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Philip VI

Philip VI was the first Valois king of France and was on the throne when the Hundred Years War began in 1337. His accession followed the death of Charles IV without a surviving male heir, while Edward III of England had a competing claim through his mother, Isabella of France. The dispute over the French succession became one of the central issues underlying the war.

Edward III pays homage to Philip VI of France in a medieval manuscript illumination.
Edward III pays homage to Philip VI of France at Amiens in 1329, depicted in the Grandes Chroniques de France.

Philip’s reign was dominated by the challenge of defending France against English armies and maintaining the authority of the Valois monarchy. The early years of the conflict included French coastal raids, the Battle of Sluys, the War of Breton Succession, the English campaigns of 1346–47, the defeat at Crécy and the loss of Calais. His reign also coincided with the arrival of the Black Death, which transformed the economic and social circumstances in which the war was being fought.

Philip VI and the Hundred Years War

The Valois Succession

Philip became King of France in 1328 after the death of Charles IV. The succession established the Valois dynasty but was contested by Edward III, whose claim descended through Isabella, daughter of Philip IV. The French crown rejected Edward’s claim through his mother, while Edward eventually asserted his own claim to the French throne. The resulting rivalry between the Valois and Plantagenet dynasties shaped the political context of the Hundred Years War.

The succession dispute was closely connected to wider disagreements over English territories in France. Edward remained Duke of Aquitaine and was expected to acknowledge the French king’s authority over his continental possessions, while Philip sought to strengthen royal control over territories held by the English crown.

The Outbreak of War

Relations between Philip and Edward III deteriorated during the 1330s. Disputes over Gascony were accompanied by Philip’s support for Edward’s opponents, including Robert of Artois. In 1337 Philip confiscated the Duchy of Aquitaine, and Edward responded by asserting his claim to the French crown.

The outbreak of war therefore involved both territorial disputes and competing claims to royal authority. The conflict quickly widened beyond the immediate territories of France and England as both monarchies sought allies and attempted to attack the other’s economic and political interests.

French attacks on English coastal communities formed part of the early strategy. The French raid on Southampton in 1338 was one of several attacks on English ports and coastal settlements during the opening phase of the war.

French Strategy and Naval Warfare

Philip faced the problem of defending a much larger kingdom against an English monarchy capable of transporting armies across the Channel. French strategy included attacks on English coastal communities and efforts to disrupt English communications and trade, while Philip’s government also sought to restrict English movement by sea.

The French naval defeat at the Battle of Sluys in 1340 was a major setback. The English victory badly damaged the French fleet and made it easier for Edward III to move troops and supplies between England and the continent.

Naval warfare nevertheless remained important to the wider conflict. The strategic importance of fleets, ports, shipping and communications can be explored through the site’s Naval Warfare hub.

Brittany and the Wider War

The War of Breton Succession extended the rivalry between England and France into Brittany. Philip supported Charles of Blois and Jeanne de Penthièvre, while Edward III supported John of Montfort and his successors. Brittany became an important arena for English and French intervention and demonstrated that the Hundred Years War involved competing alliances as well as direct campaigns between the two kingdoms.

Scotland and the French Alliance

The French alliance with Scotland created another dimension to the war. French support for the Scottish monarchy helped maintain pressure on England while Edward III was campaigning in France. In 1346, David II of Scotland invaded northern England while Edward III was campaigning in Normandy, but the Scottish army was defeated at Neville’s Cross and David II was captured.

The Scottish alliance illustrates the wider international character of the conflict and the importance of forcing England to divide its military resources between different theatres.

Crécy and the English Campaign of 1346

The English campaign of 1346 brought the weaknesses of French military strategy into sharp focus. Edward III invaded Normandy and advanced northwards before crossing the Somme at Blanchetaque.

Philip confronted the English army at Crécy on 26 August 1346. The French army suffered a major defeat, demonstrating the effectiveness of the English defensive position and contributing to the military crisis faced by the French monarchy.

The Loss of Calais

After Crécy, Edward III besieged Calais. The Siege of Calais began in 1346 and the town surrendered in 1347, giving England a strategically important foothold on the French coast.

The loss of Calais was strategically significant because it gave England a permanent base close to the Channel and provided an important centre for trade, military operations and communications with England. It remained in English hands for more than two centuries.

The Black Death

The Black Death reached France during the final years of Philip’s reign and had profound demographic, economic and political consequences. Population loss disrupted agriculture, labour markets, taxation and trade, while governments faced new difficulties in maintaining revenue and military resources. The epidemic therefore formed an important background to the changing nature of the Hundred Years War. The wider causes, cures and beliefs surrounding the Black Death are explored on SchoolHistory.

The Black Death also affected the French monarchy directly. Philip’s queen, Joan of Burgundy, died during the epidemic, while the economic disruption created additional difficulties for government and military finance.

Philip VI’s Death and Succession

Philip died in 1350 after a reign dominated by the opening phase of the Hundred Years War. He was succeeded by his son, John II, who inherited a kingdom still at war and facing the consequences of the defeats at Sluys, Crécy and Calais.

Philip VI’s Place in the Hundred Years War

Philip VI’s reign established the Valois monarchy as the principal French dynasty of the Hundred Years War. France survived major English victories, but the defeats of the 1340s exposed the military and financial difficulties facing the French crown.

The reign also established several features that would remain important throughout the conflict: competing claims to the French crown, the importance of alliances with Brittany and Scotland, the strategic value of naval power and the difficulty of financing prolonged warfare.

Philip’s reign therefore provides the starting point for understanding the first major phase of the Hundred Years War and the challenges inherited by his successor, John II.

Further Reading