Childhood: Born 12th September 1494, in the French town of Cognac, he was the only son of Charles, count of Angouleme and Louise of Savoy. Interestingly, his mother who had been widowed at the age of 20 raised Francis and she was someone whom he deeply revered to, kneeling before her when in conversation. On January 1st, 1515 Francis became King of France at age 20. However, his inexperience was compensated for by his quick thinking, great memory and curiosity, making him a King who seemed to look forward to a long reign.
Career: Following the bitter defeat of Pavia during Francis’ reign led to the capture of Francis I in in 1525. Then, the Treaty of Madrid was signed in a disastrous fashion which led to France losing a quarter of it’s territory. However, when Francis was released, this treaty was broken and so law ensued again. Francis was a man who particularly was interested in art, namely that of Da Vinci. Key features of Francis’ career were that of being a patron of the arts, a man of letters, encouraging construction, taking military action, relations with the new world and Asia and finally, his implementation of bureaucratic reform.
Importance in Henry’s reign: Throughout Henry’s reign, Francis was not much of an involved character. However a key example of a connection between the pair was in 1520 on the 7th June. Francis had sought an alliance between himself and Henry in a famous meeting at the Field Of The Cloth Of Gold. However, after two weeks of negotiating for an alliance, it wasn’t agreed and from then on the pair didn’t clash again until the Italian war of 1542-1546 where Francis held off the English and Italian forces.
George Foster
Career: Following the bitter defeat of Pavia during Francis’ reign led to the capture of Francis I in in 1525. Then, the Treaty of Madrid was signed in a disastrous fashion which led to France losing a quarter of it’s territory. However, when Francis was released, this treaty was broken and so law ensued again. Francis was a man who particularly was interested in art, namely that of Da Vinci. Key features of Francis’ career were that of being a patron of the arts, a man of letters, encouraging construction, taking military action, relations with the new world and Asia and finally, his implementation of bureaucratic reform.
Importance in Henry’s reign: Throughout Henry’s reign, Francis was not much of an involved character. However a key example of a connection between the pair was in 1520 on the 7th June. Francis had sought an alliance between himself and Henry in a famous meeting at the Field Of The Cloth Of Gold. However, after two weeks of negotiating for an alliance, it wasn’t agreed and from then on the pair didn’t clash again until the Italian war of 1542-1546 where Francis held off the English and Italian forces.
George Foster