House Valois

Lore & Background

Charles of Valois spent his life seeking a crown he never obtained. In 1284, Pope Martin IV recognized him as King of Aragon, in opposition to Peter III, but the Aragonese Crusade undertaken by his father Philip III won him nothing but ridicule—he was crowned with a cardinal's hat in 1285, earning the alias 'King of the Cap,' and he never dared use the royal seal made for the occasion. In 1301, dreaming of an imperial crown, Charles married Catherine of Courtenay, titular Latin Empress of Constantinople. Pope Boniface VIII saw Charles as a tool to re-install a Catholic ruler in Byzantium and end the war with Sicily. Named papal vicar, Charles led a private French army into Italy, but lost himself in Guelph-Ghibelline feuds; his men massacred a crowd in Florence. Landing in Sicily in May 1302, his army faced heavy resistance, became mired in attritional warfare, and after a disastrous siege of Sciacca found itself surrounded and out of supplies. Charles negotiated the Peace of Caltabellotta, ending the War of the Vespers, but his battered army evacuated without fighting a major battle, ending Angevin and papal attempts to reconquer Sicily.

In Their Own Story

After his marriage to Catherine, Charles of Valois decided to reclaim her empire. He secured promises of money from his brother, King Philip IV of France, but Philip was too enmeshed in the war with Flanders—the French had suffered a major disaster at the Battle of Courtrai in 1302—to seriously consider a crusade to Byzantium, especially after his conflict with Pope Boniface VIII erupted over the bull Unam Sanctam in November 1302. Charles tried to mediate between his brother and the pope, but failed; the 'outrage of Anagni' and Boniface's death followed. While in Sicily negotiating the Peace of Caltabellotta, Charles confirmed an anti-Byzantine treaty with Charles II of Naples at Viterbo on 11 March 1302. He then turned to Robert II, Duke of Burgundy, whose son Hugh swore allegiance to Catherine of Courtenay and on 24 March 1303 became affianced to their daughter Catherine of Valois. In January 1305, Charles and Catherine confirmed Hugh V as in possession of the Kingdom of Thessalonica. Charles requested aid from Pope Benedict XI, who granted only a tithe. With the election of the French Pope Clement V in January 1305, the crusade seemed plausible; Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos's repudiation of the Union of churches proclaimed at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274 offered justification. Charles had to win Venice and Genoa for logistics; Clement V wrote to Doge Pietro Gradenigo and to Genoa, while Charles sent emissaries to Genoa to hire ships, but Genoa's interest was imperiled by the Catalan Company.

Reader's Guide

In Crusader Kings, House Valois begins with its founder Charles of Valois, a son of King Philip III of France. Players control Charles as a count holding Valois, Alençon, and Perche, with claims on Anjou and Maine through his first wife Margaret. His second marriage to Catherine of Courtenay gives a titular claim on the Latin Empire of Constantinople, but realizing it requires papal support, maritime allies like Venice and Genoa, and a crusade against the Byzantine Empire. Charles's early life offers the chance to press the Aragonese claim—but beware: the Aragonese Crusade of 1285 may yield only a cardinal's hat and the mocking title 'King of the Cap.' The Italian campaign of 1301-1302 is a trap: leading a private army into Guelph-Ghibelline politics risks massacres in Florence and attrition in Sicily; the Peace of Caltabellotta ends the war but forces evacuation without glory. To reclaim Constantinople, secure alliances with Burgundy (through the marriage of Hugh V to Catherine of Valois) and negotiate with Venice and Genoa for ships. Charles's death in 1325 passes the dynasty to his son Philip VI, who becomes king of France in 1328—three years later—beginning the Valois line that rules until 1589.

Did You Know?

• Charles of Valois was crowned King of Aragon with a cardinal's hat in 1285, earning the nickname 'King of the Cap,' but he never used the royal seal made for the occasion and had to renounce the title.
• Through his second marriage to Catherine I, titular Latin Empress of Constantinople, Charles was titular Latin Emperor from 1301 to 1307, ruling from exile over Crusader States in Greece.
• Charles was heir presumptive to the throne of France from 1322 to 1324 and again from 1324 until his death in 1325.
• His eldest son, Philip VI, became king of France three years after Charles's death, beginning the House of Valois rule from 1328 to 1589.
• Charles's army massacred a crowd in Florence during his Italian campaign, and his disastrous Sicilian expedition ended with the Peace of Caltabellotta, forcing his battered army to evacuate without a major battle.