After the death of Charles IV with no male heir, Philip of Valois took the throne as Philip VI, starting the House of Valois as France’s ruling dynasty. The disputed succession also helped set up later conflict with England over claims to the French crown.
Philip VI confiscated the English-held duchy of Guyenne (Aquitaine/Gascony), and Edward III of England answered by asserting a claim to the French throne. This escalation opened the Hundred Years’ War, which dominated early Valois politics and finances.
The French army suffered a major defeat at Crécy, where English forces won decisively. The battle shocked contemporaries and weakened Valois military prestige in the first phase of the Hundred Years’ War.
France and England agreed to the Treaty of Brétigny, temporarily ending the first phase of the Hundred Years’ War. France made major territorial concessions and set terms for ransoming King John II, while Edward III renounced his claim to the French throne in the treaty’s terms.
An English army under Henry V defeated French forces at Agincourt, one of the most famous battles of the Hundred Years’ War. The loss deepened France’s crisis and helped England expand control in northern France during this period.
The Treaty of Troyes recognized Henry V of England and his heirs as successors to the French throne after Charles VI, and it disinherited the Dauphin (the future Charles VII). This treaty split loyalties inside France and intensified the struggle for legitimacy under the Valois.
The English siege of Orléans ended in a French victory, widely treated as a military turning point in the Hundred Years’ War. Joan of Arc’s role boosted morale for Charles VII’s cause and helped shift momentum toward Valois recovery.
Charles VII and Philip the Good of Burgundy signed the Treaty of Arras, ending a major internal feud and weakening England’s position in France. By reducing civil conflict, the Valois monarchy gained room to rebuild authority and continue the war more effectively.
French forces won the Battle of Castillon, the concluding battle of the Hundred Years’ War. The victory helped secure the Valois monarchy’s survival and marked the end of major English military power in most of France.
French armies under Charles VIII invaded Italy, beginning a long struggle for influence there. This shift moved Valois foreign policy from defending France against England to competing with major European powers, especially the Habsburgs, in Italy.
Francis I and Pope Leo X agreed to the Concordat of Bologna, reshaping relations between the French crown and the Catholic Church in France. It helped the monarchy increase influence over church offices and supported broader state centralization under the Valois.
At Pavia in Italy, Habsburg forces defeated the French and captured King Francis I. The defeat exposed the limits of Valois power in Italy and intensified the long rivalry with the Habsburgs.
Francis I issued the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, a wide legal reform best known for requiring French (instead of Latin) in many official legal records. The ordinance supported stronger central government by making administration more uniform and easier to enforce.
France and Spain agreed to the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis, concluding a long period of warfare over Italy. The settlement left Habsburg Spain dominant in Italy and freed French politics to be increasingly consumed by internal religious conflict.
King Henry II was fatally injured in a tournament and died soon after. His death helped open a period of weaker royal leadership, with power struggles at court worsening tensions between Catholics and Protestants.
Violence at Vassy, where armed supporters of the Duke of Guise attacked a Huguenot congregation, became a key trigger for open conflict. It is widely treated as the first major event of the French Wars of Religion, which weakened late Valois rule.
Killings of Huguenots in Paris began around August 24–25 and spread beyond the capital. The massacre deepened hatred between religious factions and helped restart or intensify cycles of civil war that the crown struggled to control.
In Paris, an uprising known as the Day of the Barricades drove King Henry III out of his own capital. The event showed how far royal authority had eroded during the religious wars, with powerful Catholic factions able to challenge the monarchy directly.
Henry III had Henry I, Duke of Guise, killed at Blois during the political crisis of the Catholic League. The murder widened the conflict by making compromise harder and pushing more opponents toward open rebellion.
Jacques Clément stabbed Henry III on August 1; the king died the next day, ending the male line of Valois kings. Before dying, Henry III recognized Henry of Navarre as his heir, leading to the Bourbon succession and a new phase of conflict over legitimacy.
House of Valois: accession and Valois kings of France (1328–1589)