Portrait: AI-generated imagined likeness
Monarch
King of France. During the latter half of the Hundred Years' War, he reestablished his royal power and was crowned at Reims with the support of Joan of Arc. He is a person who thinks about the French state at the end of the Middle Ages.
View in catalogBourges
Work
Reims
Work
Hundred Years' War
1422–1453
War · Leader
Coronation at Reims
1429
Political event · Subject
Map: Natural Earth (PD)
Born as a prince of the Valois dynasty, he became embroiled in the question of succession to the throne during the Hundred Years' War and civil war. France was under pressure from the English army and the Burgundians, and was in a state of disintegration.
With the appearance of Joan of Arc, the legitimacy of the kingship was restored and he was crowned at Reims. He proceeded with the development of a standing army and financial system, and rebuilt the French system toward the end of the Hundred Years' War.
Charles VII was initially in such a weak position that he was nicknamed the "King of Bourges". However, the restoration of royal authority proceeded not only through military victories but also through sustained administrative and financial improvements.
When we study Charles VII, we understand that the Hundred Years' War was a turning point that led from feudal warfare to the formation of a royal state. He is an important figure in understanding French politics from the Middle Ages to the early modern period. It is also important that royal power was supported by the establishment of a standing army and taxation.
