Charles, Count of Valois

"Charles of Valois" redirects here. For other uses, seeCharles de Valois.

Charles
Effigy of Charles of Valois, Basilica of Saint-Denis
Count of Valois
Reign	1284–1325
Successor	Philip the Fortunate
Count of Anjou
Reign	1290–1325
Predecessor	Charles II of Naples
Successor	Philip VI of France
Co-ruler	Margaret(1290–1299)
Latin Emperor of Constantinople
Reign	1301–1307
Predecessor	Catherine I(as sole ruler)
Successor	Catherine II
Co-ruler	Catherine I
Born	12 March 1270
Died	16 December 1325(1325-12-16)(aged 55) Nogent-le-Roi
Burial	St. Denis
Spouses	Margaret of Naples ​ ​ (m.1290; died 1299)​ Catherine I, Latin Empress ​ ​ (m.1301; died 1307)​ Mahaut of Châtillon ​ (m.1308)​
Issue Among others...	Philip VI, King of France Joan, Countess of Hainaut Margaret, Countess of Blois Charles II, Count of Alençon Catherine II, Latin Empress Joanna, Countess of Artois Maria, Duchess of Calabria Isabella, Duchess of Bourbon Blanche, Queen of Germany and Bohemia
House	House of Capet House of Valois(founder)
Father	Philip III of France
Mother	Isabella of Aragon

Charles of Valois(12 March 1270 – 16 December 1325), the fourth son of KingPhilip III of FranceandIsabella of Aragon,was a member of theHouse of Capetand founder of theHouse of Valois,whose rule overFrancewould start in 1328.

Charles ruled several principalities. He held inappanagethe counties ofValois,Alençon(1285), andPerche.Through his marriage to his first wife,Margaret, Countess of Anjou and Maine,he became Count ofAnjouandMaine.Through his marriage to his second wife,Catherine I of Courtenay, Empress of Constantinople,he was titularLatin Emperorof Constantinople from 1301 to 1307, although he ruled from exile and only had authority overCrusader States in Greece.

As the grandson of KingLouis IX of France,Charles of Valois was a son, brother, brother-in-law and son-in-law of kings or queens (of France, Navarre, England and Naples). His descendants, theHouse of Valois,would become the royal house of France three years after his death, beginning with his eldest son KingPhilip VI of France.

Life

Besides holding in appanage the counties of Valois, Alençon and Perche, Charles became in 1290 the Count of Anjou and of Maine by his first marriage withMargaret of Anjou,the eldest daughter of KingCharles II of Naples,titularKing of Sicily;by a second marriage that he contracted with the heiress of EmperorBaldwin II of Constantinople,lastLatin emperorofConstantinople,he also had pretensions to the throne of Constantinople.

From his early years, Charles of Valois dreamed of more and sought all his life for a crown he never obtained. Starting in 1284,Pope Martin IVrecognized him asKing of Aragon(under the vassalage of theHoly See),as the son of his mother,Isabella of Aragon,in opposition to KingPeter III of Aragon,who after theconquest of the island of Sicilywas an enemy of thePapacy.Charles hence married Margaret, the daughter of the Neapolitan king, in order to re-enforce his position inSicilywhich was supported by the Pope. Thanks to thisAragonese Crusadeundertaken by his father King Philip III against the advice of his elder brotherPhilip the Fair,he believed he would win a kingdom and however won nothing but the ridicule of having been crowned with a cardinal's hat in 1285, which gave him the alias of the "King of the Cap." He would never dare to use the royal seal which was made on this occasion and had to renounce the title.

Amid theGasconandFranco-Flemish Wars,Charles commanded effectively inFlandersin 1297.

Campaign in Italy and Invasion of Sicily

Main articles:War of the Sicilian VespersandAngevin invasion of Sicily

Dreaming of an imperial crown, Charles marriedCatherine I of Courtenayin 1301, who was the titularEmpress of Constantinople.The marriage drew Charles closer to the papacy, as his new marriage needed the connivance ofPope Boniface VIII.The pope saw Charles as a potential ally and tool to further papal influence; Boniface desired to re-install a Catholic ruler on the throne of the Byzantine Empire and thus revive the Latin Empire, which Charles now had a claim to. The pope was also eager to end the nearly 20-year long war between the papacy, Angevin Naples, and Sicily, and so hoped to have Charles' army invade Sicily.

Named papal vicar, Charles of Valois led a private French army into Italy. However, he soon lost himself in the complexity of Italian politics, namely the generational feud between theGuelphs and Ghibellines.Local nobles and church officials used his army as a tool against their political rivals, and men under his command massacred a crowd inFlorence.When his army landed on the shores of Sicily in May 1302, it faced heavy resistance from the Sicilian population. Charles' army pushed inland, but became mired inattritional warfarein the hot Sicilian summer; after a disastrous attempt to besiege Sciacca, Charles' army found itself out of supplies and surrounded on the southern coast of Sicily. Rather than see his army destroyed, Charles negotiated thePeace of Caltabellottawith the Sicilian leadership, thus ending the war of the Vespers.The Sicilian campaign had been a disaster; Charles' battered army had been forced to evacuate the island without having fought a major battle, and the treaty ended Angevin and papal attempts to re-conquer Sicily.

Claimant to French throne

Charles was back in shape to seek a new crown when the German KingAlbert I of Germanywas murdered in 1308. Charles's brother King Philip IV, who did not wish to take the risk himself of a check and probably thought that a French puppet on the imperial throne would be a good thing for France, encouraged him. The candidacy was defeated with the election ofHenry VII of Luxembourgas German king, for the electors did not want France to become even more powerful. Charles thus continued to dream of the eastern crown of the Courtenays.

He did benefit from the affection which his brother King Philip, who had suffered from the remarriage of their father, brought to his only full brother, and Charles thus found himself given responsibilities which largely exceeded his talent. Thus it was he who directed, in 1311, the royal embassy to the conferences ofTournaiwith the Flemish; he quarreled there with his brother's chamberlainEnguerrand de Marigny,who openly defied him. Charles did not pardon the affront and would continue the vendetta against Marigny after his brother King Philip's death.

In 1314, Charles was doggedly opposed to the torture ofJacques de Molay,grand master of theTemplars.

The premature death of Charles's nephew, KingLouis X of France,in 1316, gave Charles hopes for a political role. However, he could not prevent his nephewPhilip the Tallfrom taking the regency while awaiting the birth of his brother King Louis X's posthumous son. When that son (John I of France) died after a few days, Philip took the throne as KingPhilip V of France.Charles was initially opposed to his nephew Philip's succession, for Philip's elder brother King Louis X had left behind a daughter,Joan of France,his only surviving child. However, Charles later switched sides and eventually backed his nephew Philip, probably realizing that Philip's precedent would bring him and his line closer to the throne.

War against England

In 1324, Charles commanded with success the army of his nephew, KingCharles IV of France(who succeeded his elder brother King Philip V in 1322), to takeGuyenneandFlandersfrom KingEdward II of England.He contributed, by the capture of several cities, to accelerate the peace, which was concluded between the King of France and his sisterIsabella,the queen-consort of England as the wife of King Edward II.

The Count of Valois died on 16 December 1325 atNogent-le-Roi,leaving a son who would take the throne of France under the name ofPhilip VIand commence the branch of the Valois. Had he survived for three more years and outlived his nephew King Charles IV, Charles might have become king of France. Charles was buried in the now-demolished church of theCouvent des JacobinsinParis– his effigy is now in theBasilica of St Denis.

Marriages and children

Charles was married three times.

His first marriage in Aug 1290, was toMargaret, Countess of Anjou and Maine(1272–1299), daughter of KingCharles II of Naples.They had the following children:

• Isabella of Valois (1292–1309); marriedJohn, who would become Duke of Brittany.
• Philip VI of France(1293 – 22 August 1350), first king of theValois Dynasty.
• Joan of Valois, Countess of Hainaut(1294 – 7 March 1342); married CountWilliam I of Hainautand had issue.
• Margaret of Valois, Countess of Blois(1295 – July 1342); married CountGuy I of Blois,and had issue.
• Charles II, Count of Alençon(1297 – 26 August 1346 at theBattle of Crécy), also Count ofPerche,ChatresandJoigny.Married firstly Jeanne de Joigny, Countess of Joigny, and secondlyMarie de la Cerda,the youngest daughter ofFernando de la Cerda, Lord of Lara.
• Catherine (1299 – died young).

In 1302 he marriedCatherine I of Courtenay(1274–1307), titular LatinEmpress of Constantinople.She was the daughter ofPhilip I, Emperor of Constantinople.They had:

• John (1302–1308), Count of Chartres.
• Catherine II of Valois(1303 – October 1346), succeeded as titular Empress of Constantinople and Princess ofAchaea.She married PrincePhilip I of Tarantoand had issue.
• Joan of Valois, Countess of Beaumont-le-Roger(1304 – 9 July 1363); marriedRobert III of Artois, Count of Beaumont-le-Rogerand had issue.
• Isabelle of Valois (1305 – 11 November 1349), Abbess ofFontevrault.

Finally, in 1308, he marriedMahaut of Châtillon(1293–1358),daughter ofGuy IV of Châtillon, Count of Saint-Pol.They had:

• Marie of Valois, Duchess of Calabria(1309 – 28 October 1332); married DukeCharles of Calabriaand had issue.
• Isabella of Valois, Duchess of Bourbon(1313 – 26 July 1383).She married DukePeter I of Bourbon.
• Blanche of Valois, Queen of Germany and Bohemia(1317–1348); married KingCharles IV of Germany and Bohemiawho later becameHoly Roman Emperorafter her death.She was sometimes called "Marguerite".
• Louis (1318 – 2 November 1328), Count ofChartresand Lord of Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais.

Royal families involved in theHundred Years' War(1337–1453)

Valois (Capet) Évreux (Capet) Plantagenet Blois Capet Charles Count of Valois Louis Count of Évreux Edward I "Longshanks" King of England r. 1272–1307 Joan I Queen of Navarre r. 1274–1305 Philip IV "the Fair" King of France r. 1285–1314 Philip I King of Navarre r. 1284–1305 Edward II King of England r. 1307–1327 Isabella "She-Wolf of France" Louis X King of France r. 1314–1316 Louis I King of Navarre r. 1305–1316 Philip V "the Tall" King of France Philip II King of Navarre r. 1316–1322 Charles IV "the Fair" King of France Charles I "the Bald" King of Navarre r. 1322–1328 Philip VI "the Fortunate" "of Valois" King of France r. 1328–1350 Joan of Valois Philip III "the Noble" "the Wise" King of Navarrejure uxoris r. 1328–1343 Joan II Queen of Navarre r. 1328–1349 John I "the Posthumous" King of France King of Navarre r. 1316 Joan of Burgundy John II "the Good" King of France r. 1350–1364 Philippa of Hainault Edward III King of England r. 1327–1377 Joan of the Tower David II King of Scotland r. 1329–1371 Charles II "the Bad" King of Navarre r. 1349–1387 Philip of Burgundy Count of Auvergne Charles V "the Wise" King of France r. 1364–1380 Philip the Bold Duke of Burgundy Edward of Woodstock "The Black Prince" John of Gaunt Edmund of Langley Duke of York Luxembourg Charles VI "the Beloved" "the Mad" King of France r. 1380–1422 Louis I Duke of Orléans Charles IV Holy Roman Emperor r. 1355–1378 Henry IV King of England r. 1399–1413 Charles VII "the Victorious" King of France r. 1422–1461 Isabella of Valois Richard II King of England r. 1377–1399 Anne of Bohemia Catherine of Valois Henry V King of England r. 1413–1422 Thomas of Lancaster Duke of Clarence †Battle of Baugé Henry VI King of England r. 1422–1461,r. 1470–1471

In fiction

Charles is a major character inLes Rois maudits(The Accursed Kings), a series of Frenchhistorical novelsbyMaurice Druon.He was portrayed byJean Deschampsin the 1972 Frenchminiseriesadaptation of the series, and byJacques Spiesserin the 2005 adaptation.

Sources

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• Colomer Pérez, Guifré, «Rex Karolus sine regno»: la imposición de Carlos de Valois como rey de Aragón en 1285, según las crónicas, en El Camino del medievalista. Nuevos Trabajos en Estudios Medievales. ‘Renovatio ordinis’, 2024, p.65-92.https://doi.org/10.15304/me.2024.1737
• Doubleday, Simon R. (2001).The Lara Family: Crown and Nobility in Medieval Spain.Harvard University Press.
• Hallam, Elizabeth (1980).Capetian France: 987–1328.Longman Group UK.
• Hand, Joni M. (2013).Women, Manuscripts and Identity in Northern Europe, 1350–1550.Ashgate Publishing.
• Housley, Norman (1992).The later Crusades, 1274–1580: from Lyons to Alcazar.Oxford University Press.
• Jackson-Laufer, Guida Myrl (1999).Women Rulers Throughout the Ages: An Illustrated Guide.ABC-CLIO.
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• Lock, Peter (2013).The Franks in the Aegean: 1204–1500.Routledge.
• Russell, Delbert W. (2013). "The Cultural Context of the French Prose" remaniement "of the Life of Edward the Confessor by a nun of Barking Abbey". In Wogan-Browne, Jocelyn (ed.).Language and Culture in Medieval Britain: The French of England, c. 1100–c. 1500.Boydell & Brewer.
• Small, Carola M. (2004). "Charles of Valois". In Kleinhenz, Christopher (ed.).Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia.Routledge.
• Taylor, Craig, ed. (2006).Debating the Hundred Years War.Vol. 29. Cambridge University Press.
• Topping, Peter (1975)."The Morea, 1311–1364".InSetton, Kenneth M.;Hazard, Harry W. (eds.).A History of the Crusades, Volume III: The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries.Madison and London: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 104–140.ISBN0-299-06670-3.
• de Venette, Jean (1953). Newhall, Richard A. (ed.).The Chronicle of Jean de Venette.Translated by Birdsall, Jean. Columbia University Press.
• Wood, Charles T. (1966).The French Apanages and the Capetian Monarchy: 1224–1328.Harvard University Press.

External links

• Brown University History Page on Charles of Valois
• Britannica entry on Charles of Valois
• GJGFrench Wikipedia page on Charles de Valois(fr)
• Historia Nostra page on Charles de Valois(fr)