Charles IV of France

King of France and Navarre from 1322 to 1328, Charles IV was the last direct male-line Capetian king of France. His death without a surviving son triggered a succession dispute.

Philip IV of France: King of France from 1285 to 1314 and father of Charles IV. Charles succeeded his elder brother Philip V, continuing the dynasty shaped by their father.
Salic law: A body of Frankish law later invoked to exclude women from inheriting the French crown. Its interpretation helped bar Charles's daughter and Isabella from succeeding to France.
Marie of Luxembourg, Queen of France: Queen consort of France from 1322 until her death in 1324, and wife of Charles IV. Her marriage to Charles tied him to the House of Luxembourg.
Joan II of France: Daughter of Charles IV and Joan of Évreux, excluded from inheriting the French crown. Her sex and parentage made her a focal point in arguments about succession after Charles.
Louis X of France: King of France from 1314 to 1316 and elder brother of Charles IV. His death without a surviving son opened the succession that brought Charles to the throne.
French succession crisis of 1328: The dispute over who should inherit the French crown after Charles IV died without a male heir. Charles's death created the crisis that ended direct Capetian rule.
Joan of Évreux: Queen consort of France from 1325 to 1328 and third wife of Charles IV. She bore Charles's daughters, but no surviving son, leaving his succession unresolved.
Hundred Years' War: A series of conflicts between England and France from 1337 to 1453 over territory and royal claims. Edward III's challenge to the Valois succession became one cause of the war.
Philip V of France: King of France from 1316 to 1322 and elder brother of Charles IV. Charles succeeded Philip V after his brother died without a surviving male heir.
Valois dynasty: A branch of the Capetian dynasty that ruled France from 1328 to 1589. The French crown passed to Charles's cousin Philip VI, founding this branch's royal line.

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House of ValoisRelated: His death created the succession crisis that brought the Valois to the throne.