biography
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1494–1547)
|
| biography:
| King of France (1515–47), born in Cognac, W France. He was Count of Angoulême and Duke of Valois before succeeding Louis XII as king and marrying his daughter, Claude. He combined many of the attributes of mediaeval chivalry and the Renaissance prince, the dominant feature of his reign being his rivalry with the Emperor Charles V, which led to a series of wars (1521–6, 1528–9, 1536–8, 1542–4). After establishing his military reputation against the Swiss at Marignano (1515) in his first Italian campaign, he later suffered a number of reverses, including his capture at Pavia (1525) and imprisonment in Madrid. Though he avoided religious fanaticism, he became increasingly hostile to Protestantism after 1534. A patron of the arts and learning, the palace of Fontainbleu was rebuilt during his reign, and the artists Leonardo da Vinci, Benvenuto Cellini, and Andrea de Sarto worked at his court. |
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