# King John of France — Edward III character guide

> King John of France in Edward III by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** King John, John, John of Valois, Valois

**First appearance:** 0001-act-i

## Snapshot

The Valois king whose lawyers' trick — excluding women from the throne — stole Edward's inheritance and set all France ablaze.

## Who they are

John of Valois sits on a throne that Artois insists belongs by blood to Edward, having been raised there on the argument that France cannot admit a ruler descended through the female line. From his first summons demanding homage for Guyenne, he treats Edward as a vassal rather than a rival sovereign, a posture that guarantees war. His claim is the play's central grievance, and his pride the engine that drives English armies across the sea.

## In the story

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-i)

Commands the French camp, receives reports, and reacts to the naval defeat.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-ii)

Implied as the usurper John Valois, whose claim to the throne is contrasted with Edward's hereditary right.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iii)

Delivers a defiant speech, condemning Edward as a pirate and vowing to defend his crown.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iv)

Observes the flight of his men and laments their hapless fortune, seeking to counsel them to stay.

### [Scene III: Poitou. Fields near Poitiers. The French camp; tent of the Duke of Normandy.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iii)

King John enters the camp, confident that Edward is entrapped and the French forces vastly outnumber the English.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iv)

Sends a herald offering mercy to Prince Edward if he surrenders with a hundred men.

### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-v)

Commands the French camp, dismisses omens, and overrules his son's safe-conduct, ordering Salisbury's execution.

### [Scene VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-vi)

Describes his army as confounded and fearful; recalls a prophecy and feels his own resolve weakening.

### [Scene VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-vii)

Captured and brought before Prince Edward, attributes his defeat to fortune rather than force.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-i)

Captured and brought before King Edward as a prisoner.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/characters/king_john_of_france
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/characters