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Charles VII

Charles VII inherited the French crown at the lowest point of the Valois monarchy. The English occupation of northern France, the Burgundian alliance with England and the settlement at Troyes had left his claim to the throne in serious doubt. His reign nevertheless saw the fortunes of France transformed. With the support of powerful allies, the emergence of Joan of Arc, the reconciliation with Burgundy and the development of a more effective royal army, Charles recovered much of the territory lost to the English.

Charles VII’s reign is therefore central to the final phase of the Hundred Years War. His coronation at Reims in 1429 strengthened the Valois claim, while the recovery of Normandy and Gascony during the 1450s brought the long Anglo-French conflict towards its conclusion.

Charles VII depicted as one of the Magi kneeling before the Virgin and Christ Child, surrounded by armed guards.
Charles VII is depicted as one of the Three Magi kneeling before the Virgin and Christ Child, with his hat at his feet and armed guards around him. A battle beside a castle appears in the background beneath a star. Miniature illustrating the opening of the Gospel of Saint Matthew in a Book of Hours.

Charles VII and the Hundred Years War

Charles VII and the Crisis of the French Monarchy

Charles became Dauphin during a period of military defeat and political division. The English victory at Agincourt in 1415 was followed by the conquest of Normandy. The settlement at Troyes in 1420 excluded Charles from the succession and recognised Henry V and his heirs as successors to Charles VI.

The Dauphin and the ‘King of Bourges’

Charles maintained his claim to the French crown from territory controlled by his supporters in central and southern France. His position was strengthened by his marriage to Marie of Anjou and the political support of her mother, Yolande of Aragon. His opponents’ description of him as the ‘King of Bourges’ reflected the division of France between rival claims to the monarchy.

Joan of Arc and the Coronation at Reims

The arrival of Joan of Arc in 1429 helped change the direction of the war. The lifting of the siege of Orléans and subsequent French victories allowed Charles to travel to Reims, where he was crowned King of France in July 1429. The coronation strengthened the legitimacy of the Valois monarchy at a crucial stage of the conflict.

The Treaty of Arras and Burgundy

The reconciliation between Charles VII and Philip the Good of Burgundy was a major turning point. The Treaty of Arras in 1435 ended the Burgundian alliance with England and weakened the English position in France. Paris was recovered by Charles’s forces in 1436.

Charles VII and the French Army

Charles used the recovery of royal authority to strengthen the French military. More permanent forces and more reliable taxation reduced the monarchy’s dependence on temporary wartime levies. These developments, together with the increasing importance of artillery, gave Charles the means to sustain the campaigns that eventually drove the English from most of France.

The Recovery of Normandy and Gascony

French forces recovered Normandy in 1450 and Gascony during the final campaigns of the war. The English defeat at the Battle of Castillon in 1453 brought the major phase of the Hundred Years War to an end, leaving England with only Calais in France.

Charles VII’s Place in the Hundred Years War

Charles VII’s reign saw the reversal of the English conquest of France. He survived the political crisis created by the settlement at Troyes, secured his position as King of France and oversaw the recovery of most of the territories held by England. By the end of his reign, the balance of power between the two monarchies had been transformed.

Further Reading