John I of France
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John I the Posthumous (French: Jean Ier le Posthume) (November 15, 1316 – November 20, 1316) was King of France for the five days he lived.
He was born a king on November 15, 1316, a member of the Capetian dynasty and the posthumous son of King Louis X and Clemence of Hungary.
John lived for only a few days and many believed his uncle, the future King Philippe V, caused his death in order to gain the throne. There were also stories that Philippe had the child kidnapped and substituted a dead child in his place. During the 1350s, a man claiming to be King John I appeared in Provence. He was quickly put in prison and died there.
John reigned for five days under his uncle's regency, until his death on November 20, 1316. The infant King was buried in Saint Denis Basilica. He was succeeded by his uncle, Philippe V. The other claimant was John's half-sister, the then four-year-old Princess Joan (Jeanne in French), daughter of Louis X's marriage with Marguerite of Burgundy.
It was at that point when the question of the force of Salic Law was resolved regarding the succession to the Throne of France.
Joan, as a female, had a disputed claim to the throne of France: a female could not succeed to the throne of France if following the Salic law, however if following the feudal law (which had thus far controlled the inheritance of almost all fiefs in France), Joan would have been the next monarch of France. (She did, however, have indeniable rights in the succession of Navarre where females are allowed - witness that kingdom being brought to the Capetians by Louis' own mother. However, these claims were ignored until after the deaths of her uncles Philip V and Charles IV.)
A practical point obviously having impact on this legal interpretation was the rumour that Joan was a product of her mother's adultery and not at all a daughter of Louis X. By interpreting the law as allowing only male succession Joan's position was quashed altogether, and the danger of a bastard succeeding was avoided without even examining her real birth.
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|width="30%" align="center" rowspan=""|Preceded by:
Louis X
|width="30%" align="center" rowspan=""|Succeeded by:
Philip V
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