Charles VII of France

Reign: 1422 – 1461
Life: 1403–1461

His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a de facto end of the English claims to the French throne. During the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of France under desperate circumstances. Forces of the Kingdom of England and the duke of Burgundy occupied Guyenne and northern France, including Paris, the capital and most populous city, and Reims, the city in which French kings were traditionally crowned. At the same time, a civil war raged in France between the Armagnacs (supporters of the House of Valois) and the Burgundian party (supporters of the House of Valois-Burgundy, which was allied to the English). Joan and Jean de Dunois led French troops to lift the siege of Orléans and other besieged strategic cities on the Loire river, and to defeat the English at the Battle of Patay. With local English troops dispersed, the people of Reims switched allegiance and opened their gates, which enabled Charles VII to be crowned at Reims Cathedral in 1429.

During Charles VII of France's reign, Henry VI of England ruled England, Afonso V of Portugal ruled Portugal, and Murad II ruled Ottoman Empire.