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, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

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 the last king of the direct line of the House of Capet, List of French monarchs, King of France and List of Nav ...

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

Louis, Count of Évreux Louis of Évreux (3 May 1276– 19 May 1319) was a Capetian prince and count of Évreux. He was the only son of King PhilipIII of France and his second wife Marie of Brabant, and thus a half-brother of King PhilipIV. Louis had a quiet and re ...

and Margaret of Artois). She was the last direct Capetian and the last-surviving member of her family, and her marriage to her second-cousin, Philip, Duke of Orléans, proved childless. With Blanche's death in 1393, the

House of Capet The House of Capet () ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328. It was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians and the Karlings. The direct line of the House of Capet came to an ...

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 ; ), also called the was the ancient Frankish Civil law (legal system), civil law code compiled around AD 500 by Clovis I, Clovis, the first Frankish King. The name may refer to the Salii, or "Salian Franks", but this is deba ...

, 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 was possible that she would give birth to a son, a

regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

was set up under Philip of Valois, 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 Philip, Duke of Orléans (1336–1375), son of King

Philip VI of France Philip VI (; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (), the Catholic (''le Catholique'') and of Valois (''de Valois''), was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 until his death in 1350. Philip's reign w ...

and Queen

Joan the Lame Joan the Lame may refer to: * Joan of Penthièvre, Duchess of Brittany * Joan of Burgundy, Queen of France * Joan of France, Duchess of Berry, Queen of France {{disambiguation, tndis ...

. They had no children but Philip had illegitimate children. He died in 1376 and his title and lands returned 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 (, 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 is of singular importance historically and archite ...

.St Denis website: Tombs list
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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