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91-577: Legend has it that Romorantin was introduced to the Loire by King Francis I of France (1494–1547). The commune of Romorantin-Lanthenay is not far from the grape's stronghold in the Cheverny AOC , suggesting that the grape's name reflects a geographical connection - the king was from the region. DNA fingerprinting has shown that it is one of many grapes to be the result of a cross between Gouais blanc (Heunisch) and Pinot fin teinturier , making it

182-630: A building of Renaissance splendour. He financed the building of a new City Hall (the Hôtel de Ville ) for Paris in order to have control over the building's design. He constructed the Château de Madrid in the Bois de Boulogne and rebuilt the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye . The largest of Francis' building projects was the reconstruction and expansion of the Château de Fontainebleau , which quickly became his favourite place of residence, as well as

273-514: A consequence, male-preference primogeniture was the practiced succession law for the nobility. The autonomous and troublesome duchy of Aquitaine was conquered by the Franks in 769, after a series of revolts against their suzerainty. In order to avoid a new demonstration of Aquitain particularism, Charlemagne decided to organize the land within his kingdom. After the Carolingian conquest,

364-704: A duchy under it. In 1153, an enlarged Aquitaine pledged loyalty to the Angevin kings of England . As a result, a rivalry emerged between the French monarchs and the Angevins over control of the latter's territorial possessions in France. By the mid-13th century, only an enlarged Guyenne and Gascony remained in Angevin hands. The Hundred Years' War finally saw the kingdom of France gain full control over Aquitaine in

455-543: A great-great-grandson of King Charles V of France . His family was not expected to inherit the throne, as his third cousin King Charles VIII was still young at the time of his birth, as was his father's cousin the Duke of Orléans , later King Louis XII. However, Charles VIII died childless in 1498 and was succeeded by Louis XII, who himself had no male heir. The Salic Law prevented women from inheriting

546-620: A heavy burden on the state budget. After the League of Cognac failed, Francis concluded a secret alliance with the Landgrave of Hesse on 27 January 1534. This was directed against Charles on the pretext of assisting the Duke of Württemberg to regain his traditional seat, from which Charles had removed him in 1519. Francis also obtained the help of the Ottoman Empire and after the death of Francesco II Sforza , ruler of Milan, renewed

637-553: A letter to Francis I dated 13 August 1533, the Wattassid ruler of Fez , Ahmed ben Mohammed , welcomed French overtures and granted freedom of shipping and protection of French traders. Francis took several steps to eradicate the monopoly of Latin as the language of knowledge. In 1530, he declared French the national language of the kingdom, and that same year opened the Collège des trois langues , or Collège Royal , following

728-587: A number of agents in Italy to procure notable works of art and ship them to France. Francis was also renowned as a man of letters . When he comes up in a conversation among characters in Baldassare Castiglione 's Book of the Courtier , it is as the great hope to bring culture to the war-obsessed French nation. Not only did Francis support a number of major writers of the period, but he was also

819-419: A poet himself, if not one of particular ability. Francis worked diligently at improving the royal library. He appointed the great French humanist Guillaume Budé as chief librarian and began to expand the collection. Francis employed agents in Italy to look for rare books and manuscripts, just as he had agents looking for artworks. During his reign, the size of the library greatly increased. Not only did he expand

910-716: A registry office in every parish. This initiated the first records of vital statistics with filiations available in Europe. Divisions in Christianity in Western Europe during Francis' reign created lasting international rifts. Martin Luther 's preaching and writing sparked the Protestant Reformation , which spread through much of Europe, including France. Initially, Francis was relatively tolerant of

1001-539: A sibling of famous varieties such as Chardonnay and Aligoté . Romorantin was once quite widely grown in the Loire, but has now retreated to the Cour-Cheverny AOC, a small enclave of the Cheverny AOC which lies south of Blois . There are thirty five producers listed for this small AOP listed on the website of Le Maison des Vins de Cheverny. A Romorantin vineyard at Domaine Henry Marionnet claims to be

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1092-581: Is known as the Cèllere Codex . In 1531, Bertrand d'Ornesan tried to establish a French trading post at Pernambuco , Brazil. In 1534, Francis sent Jacques Cartier to explore the St. Lawrence River in Quebec to find "certain islands and lands where it is said there must be great quantities of gold and other riches". In 1541, Francis sent Jean-François de Roberval to settle Canada and to provide for

1183-568: Is now housed at the Louvre in Paris. A portrait dated to 1532–33 by Joos van Cleve may have been commissioned either for the occasion of a meeting with Henry VIII of England or Francis' second marriage. The workshop of van Cleve produced copies of this work to be distributed to other courts. The amorous exploits of Francis inspired the 1832 play by Fanny Kemble , Francis the First , and

1274-468: Is seen as a playboy who disgraced France by allowing himself to be defeated and taken prisoner at Pavia. The historian Jules Michelet set the negative image. Francis' personal emblem was the salamander and his Latin motto was Nutrisco et extinguo ("I nourish [the good] and extinguish [the bad]"). His long nose earned him the nickname François du Grand Nez ('Francis of the Big Nose'), and he

1365-508: The Mona Lisa (known in France as La Joconde ), and these remained in France after his death. Other major artists to receive Francis' patronage included the goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini and the painters Rosso Fiorentino , Giulio Romano , and Primaticcio , all of whom were employed in decorating Francis' various palaces. He also invited architect Sebastiano Serlio , who enjoyed a fruitful late career in France. Francis also commissioned

1456-517: The Mona Lisa , which Francis had acquired. Francis' reign saw important cultural changes with the growth of central power in France, the spread of humanism and Protestantism , and the beginning of French exploration of the New World . Jacques Cartier and others claimed lands in the Americas for France and paved the way for the expansion of the first French colonial empire . For his role in

1547-713: The Basques , but after his death in 632, they revolted again, in 635 subdued by an army sent by Dagobert (who was at the same time forced to deal with a rebellion in Brittany). The duchy of Aquitaine established itself as a quasi-independent realm within the Frankish empire during the second half of the 7th century, certainly by 700 under Odo the Great . The first duke is on record under the name of Felix, and as having ruled from about 660. As his successor, Lupus held loose ties with

1638-559: The Battle of Agincourt in 1415. He succeeded in obtaining the French crown for his family by the Treaty of Troyes in 1420. Henry V died in 1422, and his son Henry VI inherited the French throne at the age of less than a year; his reign saw the gradual loss of English control of France. The Valois kings of France, claiming supremacy over Aquitaine, granted the title of duke to their heirs,

1729-493: The Dauphins , during 1345 and 1415: John II (1345–50), Charles VII (1392?–1401), and Louis (1401–1415). French victory was complete with the Battle of Castillon of 1453. England and France nominally remained at war for another 20 years, but England was in no position to continue its campaign, due to its escalating internal conflicts . The Hundred Years' War was formally concluded with the Treaty of Picquigny of 1475. With

1820-483: The English crown by 1153. William IX, Duke of Aquitaine (d. 1127), who succeeded to the dukedom in 1087, gained fame as a crusader and a troubadour. His granddaughter, Eleanor of Aquitaine , succeeded to the duchy at the age of 15 as the eldest daughter and heir of William X (d. 1137), as his son did not live past childhood. She married Louis , heir to the French throne, three months after her father's death due to

1911-692: The Habsburg Netherlands and the throne of Spain , followed by his election as Holy Roman Emperor , led to France being geographically encircled by the Habsburg monarchy . In his struggle against Imperial hegemony, Francis sought the support of Henry VIII of England at the Field of the Cloth of Gold . When this was unsuccessful, he formed a Franco-Ottoman alliance with the Muslim sultan Suleiman

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2002-635: The Hundred Years' War between England and France. Aquitaine as it came to the English kings stretched from the Loire to the Pyrenees, but its range was limited to the southeast by the extensive lands of the counts of Toulouse. The name Guienne, a corruption of Aquitaine, seems to have come into use about the 10th century, and the subsequent history of Aquitaine is merged in that of Gascony and Guienne . In 1337, King Philip VI of France reclaimed

2093-883: The Italian Renaissance were influential in France. Some of his tutors, such as François de Moulins de Rochefort  [ fr ] (his Latin instructor, who later during the reign of Francis was named Grand Aumônier de France ) and Christophe de Longueil (a Brabantian humanist), were attracted by these new ways of thinking and attempted to influence Francis. His academic education had been in arithmetic , geography, grammar, history, reading, spelling, and writing and he became proficient in Hebrew , Italian , Latin and Spanish . Francis came to learn chivalry, dancing, and music, and he loved archery, falconry, horseback riding, hunting, jousting, real tennis and wrestling. He ended up reading philosophy and theology and he

2184-604: The Salian Franks conquered Aquitaine following the Battle of Vouillé , ultimately a recreation of the Roman provinces of Aquitania Prima and Secunda . As a duchy, it broke up after the conquest of the independent Aquitanian duchy of Waiofar , going on to become a sub-kingdom within the Carolingian Empire . It was then absorbed by West Francia after the partition of Verdun in 843 and soon reappeared as

2275-730: The Schmalkaldic League . Francis had been much aggrieved at the papal bull Aeterni regis : in June 1481 Portuguese rule over Africa and the Indies was confirmed by Pope Sixtus IV . Thirteen years later, on 7 June 1494, Portugal and the Crown of Castille signed the Treaty of Tordesillas under which the newly discovered lands would be divided between the two signatories. All this prompted Francis to declare, "The sun shines for me as it does for others. I would very much like to see

2366-458: The Treaty of Andelot of 587. Under Chlothar II , Aquitaine was again an integral part of Francia, but after Chlothar's death in 629, his heir Dagobert I granted a subkingdom in southern Aquitaine to his younger brother Charibert II . This subkingdom, consisting of Gascony and the southern fringe of Aquitaine proper, is conventionally known as "Aquitaine" and forms the historical basis for the later duchy. Charibert campaigned successfully against

2457-667: The Waldensians , at the Massacre of Mérindol in 1545. Francis died at the Château de Rambouillet on 31 March 1547, on his son and successor's 28th birthday. It is said that "he died complaining about the weight of a crown that he had first perceived as a gift from God". He was interred with his first wife, Claude, Duchess of Brittany, in Saint Denis Basilica . He was succeeded by his son, Henry II . Francis' tomb and that of his wife and mother, along with

2548-521: The region of Occitanie . Most of the rest of the post-1271 duchy now forms the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine , though parts fall into the three neighbouring regions of Pays de la Loire , Centre-Val de Loire and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes . The county of Aquitaine as it stood in the High Middle Ages, then, was bordering the Pyrenees to the south ( Navarre , Aragon and Barcelona , formerly

2639-411: The 1450s, with much of its territory directly incorporated into the French royal domain itself. Gallia Aquitania fell under Visigothic rule in the 5th century. It was conquered by the Franks under Clovis I in 507, as a result of the Battle of Vouillé . During the 6th and early 7th century, it was under direct rule of Frankish kings, divided between the realms of Childebert II and Guntram in

2730-943: The 1832 play by Victor Hugo , Le Roi s'amuse ("The King's Amusement"), which featured the jester Triboulet , the inspiration for the 1851 opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi . Francis was first played in the George Méliès short François I et Triboulet (1907) by an unknown actor, possibly Méliès. He has been since played by Claude Garry (1910), William Powell (1922), Aimé Simon-Girard (1937), Sacha Guitry (1937), Gérard Oury (1953), Jean Marais (1955), Pedro Armendáriz (1956), Claude Titre (1962), Bernard Pierre Donnadieu (1990), Timothy West (1998), Emmanuel Leconte (2007–2010), Alfonso Bassave (2015-2016) and Colm Meaney (2022). Duchy of Aquitaine The Duchy of Aquitaine ( Occitan : Ducat d'Aquitània , IPA: [dyˈkad dakiˈtaɲɔ] ; French : Duché d'Aquitaine , IPA: [dyʃe dakitɛn] )

2821-578: The Carolingian Franks, but his assassination in 768 marked the demise of Aquitaine's relative independence. During these years Aquitaine underwent intensive destruction of urban, economic, military and intellectual centres. Pepin's forces destroyed up to 36 monasteries. As a successor state to the Roman province of Gallia Aquitania and the Visigothic Kingdom (418–721), Aquitania (Aquitaine) and Languedoc ( Toulouse ) inherited

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2912-576: The Carolingian king or (later) emperor based in Francia (Austrasia, Neustria). It included not only Aquitaine proper, but also Gothia , Vasconia (Gascony) and the Carolingian possessions in Spain as well. In 806, Charlemagne planned to divide his empire between his sons. Louis received Provence and Burgundy as additions to his kingdom. When Louis succeeded Charlemagne as emperor in 814, he granted Aquitaine to his son Pepin I , after whose death in 838

3003-568: The Christian world and was designated "the impious alliance", or "the sacrilegious union of the [French]  Lily and the [Ottoman]  Crescent ." Nevertheless, it endured for many years, since it served the objective interests of both parties. The two powers colluded against Charles V , and in 1543 they even combined for a joint naval assault in the siege of Nice . In 1533, Francis I sent colonel Pierre de Piton as ambassador to Morocco , initiating official France-Morocco relations . In

3094-411: The English crown. Having suppressed a revolt in his new possession, Henry gave it to his son Richard . When Richard died in 1199, it reverted to Eleanor, and on her death in 1204, it was inherited by her son John and absorbed into the English crown permanently. The duchy henceforward followed the fortunes of the other English possessions in France, such as Normandy and Anjou , ultimately leading to

3185-523: The Frankish kings, ruling autonomously ( princeps ). Odo succeeded Lupus in 700 and signed a peace treaty with Charles Martel . He inflicted on the Moors a crushing defeat at the Battle of Toulouse in 721. However, Charles Martel coveted the southern realm, crossed the Loire in 731 and looted much of Aquitaine. Odo engaged the Franks in battle, but lost and came out weakened. Soon after this battle, in 732,

3276-501: The Franks, Aquitaine was fully absorbed into the Frankish crown. By a treaty made in 845 between Charles the Bald and Pepin II, the kingdom had been diminished by the loss of Poitou, Saintonge and Angoumois in the northwest of the region, which had been given to Rainulf I, count of Poitiers. The title of Duke of Aquitaine, already revived, was now borne by Rainulf, although it was also claimed by

3367-535: The French crown but remained sovereign lord of Aquitaine (rather than merely duke). However, when the treaty was broken in 1369, both these English claims and the war resumed. In 1362, Edward III, as Lord of Aquitaine, made his eldest son Edward the Black Prince , Prince of Aquitaine. In 1390, King Richard II , son of Edward the Black Prince, appointed his uncle John of Gaunt as Duke of Aquitaine. That title passed on to John's descendants although they belonged to

3458-495: The Holy Roman Empire, Charles personally ruled Spain, Austria, and a number of smaller possessions neighbouring France. He was thus a constant threat to Francis I's kingdom. Francis I attempted to arrange an alliance with Henry VIII at the famous meeting at the Field of Cloth of Gold on 7 June 1520, but despite a lavish fortnight of diplomacy they failed to reach an agreement. Francis and Henry VIII both shared

3549-650: The Italian Wars had begun when Milan sent a plea to King Charles VIII of France for protection against the aggressive actions of the King of Naples . Militarily and diplomatically, the reign of Francis I was a mixed bag of success and failure. Francis tried and failed to become Holy Roman Emperor at the Imperial election of 1519 , primarily due to his adversary Charles having threatened the electors with violence. However, there were also temporary victories, such as in

3640-781: The Italian city-state of Duchy of Milan . However, in November 1521, during the Four Years' War (1521–1526), Francis was forced to abandon Milan in the face of the advancing Imperial forces of the Holy Roman Empire and open revolt within the duchy. Much of the military activity of Francis's reign was focused on his sworn enemy, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V . Francis and Charles maintained an intense personal rivalry. Charles, in fact, brashly dared to challenge Francis to single combat multiple times. In addition to

3731-587: The Magnificent , a controversial move for a Christian king at the time. Francis of Orléans was born on 12 September 1494 at the Château de Cognac in the town of Cognac , which at that time lay in the province of Saintonge , a part of the Duchy of Aquitaine . Today the town lies in the department of Charente . Francis was the only son of Charles of Orléans, Count of Angoulême , and Louise of Savoy , and

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3822-603: The Moors raided Vasconia and Aquitaine as far north as Poitiers and defeated Odo twice near Bordeaux . Odo saw no option but to invoke the aid of Charles Martel and pledge allegiance to the Frankish prince. Odo was succeeded by his son Hunald, who reverted to former independence, so defying the Frankish Mayor of the Palace Charles Martel's authority. In 735 and 736 Martel attacked Hunald and his allies,

3913-479: The Ottoman Empire permitting the development of French Mediterranean trade as well as the establishment of a strategic military alliance. The port city now known as Le Havre was founded in 1517 during the early years of Francis' reign. The construction of a new port was urgently needed in order to replace the ancient harbours of Honfleur and Harfleur , whose utility had decreased due to silting. Le Havre

4004-573: The Ottoman Empire that developed into a Franco-Ottoman alliance . The objective for Francis was to find an ally against the House of Habsburg . The pretext used by Francis was the protection of the Christians in Ottoman lands . The alliance has been called "the first nonideological diplomatic alliance of its kind between a Christian and non-Christian empire". It did, however, cause quite a scandal in

4095-620: The Placards ", on the night of 17 October 1534, in which notices appeared on the streets of Paris and other major cities denouncing the Catholic mass . The most fervent Catholics were outraged by the notice's allegations. Francis himself came to view the movement as a plot against him and began to persecute its followers. Protestants were jailed and executed. In some areas, whole villages were destroyed. In Paris, after 1540, Francis had heretics such as Étienne Dolet tortured and burned. Printing

4186-413: The Spanish tercios and the Roman legions, issued an edict to form seven infantry Légions of 6,000 troops each, of which 12,000 of 42,000 were arquebusiers , testifying to the growing importance of gunpowder. The force was a national standing army, where any soldier could be promoted on the basis of vacancies, were paid wages by grade and granted exemptions from the taille and other taxes up to 20 sous ,

4277-545: The Visigothic Law and Roman Law which had combined to allow women more rights than their contemporaries in other parts of Europe. Particularly with the Liber Judiciorum , which was codified in 642 and 643 and expanded in the Code of Recceswinth in 653, women could inherit land and title and manage it independently from their husbands or male relations, dispose of their property in legal wills if they had no heirs, and women could represent themselves and bear witness in court by age 14 and arrange for their own marriages by age 20. As

4368-486: The arts. At the time of his accession, the royal palaces of France were ornamented with only a scattering of great paintings, and not a single sculpture, not ancient nor modern. Francis patronized many great artists of his time, including Andrea del Sarto and Leonardo da Vinci ; the latter of whom was persuaded to make France his home during his last years. While da Vinci painted very little during his years in France, he brought with him many of his greatest works, including

4459-403: The clause of Adam’s will by which I should be denied my share of the world." In order to counterbalance the power of the Habsburg Empire under Charles V, especially its control of large parts of the New World through the Crown of Spain, Francis endeavoured to develop contacts with the New World and Asia. Fleets were sent to the Americas and the Far East, and close contacts were developed with

4550-431: The contest in Italy in the Italian War of 1536–1538 . This round of fighting, which had little result, was ended by the Truce of Nice . The agreement collapsed, however, which led to Francis' final attempt on Italy in the Italian War of 1542–1546 . Francis I managed to hold off the forces of Charles and Henry VIII. Charles was forced to sign the Treaty of Crépy because of his financial difficulties and conflicts with

4641-438: The continuing Italian Wars known as the Four Years' War upheaved the political ground of Europe. He was actually taken prisoner: Cesare Hercolani injured his horse, and Francis himself was subsequently captured by Charles de Lannoy . Some claim he was captured by Diego Dávila, Alonso Pita da Veiga , and Juan de Urbieta , from Guipúzcoa. For this reason, Hercolani was named "Victor of the battle of Pavia". Zuppa alla Pavese

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4732-416: The counts of Toulouse. The new Duchy of Aquitaine, including the three districts already mentioned, remained in the hands of Ramulf's successors, despite disagreement with their Frankish overlords, until 893 when Count Rainulf II was poisoned by order of King Charles III, or Charles the Simple . Charles then bestowed the duchy upon William the Pious , count of Auvergne, the founder of the abbey of Cluny , who

4823-435: The counts of key Aquitanian towns such as Bourges and Limoges . Eventually Hunald retired to a monastery, leaving both the kingdom and the continuing conflict to Waifer, or Guaifer. Following the full occupation of Septimania in 759, Pepin turned now his attention to Aquitaine, initiating a cyclical military campaign that lasted for eight years, i.e. the War of Aquitaine. Waifer strenuously carried on an unequal struggle with

4914-422: The crown because John of Gaunt's son, Henry IV , managed to successfully usurp the crown from Richard II, therefore 'inheriting' the title Lord of Aquitaine from his father, which was passed down to his descendants as they became Kings. His son, Henry V of England , ruled over Aquitaine as King of England and Lord of Aquitaine from 1413 to 1422. He invaded France and emerged victorious at the Siege of Harfleur and

5005-442: The death of Queen Claude two years earlier, wielded far more political power at court than her predecessor had done. Another of his earlier mistresses was allegedly Mary Boleyn , mistress of King Henry VIII and sister of Henry's future wife, Anne Boleyn . With Jacquette de Lanssac he was reputed to have had the following illegitimate child: Francis was the subject of several portraits. A 1525–30 work by Jean Clouet

5096-447: The development and promotion of the French language , Francis became known as le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres (the 'Father and Restorer of Letters'). He was also known as François au Grand Nez ('Francis of the Large Nose'), the Grand Colas , and the Roi-Chevalier (the 'Knight-King'). In keeping with his predecessors, Francis continued the Italian Wars . The succession of his great rival Emperor Charles V to

5187-451: The dreams of power and chivalric glory; however their relationship featured intense personal and dynastic rivalry. Francis was driven by his intense eagerness to retake Milan, despite the strong opposition of other powers. Henry VIII was likewise determined to recapture northern France, which Francis could not allow. However, the situation was grave; Francis had to face not only the whole might of Western Europe, but also internal hostility in

5278-409: The duchy ceased to exist as such, whose powers were taken over by the counts (dukes) of Toulouse, main seat of the Carolingian government in the Midi, represented by Chorso and, after being deposed, by Charlemagne's trustee William (of Gellone), a close relative of his. In 781, he made his third son Louis , then three years of age, king of Aquitaine. The Carolingian kingdom of Aquitaine subordinated to

5369-420: The end of the Hundred Years' War, Aquitaine returned under direct rule of the king of France and remained in the possession of the king. Only occasionally was the title of "Duke of Aquitaine" granted to another member of the dynasty, and then as a purely nominal distinction. Over the course of its existence, the duchy incorporated the Duchy of Gascony and, until 1271, the County of Toulouse , which now falls in

5460-470: The expedition triggered the development of the Dieppe maps , influencing the work of Dieppe cartographers such as Jean Rotz . Under the reign of Francis I, France became the first country in Europe to establish formal relations with the Ottoman Empire and to set up instruction in the Arabic language under the guidance of Guillaume Postel at the Collège de France . In a watershed moment in European diplomacy, Francis came to an understanding with

5551-442: The fief of Aquitaine (essentially corresponding to Gascony) from Eleanor's descendant, Edward III of England . Edward in turn claimed the entire Kingdom of France as the only grandson of King Philip IV of France . This triggered the Hundred Years' War , in which both the Plantagenets and the House of Valois claimed supremacy over Aquitaine. In 1360, both sides signed the Treaty of Brétigny , in which Edward renounced his claim to

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5642-436: The form of Charles III de Bourbon , a capable commander who fought alongside Francis as his constable at the great battle of Marignano, but defected to Charles V after his conflict with Francis' mother over inheritance of Bourbon estates. Despite all this, the Kingdom of France still held the balance of power in its favour. Nevertheless, the defeat suffered from the cataclystic battle of Pavia on 24 February 1525, during part of

5733-485: The future Henry II of France, but once he was free he revoked the forced concessions as his agreement with Charles was made under duress. He also proclaimed that the agreement was void because his sons were taken hostage with the implication that his word alone could not be trusted. Thus he firmly repudiated it. A renewed alliance with England enabled Francis to repudiate the treaty of Madrid. Francis persevered in his rivalry against Charles and his intent to control Italy. By

5824-467: The library, but there is also evidence that he read the books he bought for it, a much rarer event in the royal annals. Francis set an important precedent by opening his library to scholars from around the world in order to facilitate the diffusion of knowledge. In 1537, Francis signed the Ordonnance de Montpellier , which decreed that his library be given a copy of every book to be sold in France. Francis' older sister, Marguerite , Queen of Navarre ,

5915-414: The limits of the old Roman Gallia Aquitania but did not stretch south of the Garonne, a district which was in the possession of the Gascons. William died in 1030. Odo or Eudes (d. 1039) joined Gascony to Aquitaine. The Ramnulfids had become the dominant power in southwestern France by the end of the 11th century. By marriage rather than conquest, their possessions passed into the " Angevin Empire " under

6006-435: The magnates and prelates of Aquitaine formally elected Charles as their king. Later, at Orléans , he was anointed and crowned by Wenilo, archbishop of Sens . In 852, Pepin II was imprisoned by Charles the Bald, who soon afterwards pronounced his own son Charles as the ruler of Aquitaine. On the death of the younger Charles in 866, his brother Louis the Stammerer succeeded to the kingdom, and when, in 877, Louis became king of

6097-522: The mid-1520s, Pope Clement VII wished to liberate Italy from foreign domination, especially that of Charles, so he allied with Venice to form the League of Cognac . Francis joined the League in May 1526, in the War of the League of Cognac of 1526–30. Francis' allies proved weak, and the war was ended by the Treaty of Cambrai (1529; "the Peace of the Ladies", negotiated by Francis’ mother and Charles’ aunt). The two princes were released, and Francis married Eleanor. On 24 July 1534, Francis, inspired by

6188-410: The new movement, despite burning several heretics at the Place Maubert in 1523. He was influenced by his beloved sister Marguerite de Navarre , who was genuinely attracted by Luther's theology. Francis even considered it politically useful, as it caused many German princes to turn against his enemy Charles V. Francis' attitude towards Protestantism changed for the worse following the " Affair of

6279-408: The nobility of Aquitaine chose his son Pepin II of Aquitaine (d. 865) as their king. The emperor Louis I, however, opposed this arrangement and gave the kingdom to his youngest son Charles, afterwards the emperor Charles the Bald . Confusion and conflict resulted, eventually falling in favor of Charles; although from 845 to 852 Pepin II was in possession of the kingdom, at Eastertide 848 in Limoges ,

6370-655: The oldest in France. It was planted in 1850 and somehow survived the phylloxera epidemic that devastated European vineyards in the late 19th century. Romorantin prefers warmer conditions than most 'Loire' varieties. Blanc De Villefranche, Celle Bruere, Dameri, Daneri, Danesy, Dannery, Framboise, Gros Blanc De Villefranche, Gros Plant De Villefranche, Lyonnaise Blanche, Maclon, Petit Dannezy, Petit Maconnais, Plant De Breze, Raisin De Grave, Ramorantin, Romoranten, Romorantin Blanc, Saint Amand, Verneuil. Francis I of France Francis I (French: François I ; Middle French : Françoys ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547)

6461-408: The portion of the Italian Wars called the War of the League of Cambrai (1508–1516) and, more specifically, to the final stage of that war, which history refers to simply as "Francis' First Italian War" (1515–1516), when Francis routed the combined forces of the Papal States and the Old Swiss Confederacy at Marignano on 13–15 September 1515. This grand victory at Marignano allowed Francis to capture

6552-479: The quick thinking of Louis's father, Louis VI of France , who did not want to leave a territory such as Aquitaine governed by a child of fifteen. When Louis VI died, and Eleanor's new husband became King Louis VII, the duchy of Aquitaine officially came under the rule of the French Crown, and for fifteen years, Louis VII had territory that rivaled that of the English crown and the counts of Toulouse. The marriage

6643-632: The recommendation of humanist Guillaume Budé . Students at the Collège could study Greek , Hebrew and Aramaic , then Arabic under Guillaume Postel beginning in 1539. In 1539, in his castle in Villers-Cotterêts , Francis signed the important edict known as Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts , which, among other reforms, made French the administrative language of the kingdom as a replacement for Latin . This same edict required priests to register births, marriages, and deaths, and to establish

6734-516: The residence of his official mistress, Anne, Duchess of Étampes . Although the Italian Wars (1494–1559) came to dominate the reign of Francis I, which he constantly participated in at the forefront as le Roi-Chevalier, the wars were not the sole focus of his policies. He merely continued the wars that he succeeded from his predecessors and that his heir and successor on the throne, Henry II of France , would inherit after Francis' death. Indeed,

6825-417: The sister of Emperor Charles V . The couple had no children. During his reign, Francis kept two official mistresses at court, and he was the first king to officially give the title of " maîtresse-en-titre " to his favorite mistress. The first was Françoise de Foix , Countess of Châteaubriant . In 1526, she was replaced by the blonde-haired, cultured Anne de Pisseleu d'Heilly , Duchess of Étampes, who, with

6916-710: The spread of "the Holy Catholic faith." French trade with East Asia was initiated during the reign of Francis I with the help of shipowner Jean Ango . In July 1527, a French Norman trading ship from the city of Rouen is recorded by the Portuguese João de Barros as having arrived in the Indian city of Diu . In 1529, Jean Parmentier , on board the Sacre and the Pensée , reached Sumatra . Upon its return,

7007-413: The throne. Therefore, the four-year-old Francis (who was already Count of Angoulême after the death of his own father two years earlier) became the heir presumptive to the throne of France in 1498 and was vested with the title of Duke of Valois . In 1505, Louis XII, having fallen ill, ordered his daughter Claude and Francis to be married immediately, but only through an assembly of nobles were

7098-602: The tombs of other French kings and members of the royal family, were desecrated on 20 October 1793 during the Reign of Terror at the height of the French Revolution . Francis I has a poor reputation in France—his 500th anniversary was little noted in 1994. Popular and scholarly historical memory ignores his building of so many fine chateaux, his stunning art collection, and his lavish patronage of scholars and artists. He

7189-475: The two engaged. Claude was heir presumptive to the Duchy of Brittany through her mother, Anne of Brittany . Following Anne's death, the marriage took place on 18 May 1514. On 1 January 1515, Louis died, and Francis inherited the throne. He was crowned King of France in the Cathedral of Reims on 25 January 1515, with Claude as his queen consort . As Francis was receiving his education, ideas emerging from

7280-535: The work of his predecessors on the Château d'Amboise and also started renovations on the Château de Blois . Early in his reign, he began construction of the magnificent Château de Chambord , inspired by the architectural styles of the Italian Renaissance, and perhaps even designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Francis rebuilt the Louvre Palace , transforming it from a medieval fortress into

7371-424: Was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême , and Louise of Savoy . He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis XII , who died without a legitimate son. A prodigious patron of the arts , Francis promoted the emergent French Renaissance by attracting many Italian artists to work for him, including Leonardo da Vinci , who brought

7462-460: Was a historical fiefdom located in the western, central and southern areas of present-day France, south of the river Loire . Although the full extent of the duchy, as well as its name, fluctuated greatly over the centuries and at times comprised much of what is now southwestern ( Gascony ) and central France. The territory originated in 507 as a constituent kingdom of the Frankish kingdom after

7553-785: Was also colloquially known as the Grand Colas or Bonhomme Colas . For his personal involvement in battles, he was known as le Roi-Chevalier ('the Knight-King') or le Roi-Guerrier ('the Warrior-King'). British historian Glenn Richardson considers Francis a success: On 18 May 1514, Francis married his second cousin Claude , the daughter of King Louis XII and Duchess Anne of Brittany . The couple had seven children: On 4 July 1530, Francis I married his second wife Eleanor of Austria , Queen (widow) of Portugal and

7644-532: Was an accomplished writer who produced the classic collection of short stories known as the Heptameron . Francis corresponded with the abbess and philosopher Claude de Bectoz , of whose letters he was so fond that he would carry them around and show them to the ladies of his court. Together with his sister, he visited her in Tarascon . Francis poured vast amounts of money into new structures. He continued

7735-456: Was censored and leading Protestant reformers such as John Calvin were forced into exile. The persecutions soon numbered thousands of dead and tens of thousands of homeless. Persecutions against Protestants were codified in the Edict of Fontainebleau (1540) issued by Francis. Major acts of violence continued, as when Francis ordered the extirpation of one of the historical pre-Lutheran groups,

7826-475: Was fascinated with art, literature, poetry and science. His mother, who had a high admiration for Italian Renaissance art , passed this interest on to her son. Although Francis did not receive a humanist education, he was more influenced by humanism than any previous French king. By the time he ascended the throne in 1515, the Renaissance had arrived in France, and Francis became an enthusiastic patron of

7917-607: Was freed on 17 March. An ultimatum from Ottoman Sultan Suleiman to Charles additionally played a role in his release. Francis was forced to surrender any claims to Naples and Milan in Italy. Francis was forced to recognised the independence of the Duchy of Burgundy, which had been part of France since the death of Charles the Bold in 1477. And finally, Francis was betrothed to Charles' sister Eleanor. Francis returned to France in exchange for his two sons, Francis and Henry, Duke of Orléans,

8008-436: Was later annulled on the grounds of consanguinity by a bishop on 21 March 1152, and she kept her lands and title as Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right. On 18 May 1152, she married Henry, Duke of Normandy , the son of Empress Matilda , daughter of Henry I of England , and a claimant to the English throne. When he defeated his mother's cousin, King Stephen , in 1153 and became King of England as Henry II, Aquitaine merged with

8099-440: Was originally named Franciscopolis after the king who founded it, but this name did not survive into later reigns. In 1524, Francis assisted the citizens of Lyon in financing the expedition of Giovanni da Verrazzano to North America. On this expedition, Verrazzano visited the present site of New York City , naming it New Angoulême , and claimed Newfoundland for the French crown. Verrazzano's letter to Francis of 8 July 1524

8190-409: Was succeeded in 918 by his nephew, Count William II , who died in 926. A succession of dukes followed, one of whom, William IV, fought against Hugh Capet , king of France, and another of whom, William V , called the Great, was able to strengthen and extend his authority considerably, although he yielded the proffered Lombard crown rather than fight Conrad II for it. William's duchy almost reached

8281-492: Was supposedly invented on the spot to feed the captive king after the battle. Francis was held captive morbidly in Madrid. In a letter to his mother, he wrote, "Of all things, nothing remains to me but honour and life, which is safe." This line has come down in history famously as "All is lost save honour." Francis was compelled to make major concessions to Charles in the Treaty of Madrid (1526) , signed on 14 January, before he

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