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How did the deaths of Philip IV of France’s three sons lead to a succession crisis in 1328?

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King Philip IV — Philip IV Philip IV, detail of the statue from his tomb, 14th century; in the abbey church at Saint-Denis, France.

The death of Philip IV’s three sons—Louis X, Philip V, and Charles IV—without surviving male heirs brought an end to the direct line of the Capetian dynasty in 1328.123

This triggered a succession crisis because there was no established, definitive rule for the French crown in such circumstances. Following the death of Louis X in 1316, the Estates-General had established the principle that women were excluded from the throne, a rule later reinforced to also exclude descent through a daughter.45

When Charles IV died in 1328, the two primary claimants were:
* Edward III of England, who claimed the throne through his mother, Isabella, the sister of Charles IV.4
* Philip, count of Valois, the cousin of the three deceased kings and son of Philip IV’s brother.43

An assembly of magnates ultimately favored the count of Valois, who became Philip VI. Edward III’s subsequent challenge to this decision became a central cause of the Hundred Years’ War.43