1422: Two kings, two legitimacies

In 1422, the death of Charles VI opened a rare crisis: two camps claimed the crown, either in the name of the Treaty of Troyes or in the name of the “fundamental laws” of the kingdom.

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👑 The English camp: Troyes and the “dual monarchy”

The Treaty of Troyes (1420) purported to organize the succession in favour of the English dynasty. Henry V, presented as heir to the kingdom, died on 31 August 1422 at Vincennes castle, before Charles VI passed away at the Hôtel Saint-Pol in Paris less than two months later, on 21 October 1422.

It followed that the young Henry VI of England, a nine-month-old baby, succeeded his father as King of England on 1 September 1422 and doubled down on 22 October 1422 by also becoming King of France, under the regency of his paternal uncle the Duke of Bedford, who would govern in Paris. The Anglo-Burgundian alliance thus carried forward the idea of an English “King of France.”

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👑 The French camp: the dauphin become Charles VII

For the dauphin’s supporters, the treaty was invalid: the crown was not a personal possession, and a king weakened by illness could not dispose of the fundamental rules. Upon the death of Charles VI (21 October 1422), Charles proclaimed himself king under the name of Charles VII on 30 October 1422.

But he was then unable to observe tradition by being crowned in Reims Cathedral, in the presence of the knights of the Holy Ampulla, as the country was infested by enemy troops. He sat in majesty for the first time, accompanied by his wife, Marie of Anjou, in the Cathedral of Saint-Étienne in Bourges.

He first governed from the south (around Bourges), with limited resources and a legitimacy yet to be won.

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🧠 Key points

• 1422 is not merely a date of succession: it is a crisis of sovereignty.
• Henry V died before Charles VI, altering the scenario anticipated by the Treaty of Troyes.
• Henry VI, a 9-month-old baby, became King of England and France under the regency of the Duke of Bedford.
• Charles VII proclaimed himself king at Bourges on 30 October 1422, but could not be crowned at Reims.
• The war became a confrontation between law, force, alliances and symbols.