A Semantic and Political Evolution of Royal Title in France (680–1790)

Abstract This article investigates the semantic and political evolution of royal titles in France from the Merovingian period to the French Revolution. By analyzing original royal seals and avoiding interpretative distortions from later copies and translations, the study identifies the first monarch to adopt the title “roi de France” in vernacular French. It argues that title changes reflect shifts in political regimes rather than linguistic trends. The article proposes 24 April 1617, the day of Louis XIII’s Coup de Majesté, as the symbolic birth of the modern French State.