Philip VI of France

Philip VI of France was the first Valois king. Chosen after Charles IV died without a male heir in 1328, he rejected Edward III's claim to the French crown, moved against English-held Aquitaine, and ruled during the opening defeats of the Hundred Years War.

Born: 1293 CE
Died: 1350 CE
Role: King of France

King of France (1293-1350)

1293-1350 CE

Read life story Connected stories Related figures View facts

Portrait of Philip VI of France wearing a crown and blue fleur-de-lis robe

Quick facts

Profile details

Additional identity and tagging details that are not already covered in the introduction.

Also known as: Philip VI, Philip of Valois

Facts

Philip VI of France timeline facts

Selected specifics from this profile's life story.

1328: Chosen after crisis
1330s: Aquitaine and authority
1346-1347: Crecy and Calais
1350: A troubled legacy

Life Journey

The Valois king who inherited a crisis

Follow Philip VI from disputed succession to the war's first great shocks.

1 of 5/Chosen after crisis

Next: Aquitaine and authority

1328

Chosen after crisis

Philip of Valois was chosen as king after Charles IV died without a surviving son, excluding Edward III's claim through Isabella.

1330s

Aquitaine and authority

Philip used feudal authority to pressure Edward III over English-held Aquitaine, sharpening tensions between the two crowns.

1337

War begins

After Philip declared Edward's French lands confiscated, Edward answered by formally claiming the French crown.

1346-1347

Crecy and Calais

Philip suffered a major defeat at Crecy, and England then captured Calais, gaining a lasting foothold in France.

1350

A troubled legacy

Philip died with the Valois monarchy still standing but badly shaken by war, plague and English victories.

1328

Chosen after crisis

Philip of Valois was chosen as king after Charles IV died without a surviving son, excluding Edward III's claim through Isabella.

Complete chronology

Full overview and deeper context for every journey step.

1328

Chosen after crisis

Philip VI's accession was a political solution to a dynastic problem. He came from a male branch of the Capetian family and seemed a safer French choice than Edward III, whose claim came through his mother and whose power base was England. The decision helped define French succession as male-line succession.

A succession decision can become a constitutional principle when enough powerful people need it to hold.

1330s

Aquitaine and authority

Philip's authority over Aquitaine was not a minor legal detail. The English king held the duchy as a French vassal, allowing Philip to treat Edward as a subordinate lord in France. Edward saw this as an attack on sovereignty. Philip saw it as the normal right of a king enforcing order inside his realm.

Medieval law could be a practical weapon when sovereignty was unclear.

1337

War begins

The confiscation of Aquitaine helped turn rivalry into open war. Philip meant to discipline a vassal; Edward replied by denying Philip's legitimacy as king. The dispute now joined dynastic claim, feudal law, territory and trade into a conflict neither side could easily retreat from.

Escalation often begins when each side uses a different definition of the same relationship.

1346-1347

Crecy and Calais

Crecy damaged Philip's authority because it exposed the limits of French military organisation against English defensive tactics and longbowmen. The subsequent loss of Calais turned defeat into a strategic problem. England now held a secure Channel port from which future campaigns could be supported.

A king can survive defeat, but repeated failure changes how subjects judge royal competence.

1350

A troubled legacy

Philip VI founded the Valois line under pressure rather than triumph. His reign preserved the French crown from Edward's claim, but it also opened a conflict that France was not yet ready to win. Later Valois rulers would have to rebuild from the military and political weaknesses exposed during his reign.

Founding a dynasty is not the same as securing it.

Continue in context