He was born on 27 June 1870 in Vevey, son of Prince Charles of Spain and France (who later became King Charles XI of France) and his wife Princess Margaret of Bourbon-Parma. James I became King of France upon the death of his father on 18 July 1909. He died on 2 October 1931 in the Palace of Versailles, Paris. He was unmarried. He was succeeded as King of France by his paternal uncle, Alphonse I.