valois

Valois is a historical term that can refer to a royal house of France or to a historic geographical region in northern France. The two uses are interconnected, as the Valois dynasty derived its name from the Valois region and its early lordships.

The House of Valois was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty and ruled the Kingdom of France from 1328 to 1589. It began when Philip VI succeeded the childless Charles IV, bringing the French crown under the Valois line. The dynasty included rulers such as John II, Charles V, Charles VI, Charles VII, Louis XI, Louis XII, Francis I, Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. The Valois era saw the Hundred Years' War, the consolidation of royal authority, the French Renaissance, and the Wars of Religion. The line ended with Henry III, whose death without a male heir in 1589 ended the dynasty; the throne passed to the Bourbon branch.

The Valois region, also called Valois, was a medieval county and later province in northern France, centered in the Oise valley north of Paris. It formed part of the crown territories and was closely associated with the early house. During administrative reforms of the French Revolution, the old provincial boundaries were replaced by departments, and the historic Valois province ceased to exist as an administrative unit.

In modern usage, Valois survives mainly in historical, genealogical, and place-name contexts, and as a surname.