Philip VI: The Challenged King

Philip VI (r. 1328-1350) faced immediate challenges to his legitimacy. His accession depended on the exclusion of women from succession, a principle invented in 1316 but now elevated to fundamental law. Edward III of England, grandson of Philip IV through his mother, initially performed homage for his French fiefs but never abandoned his dynastic claims. When Philip VI supported Scottish independence against England, Edward retaliated by claiming the French crown, quartering the lilies of France with the leopards of England.

The new king's early years showed both strengths and weaknesses that would characterize Valois rule. Philip's victory at Cassel (1328) against Flemish rebels demonstrated military capability and reinforced French influence in Flanders. His court's magnificence, surpassing anything seen under the later Capetians, proclaimed Valois legitimacy through display. The acquisition of Dauphiné (1349) as an appanage for the heir to the throne added valuable territories while creating the title "dauphin" for future French crown princes.

However, Philip's reign revealed structural problems in French military organization. The feudal host, based on noble cavalry charges, had changed little since the twelfth century. Administrative corruption, suppressed under Philip IV, reemerged as royal officials enriched themselves at public expense. Financial management proved chaotic, with extraordinary taxes levied without systematic planning. These weaknesses would prove catastrophic when tested by English military innovations.

The opening of the Hundred Years War in 1337 began with French advantages. France's population of perhaps 17 million dwarfed England's 4 million. French resources far exceeded English capabilities. Initial campaigns consisted of sieges and raids rather than decisive battles. However, the naval defeat at Sluys (1340), where English longbowmen devastated French ships, presaged disasters to come. Philip's inability to prevent English raids on French territory undermined royal prestige and encouraged resistance to taxation.