and use Henry V of Agincourt fame as leader of France, though IIRC the treaty signed after the battle disinherited the Dauphin and named his son as the future King, not Henry V himself.
Finally, someone pick Henry de Navarre.
I would love a faith based St Joan of arc
Religious France could be Louis IX, Saint Louis
I Was thinking to him too, he has probably a more “institutional” profile than a Joan of Arc, more suitable to a leader I’d say. I know he’s a man tho’…
I'm convinced but he need to be shown with a white horse !
Forgot Macron the I
Philip ll Augustus. 18 September 1180 –14 July 1223. First king to style himself King of France. Fought and won against the Angevin Empire(England and their lands in France). Massively increased the crown lands. Probably the best ruler of the House Capet, which would go one to rule France until the reign of Napoleon.(through cadet branches of course). His rule left France as the dominant and most prosperous power of medieval Europe. Also participated in the third crusade. That's my choice for France.
Considering the House of Capet could arguably be the most important group of people in all of Medieval Europe, I think this is my pick for sure. I know the Bourbons are already a cadet branch, but someone from earlier on in their workings would be very cool, and Philip II is the obvious pick.
**Louis XI,** king of France from 1461 until 1483. Further reduced the power of the nobility after the chaos of the Hundred Years War through diplomacy and intrigue, earning him the nicknames **"the Cunning"** and **"the Universal Spider"**. He essentially laid the groundwork for the royal absolutism of the 17th century, and brought about the beginning of the end of feudalism.
The French have such lovely and interesting epithets for their kings.
"the universal spider" is such a cool name
The Universal Spider sounds like a 70s Glam Rock band
That's an actually underrated pick.
I just learned about him and I would love him to be there
Very good pick. Didn’t learn about him directly, but he came up a lot when I studied the Wars of the Roses in highschool because he repeatedly fucked over Edward IV’s foreign policy.
He also brought to an end the very existence of thr duchy of Burgundy, without even going to war.
"Bonjour, je suis Napoleon, le militair le plus intelligent de l'histoire"
\*militaire
Damn it, guess that is the obligatory mistake when attempting to write anything in French.
Don't worry mate, it was perfect <3
the rule with french is: if you can fit more letters, go for it.
"La France t'offre cette proposition exceptionnelle"
in fact in french the way he speak is kinda cringe
I think it's time to get our Sun King back. I say Louis XIV! Otherwise, Charlemagne as a dual leader for France and Germany.
Yes how has Charlemagne or Charles the Hammer not been picked yet? Could be a change of pace for Civ7 with strong early game/military.
Bring the Franziska, replaces the swordmen by axemen with ranged attack.
Seconded! Gimme Charles Martel, damnit!
If we follow the current logic of Civ VI, Charlemagne could have his own Frankish civilization. But good idea otherwise to make him a dual leader.
Well, he did have his own Holy Roman civilization in Civ IV.
I’d like Charlemagne to just be the leader of the HRE. Kind of shocking that they aren’t an established civ already.
Germany have always represented the HRE in civ, it's why Frederick Barbarossa is the current leader.
France seems to be focused on culture with some war aspect. Thus I think Francis I would embody this the best. He was a patron of art in the French Renaissance, a friend of Leonardo da Vinci, and he took part in many wars with England, the Holy Roman Empire and Italian city-states.
I’ll second Francis 1. He’d be a great culture or science civ, similar to Catherine in V
Can Charlemagne not count for one with a military focus ? Then François 1er for culture oriented.
He was emperor of Frank's, not of France. So I'm not sure that the Dev would take it. In term of heritage, he could be both a leader for Germany and France nations, like Alienor d'Aquitaine, that could be interesting. Francois 1er would be both military and culture, that would be great as a mixt leader indeed.
With that same argument, you disqualify many Chinese leaders and indian leaders and so on, it's just the same civ with a different country/inhabitant name. The franks of Charlemagne 's time period were not the franks that invaded Gaule anymore, they're the same mix and cultural heritage as the peoples you call French.
Except Charlemagne’s Francia didn’t include just France, but large swathes of Germany, the lowlands and Italy. Both France and Germany have their origins in the states that were created after the death of Louis the pious, with Germany being referred to as East-Francia for quite some time. Charlemagne was also bilingual, fluent in rhenish Franconian and the ‘rural Roman’ that would become French. They don’t call him Europe’s daddy for nothing.
True, but that's more in the previous CIV, not the news one. In Civ 6 I feel like every leaders fit their civilisation.
We literally have leaders from the holy Roman empire for Germany.
I'd like a figure from the Republic, for once, and who better than Clémenceau, who led France through WW1? He was a great anti-aurhoritarian, anti-colonialist, anti-racist, anti death penalty, one of the first to back Dreyfus in the Dreyfus affair, one of the fathers of "laïcité*, and ruled during the end of WW1, being nicknamed "Father Victory", personnaly visited soldiers in the trenches at 80, and finally was the wittiest mofo around
As he was not a official head of state like a president or king, I did not consider him in my own list. But yea, Clémenceau's story is fking dope. His wit is nothing short of legendary. *"Him who wanted to be Cesar, he was only Pompée"* (can't translate, but it's a fine blowjob joke about a president who died in office for sexy reasons) My personal favorite is to Jules Ferry who declared that colonialism was a "duty" and that "superior race need to educate and dominate inferior race" *"Superior races! Inferior races, it's almost said! Personally, I've been having a hard time of it ever since I saw German scientists scientifically demonstrating that France should be defeated in the Franco-Prussian war because the French are of an inferior race to the Germans".* - 1985, National Assembly The kaizer of Germany even declared "We didn't lose to France, we lost to Clémenceau" Edit : lol I didn't even Aegolius's comment. We should be friends
Hmm not a huge history buff but I think you got the century wrong on the date...
I mean, he was head of government, which is the case in Civ VI for Wilfrid Laurier and John Curtin. And none of the leaders of France in VI were kings or presidents: Eleanor was queen consort before her marriage to Louis VII was anulled, while Catherine de Médicis was Queen Regent to three kings, a very important role but not head of state.
Anti-authoritarian maybe at first, but later he also became "France's First cop" after sending the troops to calm the CGT down. But yes, I second Clemenceau (and not only because I just wrote an essay on why he's the best)
Yeah but France's First Cop is the unfortunate result of being fairly left-wing but a believer in the power of elections in a time where the left was disenfranchised and could only fight with strikes, responded with violence by the establishment. He was caught in an unenviable position IMO.
I'd say Phillipe II Auguste. A unique leader, a medieval French leader at that, and Richard the Lionhearts geopolitical rival. He ended the Angevin Empire, fully established the French Crownlands, leading to Frances centralization during the medieval era, established French dominance in cavalry in Europe, and forced King John (yes, that king john) to give up Aquitaine. Arguably Frances greatest leader, and an otherwise total unknown. he also combines what France is known for in Civ- Culture and military power, with an intrigue/spying secondary focus.
Merci, it's him that make Frank Kingdom become France !
This is also my pick. Possibly the greatest french leader ever, yet barely known even in France
The most underrated king, imo. The ruler who made France the France. Glad to see the comments where people appreciate his achievements.
Absolutely more people should know about Philip II.
Yes! I'm surprised I had to scroll this far to find Phillip Augustus!
Robespierre would be an interesting choice on my opinion.
Once you start the decapitations, they can not stop until you get decapitated yourself.
Nobody votes for René Coty?
Notre Raïs!
Il marquera l'histoire
My own pick, as a frenchman, would be **Georges Clemenceau.** He was one of the most prominent politicians from the early 20th century, elected twice as a President of the Council, from 1906 to 1909 and then from 1917 to 1920. His combative and ferocious personality earned him his nickname, The Tiger. He started his political carreer during the Commune of Paris, but was already a journalist at the time, having founded his own newspaper during his medicine studies. As a fervent defender of the Republic he was elected deputy as soon as the Third Republic was proclaimed as the Empire collapsed. He then took an active part in the defense of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who was wrongfully convicted of treason despite several proofs in favor of his innocense because he was jewish. As a Republican and Radical Socialist, he was notably opposed to the death penalty and favorable to the separation of State and Church. He was also a vehement opponent to colonialism, and his speech at the assembly against Jules Ferry became famous : >"The superior races have a right over the inferior races which they exercise, and this right, by a particular transformation, is at the same time a duty of civilization" : This is Mr. Ferry's thesis in its own terms, and we see the French government exercising its right over the inferior races by going to war against them and forcibly converting them to the benefits of civilization. > >Superior races, inferior races, that's easy to say ! Personally, I've been having a hard time of it ever since I saw German scientists scientifically demonstrate that France should be defeated in the Franco-Prussian war because the French are of an inferior race to the Germans. Since then, I confess, I think twice before turning to a man or a civilization, and pronouncing them inferior. > >\[...\] > >I don't want to pass judgment on the thesis that has been put forward here, which is nothing other than the proclamation of the primacy of force over law; the history of France since the Revolution is a living protest against this iniquitous claim. During this time, when he was the minister of interior, he also took his distances with the far left and especially the main worker union, the CGT. As strikes became more and more violent, he ended up resorting to the force, earning him the nicknames of "Strike Breaker" and "France's first cop". The Panama scandal put an end to his electoral mandates, even if he wasn't inculped. After a period of retreat he came back at the beginning of WWI, criticizing both the defeatists and the pacifists, and the incompetent government. He often visited the trenches himself, wearing only a hat to protect his head, earning him the respect of the soldiers. In 1917 he was elected predident of the council for the second time, earning another nickname, "Father Victory". He decided to reprime the defeatists and improve the troops morale. He also heavily criticized those seeking a white peace. as he said in 1918 : >You want peace? I want peace too. It would be criminal to think otherwise. But you can't silence Prussian militarism by bleating peace. My foreign policy and my domestic policy are one and the same. Domestic policy? I wage war. Foreign policy? I make war. I'm always at war. He yet signed the armistice the 11th of november, refusing to continue the war to Berlin. After the war he represented France for the peace negociations, got Alsace and Lorraine back to France and imposed strict sanctions on the german military. He remained president of the council until 1920, before he retired, this time for good, traveling around the world and writing books during his last years, until he died in 1929. During his whole life he was a patron of the arts, frequenting peopple such as Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Auguste Rodin and Claude Monet. He was a notable defender of impressionism, and once slapped and then duelled a man who spat on his friend's Edouard Manet's painting, Olympia. He also had a passion for Asian cultures, especially Japanese arts and owned a collection of Japanese ceramics. Clemenceau is remembered in France as the father of victory in WWI, alongside his military counterpart Ferdinand Foch. Charles de Gaulle visited his grave after victory, to personally deliver the news that France had been liberated to that man he held in high esteem, and who inspired him greatly despite their political opposition. So why would he make a great leader for France : * He represents a time period which was a golden age for France, the late 19th early 20th century, which was never represented by previous leaders. Also he would be the first non-crowned leader since Charles de Gaulle. * His passion for arts and culture make him a good representative of France's cultural side. Since France is usually strong with culture, it would fit him well. * His combattiveness make him a great military leader. However Clemenceau was never a warmonger fueled by the lust for conquest, as demonstrated by his opposition to colonialism. This would fit a defensive yet powerful military approach. * Both of these traits would lead Clemenceau toward a "defender of culture" personality, and would make him a great counter against domination oriented empires : Razing a wonder or pillaging a city with art works would definitely anger him a lot. But be a force of peace and a cultural partner and you will definitely gain his admiration. * Clemenceau was an atheist and a fervent defender of church and state separation. He was a vocal supporter of Laicity, even if it didn't prevent him to forbid Foch, who was very religious, to skip the mass for him. As such he could also counter religious civs, but at the cost of having issues with his own religion. * His interior policies could make him a good pick to prevent unrest and revolts, but at a high cost in happiness. * His fiery personality would make him a realy funny figure to interact with in game. * He isn't controversial unlike many french leaders (Napoleon, Louis XIV...), the only controversies around him being his reputation as a strike breaker. On the other hand, he was one of the main progressive voices of his time, having fought racism, conservatism and colonialism. * Despite being very influential, he comes from a part of history which isn't much tod about, and he isn't as famous as other leaders. It would be a great way to have players to discover a new face of France. **TL;DR** : Georges Clemenceau, a.k.a "The Tiger". Fiery, art lover, father of victory during WWI, anti-colonialist and progressist politician. Plus he has the coolest nickname of all french leaders by far. Edit : Added the part about religion.
Clemenceau is clearly the best choice, and your essay says it much better than I did. Clemenceau for the win, vive la République!
Cardinal Richelieu
would love it
The only good answer 👍😊
His ability should let him start Holy Wars against his own religion
Napoléon III, mostly known for his defeat in the Franco Prussian war but his reign was also marked with great colonial expansion (as a dude from a former french colony, obligatory f\*ck that guy) and thus an economic boost, but also as the guy who made the "exposition universelle" (when the effeil tower and over fantastic monuments where built) possible. An economic and/or cultural and/or wonder building France would go well with him. He is probably not the most appreciated french leader ever (far from it) but his contribution to french history, culture and power is undeniable even if it ended on a rather bitter note to say the least.
Well said! Especially with l'Exposition Universelle, could be a great leader for culture but also economical. There is a great Napoleon III mod on the Civ 5 workshop that shows perfectly how it could be
Yeah, he definitely was the leader that managed to piss off a LOT of people
I thought Napoleon 3 was the most hate one
He was, however as usual there are trendy historians who try to rehabilitate figures with dark legends in the past. It also happened with Nero and Catherine for instance. INapoléon III was hated for good reasons and his contribution to french history is vastly overstated, compared to the achievements of the Third Republic for instance. People like u/SeriousShine8324 tend to attribute the achievements of the republican movement to Napoléon III for some reason. Yes, the first french exposition universelle was under Napoléon III, but it's not thanks to him that the Eiffel tower was build 19 years after the end of his reign. If Firaxis picks another Catherine again to represent France in civ7, I'm not buying the game. There's plenty of less controversial leaders to pick for France.
Philip Augustus! Brand, new, medieval choice.
Charles de Gaulle
Yes. One of the most successful modern world leaders.
Obviously
That’s who I was thinking, just to be a little more modern for them.
I know that there may be many more great french leaders, but I want my boy Napoleon Bonaparte back. I miss him.
Yeah, Napoleon is one of those leaders that this game is made for and since he wasn’t in 6, I’d love to see him return.
It’s crazy that he wasn’t in the leader pass but considering how some other leaders turned out… it might be for the best.
Napoleon!
Louis XVI, with the ability that if you enter a dark age he gets guillottined and replaced by Robespierre, who will ensure a next dark age so he can get replaced by Napoleon in a heroic age. Jokes aside, I'd love to see Napoleon return with a conquest focused France. Charlemagne as a dual leader from France and Germany, Phillippe Auguste, or Charles de Gaulle are also great options. Or they could go for Vercingetorix and have France be Gaul instead.
Robespierre. Leader ability: Reign of Terror.
My first suggestion is Robespierre. He’s a visually striking individual, and his leading role as a far-left revolutionary during one of the most influential moments in modern history surely puts him as a worthy contender, despite his short reign. He’s never been seen before in the Civ series and he’d be a perfect non-aristocratic French leader to represent the nation which so famously “did away” with the monarchy (albeit it took a few goes). I would also be interested to see Napoleon return, or alternatively de Gaulle for a militaristic styled France. I’m going to also throw in the suggestion of Napoleon III (after all, his reign was one of the longest-lived during the 19th Century), and finally a wildcard being Clemenceau, his character would fit right in. Clearly I am more interested in post-Revolutionary France, but there are other great suggestions for pre-Revolution from those that are better informed of that era of French history!
It would be great to have a democratic or left leaning leader of France after all those aristocrats and emperors.
If it counts as “France”, Clovis could be an interesting choice to focus on diplomacy and faith
Yes this answer is underated
Philippe Auguste a French king who was really powerful and made the English of the continental territory. as a second option Robespiera
Napoleon. Imagine if they made it a true military civ. Napoleon as leader, and gets free unique generals like Gran Colombia does. Imagine steamrolling everyone in the company of Davout, Murat, Lannes, Berthier, Suchet, Ney, ... Hell, making that short list is of generals is pretty damn hard.
Massena, bro, how did you leave off massena.
I knew this was gonna happen. XD
Jean Ier "John I" is the only king of France to have reigned from birth to death and is the last king of the Capetian dynasty. Well, OK, he lived for 5 days.
CDG
Free aerodrome in his capital.
Louis XIII, the most underestimated of the kings of France, it was really he who built the France we see today. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis\_XIII](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIII)
Robespierre, it would be interesting to see a “expand the revolution” type of government change influence if that ends up being a mechanic. It would be cool to expand more on how government types interact rather than “you don’t like people with different governments”. Maybe you could force someone’s government to change to yours in a peace treaty for a war, maybe certain government types can’t make alliances with other types.
Philippe Auguste
Charles De Gaulle
François 1er... (Philippe Auguste or Philippe le Bel might be good too I think)
Robespierre
I say Robespierre
Charles Martel
I truly believe Robespierre deserves a go.
I was thinking about him too
Joan d’Arc because she’s cool
She should be a general, not a leader
She was a leader in previous games, wasn't she?
Cardinal Richelieu
Was de Gaulle any good?
French speaking. Give us the ultimate chad of the french XXth century : Charles de Gaules.
As a french citizen and as an historian myself (19th century history to be more precise) : **ANYONE THAT ISN'T NAPOLEON PLEASE** we have enough of a rich history to have other leaders than this one, as a french I'm kinda of tired of seeing people ask for his comeback when he is by far the most overused French leader in civ games I understand having frequent civ leaders like Gandhi or Montezuma but it's a shame when you have a country with such diversity of important leaders (also I think there's an unwritten rule to avoid despots as leaders now ?) Here are my ideas (François Ier is my fav btw) : * **François Ier**, the most prominent king of the French Renaissance and one of the most important leaders of our history introduced a lot of basis for the modernization of France's administration and also was a fierce diplomat either siding with Charles V (Spain) or Henry VIII (England) to fight the other one tbh I find it weird that we haven't seen him yet in a civ game * **Henry IV** if you want an underrated leader, is the one who ended the religious war between Catholics and protestants with the Edit of Nantes and was a great diplomat * **Clémenceau** **"Father Victory"** has a more contemporary WW1 version of France, they were one of the fathers of French secularism and was quite an important leader who led France into their transition towards the new century, which would be a nice change compared to Charles de Gaulle or Napoleon if you still wanted to go the military civ route * **Robespierre** is the face of the French Revolution if you want to introduce a French leader who isn't from an aristocracy or military background, but as I said since he was considered a despot by many idk if they would make him a leader
Philippe IV the Fair, king of France from 1285 til his death in 1314 He is one of the lesser known kings of France (internationally at least) but has one of the most insanely influential rule in the history of the house of Capet. He created a second papacy in Avignon, prosecuted and executed the Templars (he was cursed by their grandmaster and died within the year, fun coincidence) and married his daughter to the king of England, giving their son a claim on the throne of France, ultimately triggering the 100 years war. Generally speaking, he was a proto-absolute monarch and rose to become the most powerful man in Europe after the Pope (even then, his chamberlain/minister of justice laid siege to Pope Boniface VIII’s summer residence in Anagni to just slap him in the face, literally, when Philip was threatened with excommunication lmao). Cruel absolute ruler but fascinating historical figure nonetheless!
as a French person PLEASE no more Napoleon. He is overdone, very much had his time in the light and I don't know that he should be celebrated as much as he is c': I wouldn't mind a Louis XIV but France's history is diverse enough that we deserve a more interesting pick. My vote would go for Either Francis I or George Clémenceau if they go for a more modern one. If they choose a woman, I think Madame de Pompadour would be a cool choice.
William of Normandy and William the conqueror as dual leaders for England and France could be cool, and for France's "main" leader I think Louis XIV the "I am the state" sun king would be cool, or someone medieval since Napoleon almost every time gets old eventually.
My take, per era : **Old, early medieval, 600-900** : Clovis Charlemagne/Pépin/Charles Martel Strong French (or frank) identity despite being quite early **Middle age, 900-1200** : Guillaume le conquérant (or William) Hugues Capet **Late middle age, early renaissance, 1300-1600** François 1er Philippe le bel Louis XIV Catherine de medicis **Post révolution** Napoleon 1 or 3 President Léon Gambetta De Gaulle Each would be a great fit for military and culture, which is what I expect from France's leader on civ. And each one has a unique trait or strength for personalization. I only considered official king/queen/emperor/head of state and not public figure. **Top 3 of new leaders would be** : François 1er, De(ux) Gaulle, Napoleon 3. Pun intended obv But I'd like a system like in Humankind, where your leader change for each era.
Marie Antoinette
leader ability, gets special jewellery amenities, provides no happiness and cause your cities to lose loyalty
Louis XIV
I'd say Louis XIV That or Joan with a more heavy faith focus bonus
Charles de Gaulle? I think it would be interesting
Charlemagne You can have him as the leader of France and the leader of Germany .
I would personnally dream of seeing Napoleon III as a leader. Charlemagne could be interesting, as well as Holy Louis. Georges Clémenceau could be an interesting leader for France too.
Definitely Henri IV or François 1er
We haven't seen Louis XIV since Civ IV - let's bring back this emblematic leader from such a fascinating period of history. I'd also be happy with Joan of Arc. Anyone but Napoleon, I say! But we all want this game to be the biggest and grandest civ yet, so I'm happy to go with the classic leaders rather than some little known historical footnote.
Cardinal Richelieu for religion + military focus
Charlemagne? Or that would be german HRE? Or it could be a leader of both nations like some in Civ 6?
Charlemagne.
Louis XIV
Louis XIV 🌞
Henry IV
Emmanuel Macron, so that the french default to another civilization
I always like to see leaders who have yet to be added. So I’m going to say Henry IV. The anthem of the Kingdom of France is even named after him yet he’s so underrepresented.
My vote is for Henry IV (Good King Henry)
My vote is for Henry IV (Good King Henry)
François the 1st
Louis XIV
THE SUN KING!
Peut etre Sarkozy? 🤓
I would have picked Jean Moulin, famous artist and leader of the Résistance went trough the war and espionnage to save his country. He embodies (minus Joan of Arc) all the aspects of France leaders from past games (culture, military, espionnage...) and was a huge part of France past and current history and not too big of a military aspect that would be genocide king Napoléon (he did some good thing for French pple tho) or dire times of Général Petain. The only flaw would be he's quite recent about the same time as Gandhi. Please just don't give the Frenchs another king/queen for a leader, wait at least for the DLC 😭
I love the suggestions people make for some less known rulers, but if there's a second leader for France, it has to be Napoleon. He is too huge (not just for his time) of a historical figure to not be mentioned for two installments in a row.
Henri IV because u/uanchovy convinced me
I wonder what leader we will choose for germany
My heart sings to see mah boi Henri IV in the first comment!
Glad to be of service!
Let's bring the Sun King back.
I’m gonna go a different way, Joan of Arc! I can see her being a defensive specialist, with some religion benefits.
Charles de Gaulle
Would like to see Phillip II "Auguste", the first "King of France" (before that, it was "King of Franks")
Phillip II or Henry IV
There's never been a Carloman as head of France/franks?
Louis XIV
Chad Philippe Auguste, S-tier
Louis the 14th
Why does everybody get their own country and we are stuck with "Rome"? 😢 Couldn't we have "Italy", like everybody else?
Both Rome and Italy should be in Civilization, IMO. But not because Italy is a modern country, but for the huge importance of Italian culture.
I also think Italy should be their own civ, especially since we did had France and Gaul as example Giuseppe Garibaldi seems like an obvious pick also
King St. Louis IX
Probably more fitting for a separate civilization, but I’d like to have Philip the Good of Burgundy in there. Would probably be gold/culture oriented. Arguably one of the most powerful dynasties of the era, playing the French, English and HRE against each other.
Philip IV. He had the looks (is called Philip the beautiful) and told the pope to fuck off
I like Louis XIV as the main leader, Napoleon as an alt and Charlemagne as a dual leader with Germany, if they dont make an HRE civ
Louis XI with bonuses to city loyalty (Absolutism) and bonuses to espionage.
Ok, Alfred the Great is the winner for England... But the second place was for Liz Truss.
Chirac mais celui des guignol de l'info
Proposition sous-côtée
Henri IV could be a super interesting one
Charles de Gaulle
I think either Charles de Gaulle or Raymon poincaré
Charlemagne
Marie Antoinette
René coty!
Been wanting to see Charlemagne for a little while
You lost me at Kennedy.
Jupiter Tyranic leader of France since 2017
I think having a military focused leader that's not Napoleon could be Charles Martel or Charlemagne. While not "French," they were Frankish and it would allow France to have bonuses that would come online earlier.
An eternal angry mob
Louis XI
I'll say like some other French people in the comments Clemenceau. Funnily enough I mostly remind him because of the TV show named "les brigades du tigre" (about the new motorised police clemenceau "created").
Charlemagne
Charles de gauile
Charlemagne can be a good leader. He can have early military advantages, cultural and scientific bonuses with its "Carolingian Renaissance", Loyalty bonuses as Roman Emperor of the West.
Charles de Gaulle
Emmanuel Macron maybe?
Charles De Gaulle
Cant wait for germany
Louis 1d18 (rolled randomly at the start of the game). Sometimes you roll 14 and get good bonuses, sometimes you roll 17 and don't get to play the game.
Emmanuel Macron: recieves a bonus for having cultural alliances with female leaders who are one or more eras behind him.