THE PATH TO WAR

Isabella continued to influence English politics for decades to come

During her time as regent, Isabella attempted to claim the French throne for her son Edward. Her brother, King Charles IV, died in 1328 without leaving a male heir to succeed him. His first cousin, Philip of Valois, was chosen to be the next king of France as Philip VI. However, Edward was actually Charles’ nephew and nearest male relative, so why did he not inherit the French crown?

According to Salic law in France, the throne could not be inherited either by a woman or through the female line. Since Edward’s claim to the French throne was through Isabella, a daughter of King Philip IV, he was excluded from the line of succession. But like his mother, Edward was not one to give up on what he saw as rightfully his.

He decided to press his claim to the French throne in 1337 after Philip confiscated his territories in France. In England, the throne could be inherited through the maternal bloodline. It was a precedent set by King

Henry II, who became king in 1154 and claimed his right to the throne through his mother, Empress Matilda.

Edward’s decision to fight for the French crown triggered the bloody Hundred Years’ War that lasted for over a century, eventually ending in a French victory. The war left the ruling House of Plantagenet weakened in England and triggered a power struggle that led to the Wars of the Roses between the Houses of York and Lancaster – even after her death, Isabella had continued to shape English politics and history.