Charles of Valois, Duke of Alençon

Timeline

1. c. 1297–1330Alençon · NormandyCharles was the younger brother of King Philip VI of France, granted the fiefs of Alençon, Perche, and others. As a royal brother he took part in court politics during the Capetian–Valois transition of power, and after his brother's accession served as a pillar of the royal house's military role.
2. 1331–1340Normandy · NormandyIn the 1330s Charles took part in defensive arrangements against the threat of English invasion, organizing armies in the directions of Normandy and Picardy. During this period the French army gradually shifted from naval defeats to continental defense, and Charles, as one of the royal brothers commanding, was active on the northern front.
3. 1346Crécy · PicardyAt the Battle of Crécy on 26 August 1346, Charles led the Alençon contingent as the French vanguard, which was annihilated under English longbow fire, and he himself was killed. The battle severely damaged the traditional tactics of the French noble cavalry and became a landmark defeat of the Hundred Years' War.