Everything about Charles Viii Of France totally explained
Charles VIII, called
the Affable (;
30 June 1470 –
7 April 1498), was
King of France from
1483 to his death. Charles was a member of the
House of Valois. His invasion of Italy initiated the long series of
Franco-Italian wars which characterized the first half of the 16th century.
Childhood and youth
Charles was born at the
Château d'Amboise in
France, the only surviving son of
King Louis XI by his second wife
Charlotte of Savoy. Charles succeeded to the throne on
August 30,
1483, at age 13. His health was poor and he was regarded by his contemporaries as of pleasant disposition but foolish and unsuited for the business of the state. In accordance with Louis XI's wishes, the regency of the Kingdom was granted to Charles' elder sister,
Anne, a formidably intelligent and shrewd woman described by her father as "the least insane woman in France." She would rule as regent, together with her husband
Peter II, Duke of Bourbon, until 1491.
Marriages
Charles was betrothed in
1482 to
Margaret of Austria, the daughter of
Emperor Maximilian I and
Mary, Duchess of Burgundy; the marriage had been arranged by Louis XI, Maximilian, and the Estates of the Low Countries, as part of the
Peace of Arras between France and
Burgundy. Margaret brought the Counties of Artois and Burgundy to France as her dowry, and she was raised in the French court as prospective Queen consort.
In 1488, however,
Francis II, Duke of Brittany died in a riding accident, leaving his 11-year old daughter
Anne as his heiress. Anne, who feared for her Duchy's independence against the ambitions of France, arranged a marriage between herself and Maximilian, who had already married Mary of Burgundy in much the same circumstances in 1477. The Beaujeus refused to countenance such a marriage, however, since it would place Maximilian and his family, the Habsburgs, on two French borders; Brittany was invaded by the French army, Maximilian was unable to help, and Anne of Brittany was forced to renounce Maximilian (whom she'd only married by proxy), and agree to be married to Charles VIII instead.
On
December 6,
1491, in an elaborate ceremony at the
Château de Langeais, Charles and Anne of Brittany were married. The 14-year-old Duchess Anne, not happy with the
arranged marriage, arrived for her wedding with her entourage carrying two beds. However, Charles's marriage brought him independence from his relatives, and thereafter he managed affairs according to his own inclinations. Queen Anne lived at the
Clos Lucé in Amboise.
There still remained the matter of Charles' first intended, the young Margaret of Austria. Although the cancellation of her betrothal meant that she by rights should have been returned to her family, Charles didn't initially do so, intending to marry her usefully elsewhere in France. It was an abominable situation for Margaret, who informed her father in her letters that she was so determined to escape her situation that she'd even flee Paris in her nightgown if it gave her freedom. Eventually, in 1493, she was returned to her family, together with her dowry.
The Italian War
In
1489,
Pope Innocent VIII, then being at odds with
Ferdinand I of Naples, offered Naples to Charles, who had a vague claim to the
Kingdom of Naples through his paternal grandmother,
Marie of Anjou. In
1494,
Ludovico Sforza,
Duke of Milan, was threatened by Ferdinand's successor
Alfonso II, and urged Charles to go take Naples. Charles was also urged on by his favorite courtier,
Étienne de Vesc.
Thus encouraged, Charles imagined himself capable of actually taking Naples.
To secure France against other invasions, Charles made treaties with
Austria and
England, buying their neutrality with big concessions. He devoted France's resources to building up a large army, including one of Europe's first
siege trains with
artillery.
Charles entered
Italy in
1494 and marched across the peninsula, reaching Naples on
February 22,
1495. The French army subdued
Florence in passing and took Naples without a pitched battle or siege. Alfonso was expelled and Charles was crowned King of Naples.
The speed and power of the French advance frightened the other Italian rulers, including the Pope and even Ludovico of Milan. They formed an anti-French coalition, the
League of Venice. At
Fornovo in July
1495, the League defeated Charles, despite losing 2,000 men to his 1,000. Charles lost nearly all the booty of the campaign and had to withdraw to France. His remaining garrisons in Naples were quickly subdued by Aragonese allies of Alfonso.
Over the next few years, Charles tried to rebuild his army, and resume the campaign. But he was hampered by the large debts incurred in 1494-95. He never succeeded in gaining anything substantive.
Death
Charles died in
1498, two and a half years after his retreat from Italy, of an accident. He struck his head on the lintel of a door in Amboise. A few hours later, he fell into a sudden coma, and then died.
Legacy
Charles bequeathed a meager legacy: he left France in debt and in disarray as a result of an ambition most charitably characterized as unrealistic. On a more positive side, his expedition did strengthen cultural ties to Italy, energizing French art and letters in the latter part of the
Renaissance.
Since all of his children died before him, Charles was the last of the elder branch of the
House of Valois. Upon his death, the throne passed to his father's second cousin, the
Duke of Orléans, who reigned as King
Louis XII of France.
Ancestors
Issue
The marriage with Anne resulted in the birth of four children:
Further Information
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