English claims to the French throne
From the 1340s to the 19th century, excluding two brief intervals in the 1360s and the 1420s, the kings and queens of England and Ireland (and, later, of Great Britain) also claimed the throne of France. The claim dates from Edward III, who claimed the French throne in 1340 as the sororal nephew of the last direct Capetian, Charles IV. Edward and his heirs fought the Hundred Years' War to enforce this claim, and were briefly successful in the 1420s under Henry V and Henry VI, but the House of Valois, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, was ultimately victorious and retained control of France, except for Calais (later lost in 1558) and the Channel Islands (which had historically formed part also of the Duchy of Normandy). Following the Hundred Years War, English and British monarchs continued to call themselves kings of France, and adopted the French fleur-de-lis as their coat of arms, quartering the arms of England in positions of secondary honour.[3] This continued until 1802, by which time France no longer had any monarch, having become a republic. The Jacobite claimants, however, did not explicitly relinquish the claim.
Overview
The title was first assumed in 1340 by
Claimants to the French throne in 1328:
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At the time of Charles's death in 1328, there was once again a dispute over the succession. Although it had come to be accepted that a woman could not possess the French throne in her own right, Edward III, the nephew of the deceased king and thus the nearest adult male relative, based his claim on the theory that a woman could transmit a right of inheritance to her son. This claim was rejected by French jurists under the principle Nemo plus juris ad alium transfere potest quam ipse habet (no one can transfer a greater right to another than he himself has), and the throne was given to the male line heir, Philip, Count of Valois, a first cousin of the deceased king. At the time, Edward paid homage to Philip VI for his Duchy of Aquitaine. In 1337, however, Edward, in his capacity as Duke of Aquitaine, refused to pay homage to Philip. The French king's response was to confiscate what was left of lands in English-held Aquitaine, namely Gascony, thus precipitating the Hundred Years' War and Edward's revival of his claim to the throne and title of King of France in 1340.
The decision to assume the title of "King of France" was made at the solicitation of his Flemish allies, who had signed a treaty that they would no longer attack the French king. They said that if Edward took the French royal title, then the Flemish would be able to keep their honour, since they would not be attacking the "true King of France" (Edward III).
Edward continued to use this title until the
Henry V and Charles VI died within two months of each other in 1422, and Henry V's infant son (Charles VI's grandson) Henry VI became King of France. He was the only English king who was de facto King of France, rather than using the style as a mere title of pretense. By 1429 Charles VII, with the support of Joan of Arc, had been crowned at Reims and begun to push the English out of northern France. In 1435, an end to the French civil war between Burgundians and Armagnacs allowed Charles to return to Paris the following year, and by 1453 the English had been driven out of their last strongholds in Normandy and Guyenne. The only French territory left to the English was Calais which they held until 1558 and the Channel Islands.
Original claimants
"Kings of France" (1340)
- Edward III, King of England (reigned, first term 24 January 1340 – 8 May 1360).
"Kings of France" (title resumed 1369)
- Edward III, King of England (reigned, second term 1369 – 21 June 1377).
- Richard II, King of England (reigned 21 June 1377 – 29 September 1399).
- Henry IV, King of England (reigned 30 September 1399 – 20 March 1413).
- Henry V, King of England (reigned 20 March 1413 – 21 May 1420).
Heir of France de jure (1420)
- Henry V, King of England (term 21 May 1420 – 31 August 1422)
- Henry VI, King of England (term 31 August – 21 October 1422). Succeeded as King of France upon the death of Charles VI, according to the Treaty of Troyes.
Kings of France (1422)
- Edward IV on 4 March 1461, continued to be recognised as king by supporters of the House of Lancaster, and was briefly restored to the English throne in 1470.
Rulers of Calais
Following a year-long episode of catatonia on the part of Henry VI of England in 1453 and the subsequent outbreak of the Wars of the Roses (1455–87), the English were no longer in any position to pursue their claim to the French throne and lost all their land on the continent, except for Calais.
Calais was ruled by eight more English monarchs, who claimed to also rule France, until 8 January 1558:
- Edward IV (4 March 1461 – 30 October 1470; 11 April 1471 – 9 April 1483).
- Edward V (9 April – 25 June 1483).
- Richard III (26 June 1483 – 22 August 1485).
- Henry VII (22 August 1485 – 21 April 1509).
- Henry VIII(21 April 1509 – 28 January 1547).
- Edward VI(28 January 1547 – 6 July 1553).
- Jane (6/10 – 19 July 1553), de facto monarch.
- Mary I (19 July 1553 – 8 January 1558).
- Philip (jure uxoris; 25 July 1554 – 8 January 1558).
Tudor claimants
Ill feeling between the two nations continued well into the 16th century. Calais was captured by French troops under
- Mary I and Philip of England (7 January – 17 November 1558)
- Elizabeth I of England(17 November 1558 – 24 March 1603)
Stuart dynasty claimants
Elizabeth died childless. Her successor was her cousin
- James I of England and VI of Scotland(24 March 1603 – 27 March 1625).
- Charles I of England and Scotland (27 March 1625 – 30 January 1649).
- Charles II of England and Scotland (30 January 1649 – 6 February 1685).
- James II of England and VII of Scotland (6 February 1685 – 12 February 1689).
- Mary II of England and Scotland(13 February 1689 – 28 December 1694).
- William III of England and II of Scotland (13 February 1689 – 8 March 1702).
- Anne of England and Scotland (8 March 1702 – 1 May 1707).
Claimants of Great Britain
The
- Anne, Queen of Great Britain (1 May 1707 – 1 August 1714).
- George I of Great Britain (1 August 1714 – 11 June 1727).
- George II of Great Britain (11 June 1727 – 25 October 1760).
- George III of Great Britain(25 October 1760 – 31 December 1800).
Ending the claim
During the
Although the fleurs-de-lys were completely removed from the
While the position of King of France was restored between 1814 and 1848, subsequent British monarchs did not pursue the claim to the French throne, whether of the Kingdom of France or of the French Empire.
The Channel Islands
The Channel Islands, originally part of the Duchy of Normandy, have been held by the Kings of England since the Norman Conquest. By the Treaty of Paris of 1259, the Kings of England ceased to be Dukes of Normandy but continued to hold the Channel Islands "as peer of France and Duke of Aquitaine". By the Treaty of Bretigny in 1360, the Channel Islands, Aquitaine, and other English possessions in France ceased to be under the suzerainty of the Kings of France.[11]
In the remaining years of the Hundred Years' War, France reconquered all the English territories on the French mainland except Calais, which was finally taken in 1558. However, the Channel Islands, despite a few unsuccessful attempts by the French to take the islands (culminating with the Battle of Jersey in 1781), have remained under continuous English and British sovereignty, with the exception of a period of German occupation during the Second World War.
Jacobite pretenders
The change was not acknowledged by Jacobite claimants.
The Jacobite pretenders were the deposed James II of England and his successors, continuing to style themselves "Kings of England, Scotland, France and Ireland" past their deposition in 1689. All four pretenders continued to actively claim the title King of France as well as that of King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1689 until 1807:
- James II and VII (12 February 1689 – 16 September 1701).
- James Francis Edward Stuart (16 September 1701 – 1 January 1766), styled James III and VIII, also known as the Chevalier de St. George or as the Old Pretender.
- Charles Edward Stuart (1 January 1766 – 31 January 1788), styled Charles III, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Chevalier, or as the Young Pretender.
- Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart (31 January 1788 – 13 July 1807), self-styled Henry IX and I, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland.
James II for the last twelve years of his life and his son, the Old Pretender, until the
Jacobite successors
The Jacobite succession has continued since 1807 but none of the eight subsequent holders of the claims has actively pursued it. They continue to be customarily known as "King (or Queen) of France" by the Jacobites.
- Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia (13 July 1807 – 6 October 1819), descended from the youngest daughter of Charles I.
- Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia(6 October 1819 – 10 January 1824), his brother.
- Maria Beatrice, Princess of Sardinia and later by marriage Duchess of Modena(10 January 1824 – 15 September 1840), his daughter.
- Francis V, Duke of Modena (15 September 1840 – 20 November 1875), her son.
- Maria Theresia, Princess of Modena and later Queen consort of Bavaria(20 November 1875 – 3 February 1919), his niece.
- Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria (3 February 1919 – 2 August 1955), her son.
- Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria (2 August 1955 – 8 July 1996), his son.
- Franz, Duke of Bavaria(since 8 July 1996), his son.
The heir presumptive of the Jacobite claim is Franz's younger brother
- Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria; then his daughter
- Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein; and then her eldest son
- Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, born 24 May 1995 in London – the first heir in the Jacobite line born in the British Isles since James III and VIII, The Old Pretender, in 1688.
- Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein; and then her eldest son
Failed claimants
In addition two failed claimants to the throne of England were also styled King of France. They are usually omitted from regnal lists.
- Lambert Simnel, impersonating Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick. Styled "Edward VI, King of England and France" (24 May – 16 June 1487). Captured in the Battle of Stoke Field by Henry VII.
- James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth. Styled "King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland" (20 June – 6 July 1685). Captured after the Battle of Sedgemoor by James II/VII, and was subsequently beheaded for high treason.
See also
- Capetian-Plantagenet rivalry
- Mary, Queen of Scots & Francis II of France (Auld Alliance claim compounding the English claim)
- Style of the British sovereign
- Salic law
- France – United Kingdom relations
- Franco-British union
References
Sources
- Cobbett, William (1818). The Parliamentary History of England from the Earliest Period to the Year 1803. Vol. 33. London: T.C. Hansard. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
Citations
- ^ French coat of arms in 1st and 4th positions of greatest honour; arms of England in 2nd and 3rd quarters
- ISBN 0-85613-276-4.
- ^ French coat of arms in 1st and 4th positions of greatest honour; arms of England in 2nd and 3rd quarters
- .
- ^ Frieda, Leonie (2003). Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France (first Harper Perennial edition 2006). Harper Perennial. p. 171.
- ^ Cobbett 1818 cc.925–6; Ballot, Charles (1910). Les négociations de Lille (1797) (in French). Paris: Édouard Cornély. pp. 184, 322–323. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ Cobbett 1818 c.988–9
- ^ Cobbett 1818 c.1009
- ^ Cobbett 1818 c.1021
- ^ "The Royal Arms of Canada – A Short History". Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. 7 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ^ Minquiers and Ecrehos, France v. U.K., Judgment, 1953 I.C.J. 47 (Nov. 17)
External links
- Hubbard, Arnold (14 July 2003), How George III lost France: Or, Why Concessions Never Make Sense, Electric review: a High Tory online journal of politics, art and literature, archived from the original on 5 December 2008.