Philip VI
Birth Date
1293
Death Location
, France
Death Date
8/22/1350
Years ruled: 1328 - 1350
Son of: Charles of Valois
Children: John II Philip VI was the first French king of the Valois dynasty. In 1328, King Charles VI died without a direct descendent. The two main claimants to the throne were Philip and King Edward III of England (his mother was Charles' sister). Philip ascended to the crown based on salic law which forbid females and those descended in the female line to succeed to the throne. His reign was punctuated with crisis many of which were the result of defeats on the battlefield including Sluys and Crecy. In 1348 the plague struck further de-stabilizing the situation. On his death France was still very much a divided country.