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Biography
Biography
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Charles (VII, King of France 1422-1461)

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 Born1403   Born At
 Died1461  Buried At
 FatherCharles (VI, King of France 1380-1422)  MotherIsabeau (of Bavaria)
 Born1403 / 
 Died1461 / 
Charles was the son of Charles VI. He became king of France in 1422 when his father died but was not crowned until 1429, seven years later. Charles owed his crown to Joan of Arc who insisted she had been told by God that he was the true heir to the French throne. With Joan's leadership and inspiration the French won several key battles that led to Charles being crowned at Reims, the traditional site of French coronations.

Related Episodes

Henry VI and Joan of Arc (click here)

Henry VI and Joan of Arc (click here)

Wars of the Roses Phase Three (click here)

Wars of the Roses Phase Three (click here)

Spouses

Fantasy image of Marie (of Anjou)
Marie (of Anjou)

Children

Fantasy image of Louis (XI, King of France 1461-1483)
Louis (XI, King of France 1461-1483)

Siblings

Fantasy image of Isabella (of France, Wife of Richard II)
Isabella (of France, Wife of Richard II)
Fantasy image of Catherine (of Valois)
Catherine (of Valois)

Parents

Fantasy image of Charles (VI, King of France 1380-1422)
Charles (VI, King of France 1380-1422)
Fantasy image of Isabeau (of Bavaria)
Isabeau (of Bavaria)
tab 2
tab 3

Contemporary People/Rulers

Fantasy image of Henry (VI, King of England 1422-1461, 1470-1471)
Henry (VI, King of England 1422-1461, 1470-1471)
Fantasy image of Edward (IV, Earl of March and King of England 1461-1470, 1471-1483)
Edward (IV, Earl of March and King of England 1461-1470, 1471-1483)

 

Family Tree Details

Father:Charles (VI, King of France 1380-1422) (b.1338 - d.1422)
Mother:Isabeau (of Bavaria) (b.1370? - d.1435)
Show Graphical Tree
 Charles (VII, King of France 1422-1461) (b.1403 - d.1461)
    +Marie (of Anjou)
        = Louis (XI, King of France 1461-1483)
            +Margaret (Stewart) ( - d.1445)
 Charles (VII, King of France 1422-1461) (b.1403 - d.1461)
    +Marie (of Anjou)
        = Louis (XI, King of France 1461-1483)
            +Margaret (Stewart) ( - d.1445)

See Also

    People

    • Joan (of Arc)
    • Edward (IV, Earl of March and King of England 1461-1470, 1471-1483)
    • Louis (XI, King of France 1461-1483)
    • A .. Z List of Medieval People

    Places

    • Reims Cathedral
    • A .. Z List of Medieval Buildings

    Timeline

    1428(Age: 25yrs)
    Oct 12
    Siege of Orléans

    The Duke of Bedford led an English army to surround the French town of Orléans and to begin the siege. Orléans was chosen because it was the most important city still under the control of Charles VII. The city was well prepared for the siege and even though the there were a small number of French soldiers in the city the defences held. Thomas Montacute, earl of Salisbury, was killed when he was hit by debris of an exploding cannonball. The siege continued into the harsh winter. The death of the Thomas Montacute meant that the Earl's title was transferred to Richard Neville who had married his daughter Anne. ¹

    1429(Age: 26yrs)
    Feb 23
    Joan begins her mission

    With an escort of attendants, Joan of Arc left Vaucouleurs dressed as a man. The party headed for Chinon where King Charles VII was staying. They reached Chinon in early March.

    Mar
    Joan visits Charles VII

    Joan was granted an audience with the dauphin at Vaucouleurs. At the meeting Charles had disguised himself as a servant and had a servant dress as himself. Joan was not fooled and picked the king out. Charles was impressed when Joan told him that God had told her that he was the true heir.

    Jul 17
    Charles VII crowned at Reims

    Joan of Arc and the dauphin entered Reims. Charles was crowned in the Cathedral and became King of France.

    Sep 8
    Joan fails to take Paris

    The French fail to retake Paris that had been captured by the English. Joan was slightly injured during the fighting.

    1435(Age: 32yrs)
    Sep 21
    Treaty of Arras

    The English lost the support of the Duke of Burgundy against King Charles VII of France with the signing of the Treaty of Arras where the Duke recognised Charles as the true King of France. ¹

    1436(Age: 33yrs)
    Apr 13
    The French retake Paris

    The long occupation of Paris by the English was ended when the French rescued the city. ¹

    1443(Age: 40yrs)
    Apr
    Treaty of Tours

    The rulers of Europe intervened when they saw that the ongoing war between England and France was doing destructive damage to both countries. Delegates including Cardinal Beauforta and the Earl of Suffolk from England met delegates from France to discuss a peace treaty. It wasn't until the followg year that the treaty was signed. The Treaty of Tours was signed by King Henry VI of England and Charles VII of France. The treaty resulted in five years of peace between the two countries and included the arrangement of marriage between Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou. ¹

    1448(Age: 45yrs)
    ...
    Surrender of Maine

    A stipulation of the Treaty of Tours (1444) was the surrender of Maine and Anjou by the English to the French. But the garrison holding Le Mans refused to give it up. The French laid siege to the city and it was surrendered.

    1449(Age: 46yrs)
    Mar
    Fougeres captured by the English

    Several years after the Treaty of Arras, after which the conflict between England and France had subdued, an English force attacked and took over the town of Fougeres in Brittany. This sparked the resumption of the war between the two countries. ¹

    Nov
    Siege of Rouen

    A large army of French soldiers were able to retake the cities in Normandy that had been captured by the English. Rouen, the last to fall, was retaken in November after a siege of almost three weeks. This was a major victory for Charles, the French king and a disaster for Henry VI. ¹

    1451(Age: 48yrs)
    Feb 14
    Louis marries Charlotte of Savoy

    Louis, the Dauphin of France and future King Louis XI married Charlotte of Savoy against the wishes of his father Charles VII.

    1461(Age: 58yrs)
    Jul
    Lancastrian Embassy in France

    An embassy of several Lancastrians, including the Duke of Somerset, travelled to France and the court of Charles VII to ask for men and a loan of money to continue the fight against the Yorkists. But the death of Charles on the 22nd put an end to their plans. Their situation became serious when they were arrested. The new French King, Louis XI, at this stage of the Wars of the Roses was a Yorkist supporter. ¹

    Jul 22
    Death of Charles VII

    Charles VII died in July of 1461 after a long illness resulting in an abscess in his mouth that meant he could not eat or drink. Louis, his son, had refused to see his dying father, but as soon as he learnt of the King's death Louis headed to Reims and Paris to claim the French throne. ¹

    On this day in history:

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    Selection of references used:

    • 1. Duc de Castries, The lives of the Kings and Queens of France, ISBN:0-297-77676-2
    • 2. W.H.Hudson, France, The Nation & its Development, MCMXVII
    • 3. J R Lander, The Wars of the Roses, ISBN:0-75090-018-0
    • 4. C. W. Oman, Warwick
    • 5. Anthony Goodman, The Wars of the Roses, ISBN:0-88029-484-1

      See Also

        People

        • Joan (of Arc)
        • Edward (IV, Earl of March and King of England 1461-1470, 1471-1483)
        • Louis (XI, King of France 1461-1483)
        • A .. Z List of Medieval People

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        • Reims Cathedral
        • A .. Z List of Medieval Buildings

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