Valois Dynasty

The ruling dynasty of France during much of the Renaissance, the Valois gained the throne in 1328 when the last king of the Capetian dynasty died without an heir. Philip of Valois, a cousin of the king, took the throne as Philip VI. Another cousin with a claim to the French throne, Edward III of England, challenged the legitimacy of the Valois. In 1337 he declared war, launching the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

After driving the English from most of France in 1453, the Valois king Louis XI focused attention on the dukes of BURGUNDY, his cousins and rivals. The rivalry lasted for decades. To protect themselves against France, the Burgundians made a number of marriage alliances with the HABSBURG DYNASTY. The family ties eventually led to hostility between the Valois and the Habsburgs. In the late 1400s and early 1500s, the Valois kings Charles VIII and Louis XII invaded Italy to assert French claims to the kingdom of NAPLES and the duchy* of MILAN. In response, Pope JULIUS II organized an alliance in 1509 known as the Holy League, which expelled the French from Italy by 1514.

Hostility between the Valois and Habsburg dynasties intensified during the reigns of FRANCIS I, successor to Louis XII, and the Holy Roman Emperor* CHARLES V. Francis I launched another invasion of Italy in 1515. His victory at Marignano restored Milan to French rule but provoked another round of fighting with Charles V. At the Battle of Pavia in 1525, Francis I was captured and held for ransom. He won his release the following year after promising to surrender Burgundy to Charles. Francis broke his word, however, and warfare resumed. It did not end until his death in 1547. Renaissance culture in France reached a peak under Francis I, who was a patron* of numerous artists, architects, and humanists*.

Henry II, Francis's son, had been married at age 14 to CATHERINE DE MÉDICIS in an effort to forge an alliance with the Medici pope. About a decade into his reign, Henry sent French forces back to Italy. King PHILIP II of Spain, son of Charles V, responded by invading northern France in 1557. However, concern over the spread of Protestantism led the two monarchs to make peace in 1559.

During the reign of Francis II, son of Henry II, control of the French monarchy fell into the hands of the Guise family, who were fervent Catholics. Many French nobles, including the BOURBON FAMILY, felt excluded from power and joined with French Protestants against the Guise. Four decades of civil war followed, and the worst mark against the Valois family occurred during this period. In 1572, during the rule of Charles IX, Catholic forces killed several thousand Huguenots* and others in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.

Henry III, the brother of Charles IX, took the throne in 1574. The best educated of the Valois kings, Henry sought a compromise between Catholics and Protestants. However, in 1584 Henry's brother and only heir died, leaving the Huguenot prince Henry of Bourbon next in line to the throne. Catholic forces took steps to prevent the Huguenot from becoming king. When Henry III tried to oppose them, he was forced out of Paris and later assassinated. His death in 1589 marked the end of the Valois dynasty, which had played such a significant role in shaping the French nation and monarchy.