throne produced military disasters et Crécy (1346) and Poitiers (1356). Desperate
expedients, such as the grant of Burgundy in apanage to John II the Good’s son, Philip
the Bold, and reliance on mercenary companies led to military chaos and aristocratic
defiance. Though Charles V (r. 1364–80) revitalized the monarchy, the unfortunate
Charles VI (r. 1380–1422) almost destroyed it. Charles VII (r. 1422–61) required a
lifetime to discipline his forces and expel the English, but by the time of Louis XI (r.
1461–83) and Charles VIII (r. 1483–98) the dynasty was able to acquire Burgundy and
Brittany and even forcefully press its claims south of the Pyrénées and the Alps.
Nonetheless, the most profound Valois challenge was to preserve the Capetian
constitutional legacy. Philip VI and his immediate heirs, dependent on their magnate
allies, did little. Only after a century of chaos would France allow Charles VII and Louis
XI to consolidate their bureaucratic governance of France through such devices as the
imposition of the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges, the establishment of the ordonnance
companies, the regularization of the taille, and the expansion of the parlements. As a
result, Charles VIII was able to pass a clearly acknowledged sovereignty and political
ascendency on to the “Renaissance Monarchs” of the later Valois era. Despite setbacks,
the early Valois not only preserved but ultimately expanded their Capetian inheritance by
defeating military adversaries, consolidating political power, expanding crown domain,
and extending French frontiers beyond those of the medieval monarchy.
Paul D.Solon
[See also: CHARLES OF VALOIS; EDWARD III; HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR;
PHILIP VI; RECONQUEST OF FRANCE]
Cuttler, Simon H. The Law of Treason and Treason Trials in Later Medieval France. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1981.
Deneuil-Cormier, Anne. Wise and Foolish Kings: The First House of Valois, 1328–1498. Garden
City: Doubleday, 1980.
Famiglietti, Richard C. Royal Intrigue: Crisis at the Court of Charles VI, 1392–1420. New York:
AMS, 1986.
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