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Ancestry
Dynastic turmoil: 1314–1328
The principle that the kingdom of France did not descend by female line was founded on custom only. The right of women to succeed was raised after the death of Louis X in 1316, 1322 and 1328. However in each case only male heirs were considered.
In 1328 Charles IV died, leaving only daughters; the nearest male relative was Edward III of England. The French nobility, however, balked at the prospect of being ruled by the English. Edward had inherited his right through his mother Isabella, the sister of the dead king; but the question arose of whether she should be able to transmit a right that she did not possess. The assemblies of the French barons and prelates and the University of Paris decided that males who derive their right to inheritance through their mother should be excluded. Thus the nearest heir through male ancestry was Charles IV's first cousin, Philip, Count of Valois, and it was decided that he should be crowned Philip VI. In 1340 the papacy confirmed that under Salic law males should not be able to inherit through their mothers.
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