Summary
The Valois dynasty was a cadet branch of the Capetians that ruled France from the fourteenth to the late sixteenth century. It governed during some of the most turbulent and formative periods of French history.
Historical role
It matters because Valois rule spans the consolidation and crisis of the late medieval monarchy, the Hundred Years' War, the Renaissance monarchy, and the religious conflicts that preceded Bourbon succession.
Connections
Useful for linking late medieval France, dynastic succession, war, religious conflict, and the transition from medieval to early modern monarchy.