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Dromo's Den
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[Up] [Dromo's Den] Francis I Biography FRANCIS I (1494-1547). King of France (1515-1547). He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and was born at Cognac Sept. 12, 1494. At the age of 20 he married Claude, daughter of Louis XII, and succeeded his father-in-law Jan. 1, 1515. He immediately entered upon the task of reconquering Milan, which had been wrested from his predecessor two years before. At the head of 40,000 men Francis crossed the Alps and attacked the Swiss allies of the Milanese at Marignano, completely defeating them with a loss of 12,000 men, Sept. 13 and 14, 1515. On the field of battle Francis accepted knighthood from the renowned Bayard. After some further successes he returned to Paris in 1516. On the death of the German Emperor Maximilian in January, 1519, Francis I and Charles of Spain became rival candidates for the Imperial crown. The election of Charles excited the anger of the French King, who immediately prepared for war and endeavored to secure the alliance of Henry VIII of England, but with no success, Henry instead forming an alliance with the Pope and the Emperor against Francis. The forces of Francis I were driven out of Italy; the English and Imperialists invaded France; the Constable de Bourbon, who was discovered to be conspiring against his sovereign, fled to Charles, who gladly accepted his services. An attempted invasion of Italy by the French failed, and the Imperialists advanced into Provence. On the approach of the French King they withdrew into Italy, where they were followed by Francis, who overran Lombardy, but was totally defeated and taken prisoner at the battle of Pavia, Feb. 24, 1525. Charles carried his captive to Madrid and only granted him his liberty on the hardest conditions. He was forced to renounce the sovereignty of Flanders and Artois, the Duchy of Burgundy, and all his Italian possessions; to promise the restoration of the Constable de Bourbon to his former dignities; and to surrender his two sons as hostages. Francis obtained his freedom March 17, 1526; but his first act, on his return to his dominions, was a refusal to fulfill the pledges he had given. Pope Clement VII absolved him from his oath; England, Rome, Venice, Florence, and Genoa-all of whom were growing alarmed at the immense power of Charles-withdrew from the Imperial alliance and sided with his antagonist. The war in Italy now recommenced. On May 6, 1527, the Imperial forces of the Constable de Bourbon stormed and sacked Rome and captured the Pope. A French army under Lautree was sent into Naples, but after a series of brilliant successes was almost wholly cut off by disease. About the same time Francis sent a challenge to Charles to decide their quarrel by single combat. The challenge was accepted, but the duel never took place. Peace was concluded at Cambrai in August, 1529, to the great advantage of the Spaniards. In 1536, however, war broke out again between the French and the Emperor, the French having overrun Savoy, to which Francis laid claim, and whose Duke was the ally of Charles V. Finally, by the efforts of Pope Paul III, a truce was concluded for 10 years at Nice, between Charles and Francis, June 13, 1538. In point of fact, however, peace lasted only four years, and in 1542 the French King put into the field five different armies against the Emperor. The battle of Ceresole, April 14, 1544, in which the French were completely victorious, partially wiped out the dishonor of the defeat at Pavia. Alliance with Turkey aroused the Christian powers. Charles V and Henry VII of England marched upon Paris and Francis was compelled to make peace with the Emperor at Crespy Sept. 18, 1544. The war with England continued till 1546. Francis died at Rambouillet, March 31, 1547. Gay and voluptuous, Francis was still capable of heroic impulses and acts of splendid generosity. He was a generous patron of the artists of the Renaissance, several of whom were to be found at the French court. Libraries, schools, and colleges were founded and learning encouraged. Consult the general histories of Michelet, Martin, and Ranke. The New International Encyclopaedia, Vol. IX (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1920) 163. |