Philippe de Valois is the first king of the so-called branch of Valois. He was the son of Charles de Valois, younger brother of Philippe le Bel. On the death of his first cousin Charles IV called Charles le Bel, in 1328, and in the absence of a surviving male heir, he was recognized as King of France. This succession, contested by King Edward III of England, himself a grandson of Philip IV the Fair by his mother, was the cause of the Hundred Years War. Upon his disputed accession to the throne, Philip hastened to crush the Flemish at Cassel (1328). Trying to get his hands on Guyenne, he started the war with Edward III. This landed in France and humiliated the royal army at Crécy (1346). The reign of Philippe is also marked by the Great Plague. His son Jean II le Bon succeeded him in 1350.
Charles VIII was the son of Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy. On the death of his father, his sister Anne de Beaujeu took over his guardianship. A rebellion of princes led by Louis II of Orléans triggers the Mad War. Charles marries Anne de Bretagne (daughter of François II), initially promised to th