TDIH - January 3 This Day in (Medieval) History: January 3 1322 - Charles IV became King of France. He was the third son of Philippe IV and the last king of the Capetian dynasty, as he died with no male heirs and his widow gave birth to a daughter after his death. This created the succession crisis that led to the Hundred Years War. 1431 - Near the beginning of Joan of Arc's trial, the English government issued a document stating that the government would retain custody of her even if she was acquitted during the trial. The prominent historian Regine Pernoud noted that this is another example of fraud during the trial (in addition to the pro-English nature of the tribunal members and other factors). Pernoud states: "in theory Joan was judged by the Church in a matter of heresy; in point of fact she was simply a prisoner of war whose fate depended on the English government" (from "Joan of Arc By Herself And Her Witnesses" p. 161). 1437 - Catherine of Valois (daughter of King Charles VI of France and wife of Henry V and Owen Tudor) died at Bermondsey Abbey in London, England. 1521 - Martin Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X via the decree "Decet Romanum Pontificem". Luther sparked the Protestant Reformation.