Editing House of Valois (section)

==Hundred Years' War==
The [[Hundred Years' War]] could be considered a lengthy [[war of succession]] between the houses of Valois and Plantagenet. The early reign of [[Philip VI of France|Philip VI]] was a promising one for France. The new king fought the Flemings on behalf of his vassal, the count of Flanders, and restored that count to power. Edward III's aggression against Scotland, a French ally, prompted Philip VI to confiscate Guyenne. In the past the English kings would have to submit to the King of France. But Edward, having descended from the French kings, claimed the throne for himself. France was then at the height of its power. No one believed that the English king could make good his claim to France.

Edward's initial strategy was to ally with Flanders and the princes of the Empire. The alliances were costly and not very productive. While on a truce the French and English kings intervened in the [[War of the Breton Succession]]. In 1346, Edward invaded France and pillaged the countryside rather than attempt to hold territory. French forces led by Philip VI confronted Edward III at the [[Battle of Crécy]], which resulted in a devastating and humiliating defeat for the French. Despite this, the most that Edward could make out of his victory was the capture of Calais.

[[John II of France|John II]] succeeded his father Philip VI in 1350. He was menaced by [[Charles II of Navarre]], of the Évreux branch of the Capetian family, who aspired to the French throne by the right of his mother, the senior descendant of [[Philip IV of France]]. Charles' character eventually alienated both the French and English monarchs, because he readily switched sides whenever it suited his interest. In 1356, [[Edward, the Black Prince]], eldest son and heir of Edward III, led an army to a [[chevauchée]] in France. John pursued the Black Prince, who tried to avoid battling the French king's superior force. Negotiations broke down. In the [[Battle of Poitiers]], the French suffered another humiliating defeat, and their king was captured. Edward hoped to capitalize on the victory by invading France and having himself crowned at Reims. But the new leader, the Dauphin [[Charles V of France|Charles]], avoided another pitched battle, and the city of Reims withstood siege. In the [[Treaty of Brétigny]], the English king gained an enlarged Aquitaine in full sovereignty, gave up the duchy of Touraine, the counties of Anjou and Maine, the suzerainty of Brittany and of Flanders, and his claim to the French throne.

[[Charles V of France|Charles V]] became king in 1364. He supported [[Henry of Trastámara]] in the [[Castilian Civil War]], while the Black Prince supported the reigning king, [[Peter of Castile]]. The Black Prince won, but Peter refused to pay for his expenses. The Black Prince tried to recover his losses by raising taxes in Aquitaine, which prompted them to appeal to the King of France. War was renewed. The French recovered their territories place after place. When Charles died in 1380, only Calais, Bordeaux and Bayonne were left to the English.

The ancient, great families of the feudal nobility had largely been replaced by an equally powerful class – the princes of the royal blood. With the confiscation of Guyenne, the only remaining non-Capetian peer was the Count of Flanders. The Montfort dukes of Brittany, the houses of Évreux and Bourbon, and the princes of the House of Valois, constituted the great nobility of the kingdom.

Succeeding to the throne at the age of 11, the reign of [[Charles VI of France]] was the first [[Minority reign|minority]] since that of Saint Louis' in 1226. Power devolved into the hands of his uncles, the dukes of Anjou, Berry and Burgundy. The dukes squandered the resources of the monarchy to pursue their own ends. Anjou pursued his claim in the [[Kingdom of Naples]]; Berry governed his large estates in Languedoc; and Burgundy, having married the heiress of Flanders, found it more convenient to rule his vast dominions from Paris. Charles terminated his uncles' regency at the age of 21, even though he would have been entitled to it as early as the age of 14. His early reign was promising, but the onset of madness, which he may have inherited from the Bourbon dukes through his mother, would prove to be disastrous for France. Burgundy, the most powerful of the princes and peers, naturally took power in his hands. But his nephew, [[Louis I, Duke of Orléans]], the king's brother, contested his authority. Rivalry between the two princes and their descendants led to the [[Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War]].

In 1415 [[Henry V of England]], great-grandson of Edward III, invaded France. In the [[Battle of Agincourt]], the Armagnac faction fought the English and were decimated. The dukes of Orléans and Bourbon were captured, and the Burgundian party gained ascendancy in Paris. Henry proceeded to conquer Normandy. The Armagnacs assassinated [[John the Fearless]], duke of Burgundy, a belated revenge for the assassination of Louis I, Duke of Orléans. The new duke, [[Philip the Good]], allied himself with the English. In the [[Treaty of Troyes]], Henry V of England became regent of France and heir to that throne; he also married [[Catherine of Valois]], the French king's daughter. The Dauphin [[Charles VII of France|Charles]] was effectively disinherited. To assume a greater appearance of legality, it was ratified by the [[Estates General (France)|Estates General]] later that year.

To accept the Treaty of Troyes would be a denial of the legitimacy of the Valois. While England was accustomed to change her kings, the French largely adhered to theirs. The treaty was recognized only in English-controlled territories in northern France, and by the allied dukes of Burgundy and Brittany. Henry V died before his sickly father-in-law, Charles VI, leaving the future of the Lancastrian Kingdom of France in the hands of his infant son [[Henry VI of England]], and his brother, [[John, Duke of Bedford]].

The able leadership of Bedford prevented Charles VII from retaking control of northern France. In 1429, [[Joan of Arc]] successfully raised the siege of Orléans and had the king crowned at Reims, an important French propaganda victory. Power struggles between Bedford, his brother [[Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester]], and their uncle [[Cardinal Beaufort]] hampered the English war effort. The Duke of Burgundy, alienated by the blunders of Gloucester, reconciled with the King of France in the [[Congress of Arras|Treaty of Arras]], 1435. Bedford had died that same year.

The warring parties arranged long truces, during which the French king prepared for the renewal of war, while the English relaxed and took a break from fresh taxes. By 1450, the French had reconquered Normandy, and Guyenne the next year. A final English attempt to recover their losses ended in decisive defeat at the [[Battle of Castillon]], 1453. With this victory, the English had been expelled in all of France except Calais. The Valois succession was upheld and confirmed.
{{Hundred Years' War family tree}}