Francis I of France

Francis I

Francis I of France (September 12, 1494 – March 31, 1547) was a King of France and a member of the House of Valois.

Birth

Francis was born in Cognac, France on September 12, 1494. His parents were Charles, Duke of Angoulême and Louise of Savoy.

Marriage

Francis I married Claude of France on May 18, 1514. They had seven children, two died before turning eight, two died at the ages of eighteen to twenty-three. Those who lived to adulthood were:

• Henry, King of France
• Madeline, Queen of Scotland
• Margaret, Duchess of Berry

Art

Francis was very interested in art and liked the artist Leonardo da Vinci.

Death

Francis died on March 31, 1547. He is buried in the Saint Denis Basilica.

Francis I Of France Media

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  Francis I receiving the last breath of Leonardo da Vinci in 1519, by Ingres, painted in 1818

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  Francis's Château de Chambord displays a distinct French Renaissance architecture.

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  Francis I and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V made peace at the Truce of Nice in 1538. Francis I actually refused to meet Charles in person, and the treaty was signed in separate rooms.

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  Francis I at the Battle of Marignano

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  Detail of a tapestry depicting the Battle of Pavia, woven from a cartoon by Bernard van Orley (c. 1531)

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  The voyage of Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524

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  An example of the Dieppe maps showing Sumatra. Nicholas Vallard, 1547.

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  Francis I (left) and Suleiman the Magnificent (right) initiated a Franco-Ottoman alliance. Both were separately painted by Titian c. 1530.

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  The Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts in August 1539 prescribed the use of French in official documents.