History of France
Victory in the Hundred Years' War had the effect of strengthening French nationalism and hugely increasing the power and reach of the French monarchy. During the Ancien Régime period over the next centuries, France changed into a centralized absolute monarchy through Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. At the height of the French Wars of Religion, France became involved in another succession crisis, as the last Valois king, Henry III, fought against rival groups the House of Bourbon and the House of Guise. Henry, the Bourbon King of Navarre, won the conflict and established the Bourbon dynasty. A growing worldwide colonial empire was established in the 16th century. French political power reached a high point under the rule of Louis XIV, "The Sun King".