Charles IV of France
Charles IV ruled France from 1322 to 1328 and was the last of the direct Capetian line. Born in 1294, he was the third and youngest son of Philip IV, and was called the Fair like his father. He came to the throne after both his elder brothers died in quick succession without surviving sons. His marital history was unfortunate. His first wife, Blanche of Burgundy, was convicted in the Tour de Nesle affair of 1314 — the scandal in which the wives of all three of Philip IV's sons were accused of adultery, two of them convicted, and their alleged lovers flayed and executed. Blanche was imprisoned for years, and Charles obtained an annulment on a technicality after becoming king. Two further marriages produced no surviving son. He governed with some competence. He reformed the coinage after the debasements of his brothers, tightened the administration of the royal domain, and pursued officials for corruption, and he attempted to reduce the number of exemptions from taxation. His main foreign business was Gascony. Edward II of England held it as a fief and had not performed homage. A dispute over a fortified town at Saint-Sardos in 1323 led Charles to declare the duchy forfeit and to occupy most of it in 1324. Edward sent his wife Isabella, who was Charles's sister, to negotiate, and she then arranged for her son to perform the homage — and from the French court launched the invasion that deposed her husband in 1326. Charles died in February 1328 leaving a pregnant widow, who bore a daughter. The crown passed to his cousin Philip of Valois, and Edward III's rival claim began the Hundred Years' War.
- Lived: 1294 CE – 1328 CE
- Nationality: French
- Roles: king, head_of_state
