Charles

Charles (born 1319—died Sept. 29, 1364, Auray, Fr.) was a rival duke of Brittany, a son of the French king Philip VI’s sister Margaret.

Charles’s claim to Brittany through his marriage to Joan the Lame of Penthièvre, niece of Duke John III of Brittany, led to a conflict with the other claimants, John of Montfort and later his son Duke John IV of Brittany, in the 20-year War of the Breton Succession, which also involved the kings of England and France. When John of Montfort began to win most of Brittany, Charles appealed to Philip, who had the peers of France recognize Charles as sole heir to the duchy; meanwhile, John had sought the aid of Edward III of England. On Nov. 1, 1341, Charles seized the city of Nantes and imprisoned John for four years. When Edward attacked Nantes, Pope Clement VI intervened in 1343 to conclude a truce. The war was renewed, however, and Charles was captured at La Roche-Derrien in January 1347 and incarcerated in the Tower of London; he paid a ransom and promised to hold Brittany, under vassalage to Edward. On July 12, 1363, Charles finally agreed on a partition of Brittany with Duke John IV of Brittany but was persuaded by his wife to break the treaty. At the Battle of Auray (Sept. 29, 1364), Charles was killed and his army defeated.