Philip VI of France

Philip VI of Valois (French: Philippe VI de Valois; 1293 – August 22, 1350) was the King of France from 1328 to his death, and Count of Anjou, Maine, and Valois 1325–1328. He was the son of Charles of Valois and founded the Valois Dynasty.

Reign

The reign of Philippe VI was punctuated with crises. The reign began with military success in Flanders, where Philip's forces reseated Charles de Nevers, Count of Flanders, who had been unseated by a popular revolution: the able Jeanne gave the first of many demonstrations of her competence as regent in his absence. Afterwards, Edward III, smarting from having to pay hommage for his Duchy of Guienne, claimed the throne, and with his landing on French soil in 1337 the Hundred Years War had begun. At the sea-battle of Sluys ("l'Ecluse") in 1340, the loss of an entire French fleet was a disaster, and again at Crécy in 1346 many of the French knights were struck down. Much more devastating, in 1348 the Black Death struck, which killed one-third of the entire population, including the Queen, within a few years. The resulting labor shortage caused inflation to soar, and the king attempted to fix prices, further de-stabilizing the country. Though the Dauphiné and the territory of Montpellier in the Languedoc were added to France, on his death, France was still very much a divided country filled with social unrest.

Related Topics:
Count of Flanders - Hundred Years War - Battle of Sluys - 1340 - Crécy - 1346 - 1348 - Black Death - Dauphiné - Montpellier

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