General Notes

REFN: 12816AN
Charles VII the Victorious, or the Well-Served (French: Charles VII le Vic
torieux, or le Bien-Servi) (February 22, 1403 – July 22, 1461) was ki
ng of France from 1422 to 1461, a member of the Valois Dynasty.
Born in Paris, Charles was the fifth and only surviving son of Charl
es VI of France and Isabeau de Bavière. Four of his elder brothers were da
uphin in their turn but died without issue during the lifetime of their pa
rents: Charles (1386), Charles (1392-1401), Louis, Duke of Guyenne (1397-1
415) and Jean, Duke of Touraine (1398-1417). Charles, being the fifth daup
hin, added to instability of the kingdom, which was under English attac
k. His survival was in doubt (apparently his own parents were not eag
er to protect him nor keep him as heir). There was also considerable dou
bt about his legitimacy, his mother being renowned for her affairs.
As a young man he was taken in by his future mother-in-law Yolande of Arag
on, Queen of the Four Kingdoms, kept away from the royal court, and kept p
rotected. On the death of his father in 1422, the French throne did not pa
ss to Charles but to his infant nephew, King Henry VI of England in accord
ance with his father's Treaty of Troyes signed in 1420. The English rig
ht to the throne of France had been granted as part of the Treaty in an ef
fort to put an end to the raging Hundred Years' War. Under the Treaty, Ki
ng Henry of England ruled Northern France through a regent in Normandy; t
he Dauphin was disinherited and pronounced a bastard by Queen Isabeau. Cha
rles and his advisors, who did not accept the treaty, set up court in a fo
rtified castle at Chinon.
Without any organized French army, the English strengthened their grip ov
er France until March 8, 1429 when Joan of Arc, claiming divine inspiratio
n, urged Charles to declare himself king and raise an army to liberate Fra
nce from the English.
One of the important factors that aided in the ultimate success of Charl
es VII was the support from the powerful and wealthy family of his wife Ma
rie d'Anjou (1404-1463), particularly the mother-in-law the Queen Yolan
de of Aragon. Despite whatever affection he had for his wife, the great lo
ve of Charles VII's life was his mistress, Agnès Sorel.
After the French won the Battle of Patay, Charles was crowned King Charl
es VII of France on July 17, 1429, in Reims Cathedral. Over the followi
ng two decades, King Charles VII recaptured Paris from the English and eve
ntually recovered all of France with the exception of the northern po
rt of Calais.
While Charles VII's legacy is far overshadowed by the deeds and eventual m
artyrdom of Joan of Arc, he did something his predecessors had fail
ed to do by uniting most of the country under one French king and, starti
ng with the general parliament at Orleans in 1439, creating for the fir
st time a standing army, which would yield the powerful gendarme cavalry c
ompanies notable in the wars of the sixteenth century. He established t
he University of Poitiers in 1432 and his policies brought some economic p
rosperity to the citizens. Although his leadership was sometimes mark
ed by indecisiveness, hardly any other leader left a nation so much bett
er improved than when he came on the scene.
King Charles VII died on July 22, 1461 at Mehun-sur-Yèvre, but his latt
er years were marked by an open revolt by his son who succeeded him as Lou
is XI.
Children of Charles VII include:
Louis XI, King of France (1423-1483)
John of France (1424-1425)
Radegonde de France (1428-1444)
Catherine (1428-1446), married Charles de Charolais, future Charles le Tém
éraire, Duke of Burgundy, in 1440
Jacques de France (1432-1437)
Yolande de France (1434-1478), married the future Amadeus IX, Duke of Sav
oy in 1452. Upon his death in 1472, she became regent of Savoy.
Joan (1435-1482), married the future John II, Duke of Bourbon in 1452
Margaret of France (1437-1438)
Mary of France (7 September 143