Louis XI
Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), nicknamed the Prudent (French: [le Prudent] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. His father was Charles VII. and his mother was Marie of Anjou.
| Louis XI the Prudent | |
|---|---|
| File:Louis-XI.jpg Louis XI wearing his Order of Saint Michael | |
| King of France | |
| 22 July 1461 − 30 August 1483 | |
| Coronation | 15 August 1461, Reims |
| Predecessor | Charles VII |
| Successor | Richard III of England (disputed) or Charles VIII |
| Born | 3 July 1423 Bourges, Berry, France |
| Died | 30 August 1483 (aged 60) Château de Plessis-lez-Tours, France |
| Burial | Notre-Dame de Cléry Basilica, Cléry-Saint-André, near Orléans |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Anne, Duchess of Bourbon Joan, Queen of France Charles VIII, King of France |
| House | Valois |
| Father | Charles VII, King of France |
| Mother | Marie of Anjou |
| Religion | Catholic |
Born in Bourges, France, Louis was married to Margaret Stewart, daughter of James I of Scotland.
Louis rebelled against his father in 1440 as head of the Praguerie but was forgiven. Louis gave him the management of an area of south-eastern France known as the Dauphiné. There, Louis led his own political establishment and married Charlotte of Savoy, the daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy. His father did not approve of the marriage and sent an army, but Louis fled to Burgundy, where he was hosted by Charles' biggest enemy Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy.
When Charles VII died in 1461, Louis became King of France. He earned the nicknames "the Cunning" (Middle French: le rusé) and "the Universal Spider" (Middle French: l'universelle aragne), as his enemies accused him of spinning webs of plots and conspiracies.
In 1472, the next Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, fought against Louis in the Burgundian Wars. However, Louis separated Charles from his English allies by signing the Treaty of Picquigny (1475) with Edward IV of England, which officially ended the Hundred Years' War. With the death of Charles the Bold at the Battle of Nancy in 1477, the dynasty of the Dukes of Burgundy ended. Louis took advantage of the situation to seize numerous Burgundian territories, including Burgundy itself and Picardy.
Without direct foreign threats, Louis got rid of his rebellious vassals, expanded royal power and strengthened the economic development of France. He died on 30 August 1483 and was succeeded by his son Charles VIII.
Louis XI Media
- L'Adoration des mages, Heures d'Étienne Chevalier.jpg
In this painting by Jean Fouquet, Louis's father Charles VII is depicted as one of the three magi, and it is assumed that Louis, then dauphin, is one of the other two.
- Margaret Stuart Dauphine of France.jpg
- Charlotte de Savoie.jpg
Charlotte de Savoie. Détail du volet droit d'un diptyque de dévotion représentant l'Adoration des bergers avec Charlotte de Savoie et saint François. Cette œuvre est achetée par un particulier lors d'une vente de Pierre Cornette de Saint-Cyr, le 25 octobre 2013. Le musée savoisien l'acquiert ensuite en 2017.
- Louis XI Dauphin 1444-12-30 k.jpg
Letter by Louis XI as Dauphin to the Bishop of Grenoble; Montbeliard, 30 December 1444
- The Entry of Louis XI into Paris Fac simile of a Miniature in the Chroniques of Monstrelet Manuscript of the Fifteenth Century Imperial Library of Paris.png
The Entry of Louis XI into Paris. – Facsimile of a Miniature in the "Chroniques" of Monstrelet, Manuscript of the Fifteenth Century (Imperial Library of Paris).
- Map France 1477-en.svg
Burgundian territories (orange/yellow) and limits of France (red) after the Burgundian War.
- Louis XI 1466-07-31 k.jpg
Letter by Louis XI to the Dowager Duchess and Duke of Milan; 31 July 1466
1622 effigy in Cléry-Saint-André
_-_Basilique_Notre-Dame_-_C%C3%A9notaphe_de_Louis_XI_-_49603380406_(cropped)_(cropped).jpg)
- ↑ Châtelet & Paviot 2007, pp. 401, 410.