Louis XII of France
Louis XII , born the June 27th 1462 with the Castle of Blois, dead on January 1st 1515 with Paris, called the Father of the people by the General states of 1506, was king of France, of 1498 with 1515.
Childhood
He was the son of Charles of Orleans, the prince poet, and of Marie de Clèves and the back-small son of Charles V (see its ascent).Orphan of its father at three years, it is taken in supervision by Louis XI which was very hard with him.
Indeed in 1476, it forced it to marry his/her daughter. However, the latter, Jeanne de France, girl of Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy, is deformed, physically weak, and probably sterile: Louis XI thus hopes to cause the extinction of the branch of Orleans, which always threatens the elder branch of the Capétien S. At the time of the marriage of his/her daughter and the future Louis XII, Louis XI, always cynical, slips besides with the one of his confidants " … for what it seems to me that the children that they will have will not be them together expensive to nourish… " (sic).
In 1499 Louis XII hastens to make cancel this marriage by the pope for not-consumption, which Jeanne disputes besides, by declaring with the lawsuit with a touching humility that " although it knows very well that it neither nor is as well made as pretty as the others femmes" , its marriage was indeed consumed. In vain: the marriage is cancelled and the unfortunate Jeanne withdraws herself with the convent with Bourges. She will found thereafter the order of the nuns of Annonciade, intended more particularly to honor the Blessed Virgin in the mystery with the Annunciation. Died in odor of holiness, she will be canonized by the pope Pie XII in 1950.
Brothers and sisters
- Jeanne (1409-1432) wife in 1421 Jean II, duke of Alençon († 1476)
- Marie (1457-1493) wife, in 1476, Jean V of Blois, Count d' Etampes and Viscount of Narbonne († 1501)
- Anne, abbess of Fontevrault then of Poitiers (1464-1491)
Wives and descent
1476 Jeanne de Valois and Foix (1464-1505), royal princess of France, girl of the king Louis XI and his second wife Charlotte of Savoy. The marriage was cancelled of which: Jeanne of Orleans °1476/1477 married to François de Chaume1499 Anne of Brittany (1477 - 1514), girl of François II, duke of Brittany, and Marguerite de Foix Of which:
- Claude of France, duchess of Brittany and Berry (1499 - 1524) called " The Claude" Queen; , wife the future king François I {{er}}
- Renee de France, duchess of Chartres (1510 - 1575) wife in 1528 Hercules II of Este duke of Ferrare (1560)
- two wire successively dolphins of France which one does not know the first names
- two other children of which one knows nothing
1514 Mary Tudor Royal Princess England (1497+1533) girl of the king Henri VII of England and Elisabeth Plantagenêt of York. Widow, it marries the duke of Suffolk and will be by this second marriage the grandmother of the decapitated Queen of England, Jane Grey.
An illegitimate child is known to him:
The rebel
Died of Louis XI, it fails to obtain the regency with the General states of Turns, which is taken by Anne de Beaujeu.In 1484, after several adventures of 1484 to 1488 at the time of the insane War, it is made prisoner with the Bataille of Saint-Aubin-of-Cormier the, in July 1488.
Grâcié after three years of detention (which it passes in the prisons of Angers, Sablé, Lusignan, Poitiers, Mehun-on-Yèvre and Bourges), it follows his/her cousin, the king Charles VIII, in Italy where it in vain tries to conquer the Duché of Milan to his profit (cf first war of Italy).
It succeeds in 1498 Charles VIII, accidentally dead without surviving child.
The king
In exchange of Valentinois set up in duchy, which it gives to César Borgia, wire of the Pape Alexandre VI Borgia, it obtains the cancellation of its first marriage and wife the widow of her cousin, Anne of Brittany. Two girls were born from this marriage:
- Claude of France, in 1499, which married in 1514 François Ier which succeeded to him (Their union thus made it possible the Duché of Brittany to remain in the royal field) and
- Renee de France, in 1510 which married in 1528 Hercules d' Este, duke of Ferrare.
As of 1499, it takes again the Italian policy of its predecessor (cf second, third and fourth war of Italy). After having conquered the Milanese, he becomes Master of most of the peninsula.
The September 22nd 1504, it signs the Traité of Blois, that the General states of Turns cancel with its demand for 1506. It then promises in marriage Claude of France to François de Valois.
In 1506, it is driven out of Naples by Ferdinand d' Aragon (Ferdinand the Catholic) and loses the Milanese later six years. In 1513, the defeat of Novare rings the knell of its Italian ambitions.
The main part of the wars under the reign of Louis XII proceeded on the Italian ground. However, some battles were played inside the French borders. In 1512, the Aragon seizes the southernmost Navarre. In 1513, the Swiss ones besiege Dijon. In August of this same year, the English gain the victory of Bataille of Guinegatte. By separated treaties, whose disputed Treated of Dijon, Louis XII dislocates the Holy-League.
Louis XII manages with intelligence his field. He uses the receipts of the taxes for the good of the country by maintaining the highway network. Enjoying a great popularity, it is called the " Father of Peuple" .
Become widowed, it remarie the October 9th 1514 with Abbeville with Marie of England, the very young sister of the king Henri VIII of England, to seal its reconciliation with him.
He dies a few months later and leaves the throne to his cousin and son-in-law François I {{er}} which had married his/her oldest daughter Claude, duchess of Brittany.
Family ties