Blanche of France (1 April 1328 – 8 February 1393) was the

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ...

daughter of King

Charles IV of France Charles IV (18/19 June 1294 – 1 February 1328), called the Fair (''le Bel'') in France and the Bald (''el Calvo'') in Navarre, was last king of the direct line of the House of Capet, King of France and King of Navarre (as Charles I) from 132 ...

and his third wife, Joan of Évreux (the daughter of

Louis, Count of Évreux Louis of Évreux (3 May 1276 – 19 May 1319, Paris) was a prince, the only son of King Philip III of France and his second wife Maria of Brabant, and thus a half-brother of King Philip IV of France. Louis had a quiet and reflective personality a ...

and

Margaret of Artois Margaret of Artois (1285–1311) was the eldest child of Philip of Artois and his wife, Blanche of Brittany. She was a member of the House of Artois. She was married to Louis d'Évreux. By her marriage, Margaret was Countess of Évreux. Margaret ...

). She was the last direct

Capetian The Capetian dynasty (; french: Capétiens), also known as the House of France, is a dynasty of Franks, Frankish origin, and a branch of the Robertians. It is among the largest and oldest dynasty, royal houses in Europe and the world, and cons ...

and the last-surviving member of her family, and her marriage to her second-cousin,

Philip, Duke of Orléans Philip of Orléans (1 July 1336 – 1 September 1375) was a Duke of Orléans, Touraine, and Count of Valois, the fifth son of King Philip VI of France and his wife Joan the Lame. His father named him Duke of Orléans, a newly created duchy, in 13 ...

, proved childless. With Blanche's death in 1393, the

House of Capet The House of Capet (french: Maison capétienne) or the Direct Capetians (''Capétiens directs''), also called the House of France (''la maison de France''), or simply the Capets, ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328. It was the most s ...

continued to exist only via its numerous cadet branches.

Succession

As with his brothers before him, King Charles IV died without a male heir, thus ending the direct line of the

. Twelve years earlier, a rule against succession by females, arguably derived from the

Salic law The Salic law ( or ; la, Lex salica), also called the was the ancient Frankish civil law code compiled around AD 500 by the first Frankish King, Clovis. The written text is in Latin and contains some of the earliest known instances of Old Du ...

, had been recognized as controlling succession to the French throne. Application of this rule barred Charles's 1-year-old daughter Marie from succeeding as the monarch. Jeanne was also pregnant at the time of his death. Since it could have been possible that she would give birth to a son, a

regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

was set up under

Philip of Valois Philip VI (french: Philippe; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (french: le Fortuné, link=no) or the Catholic (french: le Catholique, link=no) and of Valois, was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 132 ...

, the closest

agnate Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

. After two months, Queen Jeanne gave birth to Blanche. The regent thus became king and in May was consecrated and crowned. At this time, a further rule of succession, again arguably based on the Salic law, was recognized as forbidding not only inheritance by a woman, but also inheritance through a female line.

Marriage

Blanche married on 8 January 1345 her cousin

(1336–1375), son of King

Philip VI of France Philip VI (french: Philippe; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (french: le Fortuné, link=no) or the Catholic (french: le Catholique, link=no) and of Valois, was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 ...

and Queen

Joan the Lame Joan of Burgundy (french: Jeanne; c. 1293 – 12 December 1349), also known as Joan the Lame (french: Jeanne la Boiteuse), was Queen of France as the first wife of King Philip VI. Joan ruled as regent while her husband fought on military campai ...

. They had no children but Philip had illegitimate children. He had died in 1376, his title and lands returning to the royal domain. Blanche died in 1393 and is buried in the chapel of Notre-Dame in the

Basilica of St Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

.St Denis website: Tombs list
(#45)

Ancestry

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanche of France, Duchess of Orleans 1328 births 1393 deaths House of Capet French princesses Duchesses of Orléans Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis Daughters of kings