History of the English line of succession Prince Louis of France as king. However, with John's death, his barons saw his young son as a safer option. John's eldest son became Henry III, and the French were driven away from the country. On Henry III's death, on 16 November 1272, the throne passed to his eldest son, Edward I. On Edward I's death, on 7 July 1307, the throne passed to his eldest son, Edward II. On the day of Edward II's abdication, 25 January 1327, the throne passed to his eldest son, Edward III. The succession to Edward III was governed according to his entail to
Edward III of England Edington and Chief Justice William de Shareshull. It was not until the mid-1350s that military operations on the Continent were resumed on a large scale. In 1356, Edward's eldest son, Edward, the Black Prince, won an important victory in the Battle of Poitiers. The greatly outnumbered English forces not only routed the French, but captured the French king, John II and his youngest son, Philip. After a succession of victories, the English held great possessions in France, the French king was in English custody, and the French central government had almost totally collapsed. There has been a historical debate as