The Greatest French King

The life and personality of Francis I.

The Battle of Marignano by Natale Datti, 16th century. 'This Big Boy will ruin everything', so Louis XII of France is reported to have said, on more than one occasion, of his own son-in-law and putative successor: not exactly a ringing endorsement. The young nobleman whom the king disparaged was Francis of Angoulême, Duke of Valois.

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