House Valois
The Capetian cadet line that held the French crown from 1328 to 1589 and fought the Hundred Years' War.
via Wikipedia: House of Valois · see source
The House of Valois was a junior branch of the Capetian dynasty that took over the French throne from the Direct Capetians and ruled France from 1328 to 1589. Its line runs back to Charles, Count of Valois, a younger son of King Philip III. The family's right to rule rested on the rule, first applied in 1316 and later tied to Salic law, that shut out women and anyone claiming through a female line. Its cadet branches spread to Orléans, Anjou, Burgundy and Alençon, and when the male Valois line died out, the House of Bourbon inherited the crown.
Quick Facts
- Realm
- Kingdom of France
- Ruled
- 1328 - 1589
- Parent dynasty
- Capetian dynasty
- First king
- Philip VI
- Succeeded by
- House of Bourbon
Facts from the source article.
Background
Philip IV left three sons, Louis, Philip and Charles, and each reigned in turn, yet none produced a surviving male heir. When Charles IV died in 1328, three claimants stood out: Philip, Count of Valois, the nearest heir in the male line and already chosen as regent; Joan of Navarre, daughter of Louis X; and Edward III of England, grandson of Philip IV through his mother Isabella of France. The French magnates rejected any claim passed through a woman and crowned Philip of Valois as Philip VI. Relations with England soured, and when Philip VI seized the Duchy of Aquitaine in 1337, Edward answered by calling himself the rightful King of France. That quarrel opened the Hundred Years' War, which ran until 1453.
Did You Know?
- English and British monarchs kept a formal claim to the French throne until 1801.
- Charles VI came to the throne at the age of 11, the first minority reign since 1226.
- Henry V married Catherine of Valois, daughter of the French king.
- Charles II of Navarre, of the Évreux branch, also pursued the French crown.
More in Factions & Groups
Elsewhere in Crusader Kings
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced