Isabella claimed the French succession in 1328 as the sister of Charles IV, but the assembled nobles rejected a woman as ruler and Philip VI took the throne. Edward III's claim through his mother regained force after Philip declared support for Scotland. Robert of Artois, an exile welcomed and rewarded by Edward, encouraged him to pursue the French crown. The Vows of the Heron supplies a literary account of Robert accusing Edward of cowardice at a banquet and drawing the guests into promises to help him. Edward's combined English and French heraldry then advertised the claim in an especially provocative form.
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Edward III's French claim and the Vows of the Heron
The French succession dispute connects Isabella's rejected claim, Philip VI's support for Scotland, and a poem portraying Robert of Artois as an instigator of war.