Why did France decline after its kings became less and less French? Why did France choose foreign kings?

Question

Was it unwise for the French to choose Louis XIV (Spanish, Italian, Polish, German) and Louis XVI? Was it wise for Louis XV to have a Polish queen and Louis XVI to have an Austrian queen?

Answer 1

It's unwise to let anyone with no real political knowledge govern a nation, especially if we're basing supposed wisdom on birth right and blood lineage.  Ineptitude did the French monarchy in, my friend.  It also didn't help that the commoners saw their nation being ruled by folks without French interest, true.

Answer 2

In the mddle ages and the centuries to follow, all european dynasties were more or less related.Marrying into other dynasties as means to increase power were common.Additionally, the need to find a spouse that matched ones own social status and rank resulted in such marriages.Thus, most noblemen and sovereigns could trace their origin to several foreign countries.

Answer 3

Ummm, France didn't CHOOSE their kings.  No country does.  It's kind of the definition of a KING.  They get that way by being born to the previous king.

And where do you get off saying that they weren't FRENCH!?

They were born in France, of French fathers, who, of course, had to marry foreign queens.

If anything, the French royalty suffered from exactly that, keeping the blood "pure royal", and marrying their first cousins.

Henry IV married a Spanish princess, thier siblings married each other, so their children (first cousins both by father and mother) married each other.  Louis XIII married Anne of Austria (Spanish princess), and Felipe IV (Anne's brother) married Louis sister.  THEN, their children: Louis XIV married the princess of Spain, his first cousin to the fourth power, and thier siblings married each other, as well.  No wonder the Spanish royal line died out completely in 1700.  Their last king was retarded.  Literally, and born with syphillis, as well, I think, anyway, the inbreeding and indescriminate s*x killed them off.  It's a wonder the French kings survived long enough to be murdered.