Blanche de France, comtesse de Beaumont

Blanche of France, Duchess of Orléans

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Blanche of France (1328-1382) was the posthumous daughter of Charles IV of France by his third wife Jeanne d'Évreux. Her paternal grandparents were Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre, her maternal grandparents were Louis d'Évreux and Margaret of Artois.

[edit]Marriage

Blanche married on 8 January 1345 to her cousin Philip of Valois, Duke of Orleans (1336-1375), son of Philip VI of France and Joan the Lame. They had no children but Philip had illegitimate children.

Philip died in 1376, his title and lands returning to the royal domain.

Blanche died in 1382 and is buried in the chapel of Notre-Dame.

[edit]Succession

As with his brother before him, Charles IV died without a male heir, thus ending the direct line of the Capetian dynasty. Twelve years earlier, a rule against succession by females, arguably derived from the Salic Law, had been recognized as controlling succession to the French throne. Application of this rule barred Blanche's 1-year-old daughter Mary by his third wife, Jeanne d'Évreux, 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 was set up with the heir presumptive Philip of Valois, a member of the House of Valois (the next-most-senior branch of the Capetian dynasty), being the regent. After two months, Jeanne gave birth to Blanche. The regent thus became the King and in May was consecrated and crowned Philip VI. 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.