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English claims to the French throne
From 1340, English monarchs, beginning with the Plantagenet king Edward III, asserted that they were the rightful kings of France. They fought the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) in part to enforce this claim, though ultimately without success. From the early 16th century, the claim had lost any realistic prospect of fulfilment, although every English and later British monarch, from Edward III to George III, styled themselves king or queen of France until 1801.
Edward's claim was through his mother, Isabella, sister of the last direct line Capetian king of France, Charles IV. Women were excluded from inheriting the French crown and Edward was Charles's nearest male relative. On Charles's death in 1328, however, the French magnates supported Philip VI, the first king of the House of Valois, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. Philip was Charles's nearest male line relative. French jurists later argued that it was a fundamental law of the kingdom that the crown could not be inherited through the female line. This was supposedly based on the 6th-century Frankish legal code known as the Salic law, although the link to the Salic law, which was tenuous in any case, was not made until the 15th century.
Edward, whose main concern was to protect his French fief of Gascony, spent much of his reign at war with the Valois kings but never secured the crown. His great-grandson, Henry V, following his crushing victory at Agincourt, was able to impose the Treaty of Troyes on the French in 1420. This stipulated that he and his heirs would succeed the Valois king Charles VI on his death. Both kings died in 1422 and Henry's son, Henry VI, was crowned king of both countries, creating the so-called "dual monarchy". However, he was only recognised as king in northern France. French resistance to the dual monarchy resulted in the English being expelled from France by 1453, ending the Hundred Years' War, but leaving Calais as the last remaining English possession.
Later English attempts to win the French throne failed, the last being an invasion by Henry VIII in 1523. Calais was lost in 1558. England and France continued to fight wars but none was over the claim to the crown. The use of the title by English and later by British monarchs was ignored by the French, as the claim had long ceased to have any practical significance. However, following the French Revolution, the new republican government of France objected to the practice and the title was no longer used from 1801. The claim was finally abandoned in 1802.
Since the Norman Conquest English kings had held territories in France. These were extensive at the height of the "Angevin Empire" of the House of Plantagenet in the 12th century, leading to a lengthy conflict with the French monarchs. However, by the early 14th century the Plantagenet domains had been reduced to Gascony, also known as the Duchy of Aquitaine, in south-western France and the smaller enclave of Ponthieu in northern France.
Until 1259, the English kings held Gascony as allod, that is, effectively, as independent sovereign territory. By the Treaty of Paris in that year, Louis IX forced Henry III of England to accept a new status for the duchy as a feudal dependency of the kingdom of France. The lands were then held as a vassal of the French king for which the English king had to do him homage. The disparity between the feudal vassal–overlord relationship and the political reality of both being sovereign kings led to tension and conflict.
Contention over the political status of Gascony on two occasions resulted in war and the French king exercising his feudal rights to confiscate the fief. A dispute in 1294 with Edward I over feudal rights caused Philip IV to order confiscation of the duchy, resulting in the Gascon War. Peace was eventually restored and the duchy returned in 1303. As part of the settlement, Edward I's son, the future Edward II, married Philip's daughter Isabella. However, another dispute and war in 1324 led Philip's son Charles IV to confiscate the duchy from his brother-in-law Edward II but it was again restored three years later.
In 1327, Edward II was deposed and his and Isabella's son, Edward III, became king of England at the age of 14. Edward III's uncle, Charles IV, died the following year.
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English claims to the French throne
From 1340, English monarchs, beginning with the Plantagenet king Edward III, asserted that they were the rightful kings of France. They fought the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) in part to enforce this claim, though ultimately without success. From the early 16th century, the claim had lost any realistic prospect of fulfilment, although every English and later British monarch, from Edward III to George III, styled themselves king or queen of France until 1801.
Edward's claim was through his mother, Isabella, sister of the last direct line Capetian king of France, Charles IV. Women were excluded from inheriting the French crown and Edward was Charles's nearest male relative. On Charles's death in 1328, however, the French magnates supported Philip VI, the first king of the House of Valois, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. Philip was Charles's nearest male line relative. French jurists later argued that it was a fundamental law of the kingdom that the crown could not be inherited through the female line. This was supposedly based on the 6th-century Frankish legal code known as the Salic law, although the link to the Salic law, which was tenuous in any case, was not made until the 15th century.
Edward, whose main concern was to protect his French fief of Gascony, spent much of his reign at war with the Valois kings but never secured the crown. His great-grandson, Henry V, following his crushing victory at Agincourt, was able to impose the Treaty of Troyes on the French in 1420. This stipulated that he and his heirs would succeed the Valois king Charles VI on his death. Both kings died in 1422 and Henry's son, Henry VI, was crowned king of both countries, creating the so-called "dual monarchy". However, he was only recognised as king in northern France. French resistance to the dual monarchy resulted in the English being expelled from France by 1453, ending the Hundred Years' War, but leaving Calais as the last remaining English possession.
Later English attempts to win the French throne failed, the last being an invasion by Henry VIII in 1523. Calais was lost in 1558. England and France continued to fight wars but none was over the claim to the crown. The use of the title by English and later by British monarchs was ignored by the French, as the claim had long ceased to have any practical significance. However, following the French Revolution, the new republican government of France objected to the practice and the title was no longer used from 1801. The claim was finally abandoned in 1802.
Since the Norman Conquest English kings had held territories in France. These were extensive at the height of the "Angevin Empire" of the House of Plantagenet in the 12th century, leading to a lengthy conflict with the French monarchs. However, by the early 14th century the Plantagenet domains had been reduced to Gascony, also known as the Duchy of Aquitaine, in south-western France and the smaller enclave of Ponthieu in northern France.
Until 1259, the English kings held Gascony as allod, that is, effectively, as independent sovereign territory. By the Treaty of Paris in that year, Louis IX forced Henry III of England to accept a new status for the duchy as a feudal dependency of the kingdom of France. The lands were then held as a vassal of the French king for which the English king had to do him homage. The disparity between the feudal vassal–overlord relationship and the political reality of both being sovereign kings led to tension and conflict.
Contention over the political status of Gascony on two occasions resulted in war and the French king exercising his feudal rights to confiscate the fief. A dispute in 1294 with Edward I over feudal rights caused Philip IV to order confiscation of the duchy, resulting in the Gascon War. Peace was eventually restored and the duchy returned in 1303. As part of the settlement, Edward I's son, the future Edward II, married Philip's daughter Isabella. However, another dispute and war in 1324 led Philip's son Charles IV to confiscate the duchy from his brother-in-law Edward II but it was again restored three years later.
In 1327, Edward II was deposed and his and Isabella's son, Edward III, became king of England at the age of 14. Edward III's uncle, Charles IV, died the following year.