Charles VIII of France
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Charles VIII (
June 30,
1470 -
April 7,
1498) was
King of France from
1483 to
1498, a member of the
Valois Dynasty. He achieved prominence by commencing the long series of Franco-Italian wars which so characterized Italian affairs in the first half of the
16th century.\nHe was born at the Royal
Chateau Amboise,
France, the only son of King
Louis XI of France. Charles succeeded to the throne upon his father's demise on
August 30,
1483. In poor health and regarded by his contemporaries as of pleasant disposition but foolish and unsuited for the business of the state, the thirteen-year-old king reigned under a regency headed by his eldest sister, Princess Anne de Beaujeu, and her husband Pierre de Bourbon.
On
December 6,
1491 Charles married
Anne de Bretagne, heiress to the
duchy of
Brittany, in an elaborate ceremony at
Chateau Langeais. The fifteen-year-old Duchesse Anne, not happy with the politically arranged marriage, arrived for her wedding with her entourage carrying two beds. However, Charles's marriage brought him independence from his relatives, and thereafter he managed affairs according to his own inclinations. Queen Anne would live at the
Clos Lucé in Amboise.
Having inherited a vague claim to the kingdom of
Naples through his paternal grandmother, Marie of Anjou (1404 - 1463), and encouraged by
Ludovico Sforza of
Milan, he imagined himself capable of seizing that realm, and he thereupon set France's resources toward that goal - starting the
Italian Wars. He contracted several unfavourable treaties with
Austria,
England, and
Aragon, in order to free himself of distractions, and then commenced a massive buildup of forces. He entered
Italy in
1494, and marched across the peninsula, reaching Naples on
February 22,
1495. Crowned king of Naples, he then found himself the subject of an opposing coalition from the League of Venice, involving that republic with Austria, the
Papacy, and
Ludovico Sforza of
Milan. Defeated at
Fornovo in July 1495, he escaped to France at the cost of the loss of most of his forces. He attempted in the next few years to rebuild his army, but was hampered by the serious debts incurred by the previous one - he never succeeded in recouping anything substantive. He died two-and-a-half years after his retreat, of an accident - striking himself on the head while passing through a doorway, he succumbed to a sudden coma several hours later.
Charles bequeathed a meagre legacy - he left France in debt and in disarray as a result of an ambition most charitably characterized as unrealistic. On a more positive side, his expedition did broach contacts between French and Italian humanists, energizing French art and letters in the latter
Renaissance.
Charles proved the last of the elder branch of the House of Valois, and upon his death at Amboise the throne passed to a cousin, the
duc d'Orleans, who reigned as King
Louis XII of France.
{| align="center" cellpadding="2" border="2"\n|-\n| width="30%" align="center" | Preceded by:
Louis XI\n| width="40%" align="center" |
King of France\n| width="30%" align="center" | Succeeded by:
Louis XII\n|}
Charles 08\n \n \n\n\n
