Page:A General Sketch of Political History from the Earlist Times.djvu/228

 CHAPTER XV THE CLOSE OF THE MIDDLE AGES I THE WESTERN AND EASTERN NATIONS We have seen how at the close of the thirteenth century Philip the Fair of France had a sharp contest with Boniface viil, and 1. France. now the Crown won a complete victory over the The last papacy. That vigorous and extremely unscrupulous ape s ' monarch also enriched himself by the destruction of the order of the Knights Templars, and found another source of wealth in the persecution of the Jews. He set about a policy of encroachment on the power of the nobles, but did not succeed in wresting from Edward i. of England any part of that French inheritance which still remained to the English king. After him ruled three of his sons in succession, of whom the second promulgated a law of immense importance in the history of France, declaring that succession to the Crown passed through males only. As a matter of fact the succession ever since the founding of the dynasty, that is, for more than three hundred years, had passed through the male line, not because there was any law, but because there had never been any other line which could put in a claim. This pronouncement was put forward by Philip v., in order to exclude any possible claims on behalf of the daughter of his elder brother. But it was not on her behalf that the law was challenged a few years later. Philip died child- less; his younger brother Charles iv. died childless j Succession, and according to the law the heir to the throne by 1328 - male descent was Philip of Valois, who became king as Philip VI. But the three brothers who had reigned 216