Biography. Louis XII of France before accession to the throne Louis 12 biography

Louis XII of France before accession to the throne

At the birth of Louis on June 27, 1462, in his father's castle in Blois, it would have seemed absurd to predict that he would take the throne of the French kings: after all, he was in third place in the line of successors to the throne after the brother of the king and his own father. Louis XI himself showed obvious irritation at the birth of this "heir to the throne", and in narrow circles openly questioned the legitimacy of such a late offspring, although he never officially announced this.

His father, Charles, Duke of Orleans (died in 1465), who had been married to Mary of Cleves for 22 years by the time Louis was born, was almost 70 years old, and he did not differ in good health. He was the grandson of King Charles V of France, thus Louis XII, like the reigning King Louis XI, was the great-grandson of Charles V. This lineage gave him the right to claim the throne, provided that King Louis XI and his brother died without leaving behind male heirs, or these heirs will die before Louis, leaving no legitimate sons. King Louis had a direct heir - the only son born on 06/30/1470, the future Charles VIII (1483-1498). Having almost no hope of the French throne, Louis, apparently, was counting on another opportunity - on the right to claim the Duchy of Milan, which had passed to him after the death of his father in 1465. As the son of Valentina Visconti, daughter of the Duke of Milan Giangaleazzo Visconti, to whom, after the death of her brother Philippe Maria (who died in 1447 without leaving sons), the duchy was to be inherited, Charles of Orleans considered himself the rightful heir of Milan, and his son Louis followed behind him. Apart from accession to the French throne, one of Louis's most passionate aspirations was, apparently, to receive this inheritance.

The hostility of Louis XI to the House of Orleans had two reasons: firstly, their views on the throne and, secondly, their strong influence as large local princes who opposed the power of the king. This hostility suggested to him a truly diabolical idea - to strike at the future of the House of Orleans. Shortly after the birth of Louis, on April 23, 1464, the king had a daughter with a physical deformity, and before this fact became known to everyone, he managed to come to an agreement with Louis' unsuspecting father about the future wedding of the children. It was not to be expected that this marriage would be happy, he could well remain childless. Later, when the state of the unfortunate princess was no longer a secret to anyone, mother and son tried to frustrate these plans. But the king remained inexorable and, despite resistance, forced the same in 1476 to conclude this marriage. It was not in his power, however, to force the Duke of Orleans to reconcile with him. Jeanne, who sincerely loved her husband, cared for him, not being afraid to get infected, when in 1483 he fell ill with smallpox - this was the beginning of a long string of illnesses that fell on him - never managed to overcome the dislike of the duke. The sight of the newlyweds at a luxurious wedding feast - the young duke did not touch the food and, paying no attention to anyone, sobbed from anger and impotence, and the bride shed tears from resentment and disappointment - did not bode well. Only the threats of the king could force the young husband to visit - however, very rarely and not for long - the chambers of his wife, who lived separately from him in the castle of Linier. Having ascended the throne, a few months later he started a case to invalidate the marriage in order to marry the royal widow Anna, Duchess of Brittany. At the trial, he, despite the objections of his wife, argued that during all twenty-two years of marriage, there was no marital relationship between them.

The life of a duke removed by the king from political activity and trying to find solace in luxury and debauchery, seemed to be completely determined by numerous love affairs, hunting and other "befitting his position" entertainment. However, when the brother of Louis XI died without heirs, and Charles remained the only son of the king, the position of the Duke of Orleans noticeably increased: now he became the second contender for the throne, immediately after the direct heir, Charles. The rapidly decrepit Louis XI was very well aware of the threat this poses to the minor heir to the throne. In October 1482, he obliges the duke to swear allegiance to the heir to the throne and take an oath that he renounces the regency, which he had every right to claim. After the king's death, Louis XI's daughter and son-in-law, Anne and Pierre de Baeuille, were to receive it. Of course, Louis of Orleans felt just as little bound by the oath given on the Gospel as later, when he had already ascended the throne. He violated numerous treaties as often as the rest of their participants. The king saw a potential danger for his son, first of all, in the traditionally good relations of the House of Orleans with the Duke of Brittany Francis II, an enemy of Louis and an ally of the Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold, as well as with Louis's brother Charles - in their dispute over the possession of Normandy in 1467 and 1468. From This is what he tried to protect his son by binding Louis of Orleans with an oath. His fears were not unfounded. As soon as after the death of the king on August 30, 1483, the pressure on the duke eased, he, in alliance with the old opponents of the deceased monarch, begins to develop political activity - at first secretly - against the heir and his temporary guardians, de God. How impatient he was, can be seen from the fact that as early as August 1483, he began secret negotiations with the Duke of Brittany, trying to free himself from the burdensome burden placed on him by Louis XI, i.e. from his wife Jeanne. After the annulment of his marriage to Jeanne, he wanted to marry Anne, the only daughter of the duke and heir to the Duchy of Brittany. The Duke readily agreed to this proposal. He realized his intention only 15 years later, since de God managed to achieve the marriage of Anna with their ward, Charles VIII, which provided the crown with the right to the Duchy of Breton.

So in the second attempt to gain power and political influence, the still inexperienced young duke was defeated. The opponents managed to curb the first manifestations of open hostility towards the son of the deceased king by generously distributing lands, titles, rents and other favors to noble landed nobles, deprived of their power and power by Louis XI. Louis d'Orleans himself also took advantage of this generosity. The troops placed under him, a large annuity of 24,000 pounds, such a source of constant income as admission to the Order of Saint Michael founded by King Louis, were honorary privileges that outwardly paid tribute to his position as First Prince of the Blood, without, however, discussion of government affairs. Louis hoped to get such an opportunity from the Estates General, who had the right to remove the young king from the influence of de Baeu and appoint a royal council of several people, selected by him, and a regency under his control. At least, these might have been his immediate aims when, back in September 1483, he demanded - and achieved - the convocation of the Estates General. However, he and the opposition associated with him (supposed future members royal council- Duke John II of Bourbon, elder brother of Pierre de Beaugh, Francois d'Orleans, Count Dunois, Count Commenge, as well as the bishops of Periguet and Coutances) allowed de Beauge to achieve such a procedure for holding elections to the Estates General that, in the end, all the interests of the opposition at the meetings of the General states from January to March were doomed to failure. Not to the benefit of Louis, it turned out that, almost at the last moment, the seat of the meetings of the states was transferred from Orleans to Tours, which was loyal to the king. The chairmanship of the Duke of Orleans at the meetings of Parliament was purely formal, since it was valid only in the absence of the king. When, in January 1485, the campaign of Louis, joined by the Duke of Brittany, to assemble the States General in a renewed composition, failed, Louis of Orleans no longer saw any other way to fulfill his claims, except for a direct confrontation, up to an armed struggle, with the king . However, on this path he achieved as little success as before. His allies each had their own obligations, and at times pursued different goals, which did not contribute to success at all. Among them were the Count of Dunois, the Prince of Orleans, the Duke of Brittany and Alain d'Albret, as well as his foreign supporters - English king and the Austrian archduke, Maximilian. Maximilian and Alain d'Albret, like Louis himself, tried to get Brittany by marriage with Anna, the daughter of the Duke of Brittany.

Military conflict early XVI century, called the "senseless war" - "insana militia", (fr. Guerre folle), ended deplorably for Louis: he almost died on 07/28/1488 in the battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier, a small Breton town. The poorly armed and significantly outnumbered army of the allies was defeated by the royal army, which was under the command of the 27-year-old Louis II of Tremouille, the counts de Benon and de Guin and the prince of Talmond, who later, in the Italian campaign, was to become one of the most prominent and military leaders loyal to Louis. The personal courage and competence in military affairs of Louis himself, who had managed to accumulate military experience over the past years, was not in doubt. Only the caution of de Tremouille saved him from the enraged Swiss landsknecht, who was already pushing him with weapons in his hands.

Louis was imprisoned without trial and spent the next three years in appalling conditions. The jailers harassed him with rough treatment, until at last he was transferred to Bourges, the most secure dungeon. The fact that he was the only one of all the opposition kept so long in custody confirms what danger he represented in the eyes of God to the king, still under their influence; after all, there were petitioners at court for his release. For this, however, he had only his unloved wife Jeanne to thank. After trying in vain to soften her sister, Anne de Beaugh, she turned directly to her brother, Charles VIII, and was successful. Exactly three years after being taken into custody, on June 27, 1491, Charles decided, without asking Anna's consent, to release Louis, return his grace to him and restore the morals taken from him.

In contrast to Anna, who did not hide the hostile attitude towards the duke, the king retained rather friendly feelings towards Louis. After all, it was Louis who knighted him during the coronation, and according to the code of noble honor adopted then, this connected them with personal ties. Release without any conditions and restrictions and reconciliation with the king, who rode from Tours to Firtzon, where he ordered a prisoner from neighboring Bourges to be brought to him, should have been a beneficial shock for Louis. Together with the return of the favor of the king, as well as the receipt of Normandy, transferred to him instead of Île-de-France, Louis not only regained his former positions as prince of the blood, but also received what he had sought for so long and in vain - the king was now open to his advice and influence . However, a certain price was required for this: all attempts to get rid of Jeanne should have been abandoned. It looked like a final refusal to marry Anna. Now, after the death of her father, which soon followed the crushing defeat at Sainte-Aubin-du-Cormier and the signing of a humiliating peace treaty, she became the Duchess of Brittany. And when Charles, in the face of increased claims from Maximilian, in turn began to seek marriage with Anna in order to be able to annex Brittany to the kingdom, Louis, as the king's adviser, negotiated on this issue with Anna on his behalf.

In order to marry Anna, Karl had to terminate the union concluded during the life of his father with Maximilian's daughter Margarita; back in 1488, at the age of three, she arrived in France, where she was brought up as a future queen. In addition, Anna, despite the rupture of the peace treaty of 1488, promised her hand to Maximilian and even celebrated the engagement. The success of Charles had for Louis, apparently, also the unfavorable consequence that Margaret, as the ruler of the Netherlands, could become a serious opponent of Louis XII. The marriage between Charles VIII and Anne was celebrated in December 1491. The question whether Louis made it one of the conditions of the marriage contract that, in the event of the death of the king, she could only remarry his heir or successor, remains open. That Louis still dreamed of marrying Anna and, despite his illnesses, hoped to outlive the king, who was 8 years younger than him, is in principle possible, although implausible. His negative attitude towards Jeanne, despite all that she did for his release, persisted. Otherwise, however, his whole being profoundly changed. Although tournaments, feasts, extravagance and debauchery, as well as the financial problems associated with them, did not disappear from his life, they receded into the background and did not prevent him from seriously and effectively managing Normandy. So, it was thanks to his diplomatic efforts that the British abandoned the already planned landing in Normandy.

On October 11, 1492, Anna gave birth to a healthy son, who was christened Charles-Orland. Charles's forthcoming Italian campaign, by which the king hoped to annex the kingdom of Naples, was for Louis an opportunity to realize the claims of his own house to the Duchy of Milan, which was in the hands of Lodovico Sforza, nicknamed "il Moro". However, Lodovico's prudently concluded alliance with Charles VIII, which he undertook to observe during the campaign against Naples, frustrated these plans. The growth of the power of Louis in the event of the capture of the Duchy of Milan could not but disturb the king and his advisers. Illness prevented Louis from accompanying the king on his campaign further to the south of Italy, and allowed him to stay in his fief possession of Asti. Charles put him not at the head of the army, but only at the head of the fleet - an unusual task for Louis and clearly did not prove the favor of the king. When Lodovico Sforza attempted to capture Asti, an important outpost on the route from France to Italy, in violation of the treaty, Louis resisted him. Encouraged by success, he took Nova-ra with a single onslaught, almost without bloodshed, where the population joyfully greeted him. However, he failed to take advantage of the chance and overthrow the usurper Lodovico, hated by the inhabitants, and he managed to re-assemble the army and lock Louis in Novara.

Although Charles VIII was successful in Naples and emerged victorious from the battle with the troops of the Lombard League at Fornovo on 07/06/1495, he hesitated for more than a month before coming to the aid of the besieged Louis. The consequences of the siege became more and more tangible: diseases spread in the city, food supplies were quickly depleted, and there was not enough drinking water. Charles was already in the vicinity of Asti on July 27, but it was not until September 8 that he finally moved his army to Lodovico, without showing much haste, however. Only on September 28, Louis was able to leave the city, after Charles and Lodovico agreed to lift the siege and unhindered withdrawal of troops. For this, Novara was returned to the Duke of Milan. The behavior of Charles, who equaled Louis himself in betrayal, led to the fact that the enmity between them escalated. However, in subsequent years, Louis could not be blamed for any disloyal actions towards the king. The sudden death of the only son Charles after a short illness in December 1495 contributed to the beginning of the alienation. After two more sons of Queen Anne died in 1496 and 1497, barely born, and at the beginning of 1498 she was relieved of the burden of a dead girl, Louis tangibly approached the coveted throne, especially since the king's health clearly deteriorated. Only by extremely tactful behavior, a complete rejection of everything that could set the royal couple and his opponents at court against him, Louis avoided a new aggravation of relations.

With the death of Charles VIII on April 7, 1498, the path to the throne was clear for Louis. No one else could prevent him from divorcing his unloved wife Jeanne, and also from trying to conquer the Duchy of Milan, of which he considered himself the legitimate ruler. Finally, now the rights of the House of Anjou were transferred to him: the right to the kingdom of Naples.

When Louis was born, it seemed incredible that he would take the throne of the French kings: after all, he was in third place in the line of successors to the throne after the brother of the king and his own father. Louis XI himself showed obvious irritation at the appearance of this "heir to the throne" and openly doubted the legitimacy of his birth. Indeed, the father of Louis, the Duke of Orleans, was then already. 68 years old, and he did not differ in good health. Not thinking about the French throne, Louis in his youth was much more concerned about receiving the inheritance of his grandmother. As the grandson of Valentina Visconti, he could lay claim to the Duchy of Milan.

Louis XI had a long-standing dislike for the Dukes of Orléans. This hostility prompted him a truly diabolical idea - to strike at the future of the House of Orleans. Soon after the birth of Louis, the king had a daughter, Jeanne, with a physical deformity, and before this fact became known to everyone, he managed to conspire with Louis's unsuspecting father about the future wedding of the children. It was not to be expected that this marriage would be happy, besides, he could well remain childless. Later, when the condition of the unfortunate princess was no longer a secret to anyone, mother and son tried to frustrate these plans. But the king remained inexorable and, despite resistance, forced the marriage. It was not in his power, however, to force the Duke of Orleans to reconcile with him. Jeanne sincerely loved her husband, cared for him, not being afraid to get infected when he fell ill with smallpox in 1483, but she never managed to overcome the dislike of the duke. The sight of the newlyweds at a luxurious wedding feast - the young duke did not touch the food and, paying no attention to anyone, sobbed from anger and impotence, and the bride shed tears from resentment and disappointment - did not bode well. Only the threats of the king could make the young husband visit - however, very rarely and not for long - the chambers of his wife, who lived separately from him in the castle of Linier. Later, having barely ascended the throne, Louis started a case to recognize the marriage as invalid. At the trial, he, despite the objections of his wife, argued that during all twenty years of their life together there had never been a marital relationship between them.

The life of the duke, removed from political activity by the king and trying to find solace in luxury and debauchery, seemed to be completely determined by numerous love affairs, hunting and other entertainments. However, when the brother of Louis XI died without heirs, and the Dauphin Charles remained the only son of the king, the position of the Duke of Orleans noticeably increased: now he became the second contender for the throne, immediately after the direct heir Charles. The rapidly decrepit Louis XI understood very well what a threat this posed to the minor heir to the throne, and tried to reduce it with his last orders. Upon the king's death, the regency was to be given to his daughter and son-in-law, Anne and Pierre de Beaugh. The Duke of Orleans was forced to swear on the Gospel that he would not seek regency under them. Of course, the duke forgot his promise immediately after the death of the king. At first, he tried to challenge his will before the States General, and when this did not work, he launched an armed rebellion in 1485. But even on this path he was not successful. In July 1488, Louis almost died at the Battle of Sainte-Aubin-du-Cormier. He was captured and thrown into prison without any trial. He spent the next three years in very strict confinement under appalling conditions, among the guards who harassed him with rough treatment. Only in June 1491, the grown-up Charles VIII decided, without asking the consent of Anna God, to release Louis, returned his favor to him and restored the rights taken from him. Since that time, Louis of Orleans was officially considered his heir.

In April 1498 Charles died without leaving any sons. Having become king, Louis treated his former enemies very generously, and even Anna God did not remind him of the hardships of his three-year imprisonment. The financial situation of the country was desperate. The Italian campaign of Charles VIII devastated the treasury. Nevertheless, the new king not only did not raise taxes, but even went for some of their reduction. He did not collect the usual tax for the coronation celebrations, although he had every right to do so. The king diligently took up the transformation, trying to raise the welfare of the country. His first decrees dealt with money circulation, coinage, customs duties, trade and other economic and financial issues. He took care of the improvement of roads, the growth of trade, the rise of agriculture, the prosperity of crafts. The economic situation in France quickly improved. The resumption of the Italian war soon did not prevent this.

As before, Louis considered the acquisition of the Duchy of Milan to be his main concern. In June 1499 the king crossed the Alps and was received in Savoy in a friendly manner. After the first clashes with the French army, the mercenaries of the Duke of Milan, Louis More, began to scatter. He himself fled to Tyrol under the protection of the emperor. In September, the French entered Milan. But the following year the Milanese revolted against them. Louis More returned to his capital, but in March 1500 he suffered a final defeat and was taken prisoner. In April, the French captured Milan for the second time, and in November, Louis concluded an agreement with the Spanish king Ferdinand on the division of the Kingdom of Naples. In the summer of 1501, the French invaded southern Italy, took Capua and subjected it to defeat. At the same time, the Spaniards landed in Calabria. The Neapolitan king Federigo gave up resistance and surrendered to Louis. As expected, the Kingdom of Naples was divided between the winners, but soon strife began between the French and the Spaniards, which escalated into open war in 1503. Louis, outraged by the treachery of Ferdinand, gathered a new army and moved it to Italy. In November-December, the French were defeated in a seven-week battle at Garigliano. Upon learning of this defeat, Louis fell ill, locked himself in his rooms and did not receive anyone. In March 1504 he signed peace with Spain and renounced all claims to southern Italy. Things went wrong in the north too. Neither the pope nor the emperor was willing to recognize Louis' rights to Lombardy. Spain, Switzerland, Venice and England joined their union. In 1512, Milan again came under the rule of the Sforza family. Then the Spaniards took possession of Navarre. The following year, the Swiss invaded Burgundy and advanced on Dijon. To make peace, Louis had to give up all his conquests.

The same failure awaited the king in another respect: he never succeeded in securing the throne for his dynasty. After parting with Jeanne, Louis soon married the widow of his predecessor, Queen Anne. In later years she bore him two daughters and two sons, but both boys died in infancy. After the death of his second wife, Louis married a third time to the young English princess Mary. But this new marriage only undermined his strength: two months after the wedding, the king died.

All the monarchs of the world. Western Europe. Konstantin Ryzhov. Moscow, 1999

Place of burial: Basilica of Saint-Denis, Paris, France Genus: Valois Father: Charles of Orleans Mother: Maria Klevskaya Spouse: 1) Joan of France (1476-1499)
2) Anna of Brittany (1499-1514)
3) Mary Tudor (since 1514) Children: daughters: Claude and Rene

Before taking the throne

Lively and cheerful by nature, Louis fought in tournaments, went hunting, loved to feast, and in his youth was not interested in politics.

Louis made many political decisions under the influence of the advisers around him, especially Georges Amboise. At the beginning of his reign, he eased taxes, took care of improving the judiciary. In March 1499 notables were assembled in Blois to draw up rules for the trial. Louis settled relations between peasants and owners, defining more precisely the feudal duties of the former. Per judicial reforms, generosity and cordiality he was called "the father of the people."

Italian wars

First successes

With experienced commanders, Louis moved to Italy, crossed the Alps (July) and took Milan on September 14. The Duke of Milan, Lodovico Moro, fled. The outrages of the French caused massive discontent in the city and paved the way for his return. Two months later, Lodovico managed to drive the French out of Milan, but in the spring of 1500 he was defeated near Novara and soon betrayed by his Swiss mercenaries, who betrayed him to the French. Having got rid of a dangerous rival, the king of France was able to continue his conquests in Italy.

French-Spanish War

Louis appointed Armagnac as ruler of this part, who argued over two areas with Gonsalvo, the Spanish commander. A war broke out between France and Spain on Italian territory. Gonsalvo defeated the French and Swiss mercenaries at Cerignol (1503); another Spanish commander, Andrada, defeated the French army at Seminar. Louis himself was defeated at Garigliano and concluded an agreement with Isabella and Ferdinand, according to which he renounced his claims to Naples ().

Struggle with Venice and the Papacy

Louis now directed his concerns to maintaining and expanding his dominion in Northern Italy, pacified Genoa () and joined the Cambrai League against Venice (Maximilian, Pope Julius II, Ferdinand of Aragon;). Julius II, wishing to oust the French from Italy, separated from Louis and concluded a "holy league" against France. Convened by Louis at Tours (), the council of the clergy decided to protect the rights of the Gallican church, allowed the king to repel the attacks of the pope and approved Louis' intention to convene an ecumenical council in Pisa.

The collapse of Louis' plans

Since 1512, the war in Italy has taken a turn unfavorable for Louis: his troops are defeated, Milan is slipping out of his hands, and Maximilian Sforza is proclaimed Duke of Milan. In 1513, the French troops suffered heavy defeats at Novara and Gingat. The French treasury was empty. After long negotiations, Louis made peace in August 1514 with the kings of England and Spain.

He died on January 1, 1515, as they then joked "from trying to get an heir", shortly before his death, for the third time marrying Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VII (Anne of Brittany died in 1514). Louis left no sons; his cousin-nephew and son-in-law, Francis, Count of Angouleme, succeeded him.

Family and Children

1st wife: (8 September 1476) Jeanne de Valois(1464-1505), Princess of France, daughter of King Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy. The marriage was annulled on 22 December 1498 as barren.

2nd wife: (8 January 1499) Anna of Brittany(1477-1514), daughter of Francis II, Duke of Brittany, and Marguerite de Foix. They had two daughters and several other children who died in infancy:

Claude of France (1499-1524), Duchess of Brittany and Berry; husband (from May 18, 1514) Francis I (1494-1547), count of Angouleme, then king of France.
Son who died at birth (1500).
Francis (1503).
Miscarriages (from 1505 to 1509).
Rene d'Orléans (1510-1575), Duchess of Chartres, known in Italy as Renata French; husband (since July 20, 1527) Ercole II d "Este (1508-1559), Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio.
Son (1512).

3rd wife: (October 9, 1514) Mary Tudor(1496-1533), Princess of England, daughter of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.

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Literature

Capetians (987-1328)

987	996		1031		1060		1108		1137		1180		1223		1226
Hugo Capet		Robert II		Henry I		Philip I		Louis VI		Louis VII		Philip II		Louis VIII

1226	1270		1285		1314		1316		1316		1322		1328
Louis IX		Philip III		Philip IV		Louis X		John I		Philip V		Charles IV

1328	1350		1364		1380		1422		1461		1483		1498
Philip VI		John II		Charles V		Charles VI		Charles VII		Louis XI		Charles VIII

1498	1515		1547		1559		1560		1574		1589
Louis XII		Francis I		Henry II		Francis II		Charles IX		Henry III

Bourbons (1589-1792)

1589	1610		1643		1715		1774		1792
Henry IV		Louis XIII		Louis XIV		Louis XV		Louis XVI

1792	1804		1814		1824		1830		1848		1852		1870
-		Napoleon I (Bonapartes)		Louis XVIII		Charles X		Louis Philippe I (House of Orleans)		-		Napoleon III (Bonapartes)



Early rulers (c. 818 - 913)

House of Nantes (938-958)

House of Rennes (958-1072)

(1547 - present)

An excerpt characterizing Louis XII

- Mais on dit qu "il est aveugle, mon prince? [But they say he is blind?] - he said, reminding Prince Vasily of his own words.
- Allez donc, il y voit assez, [Eh, nonsense, he sees enough, believe me.] - said Prince Vasily in his bassy, quick voice with a cough, that voice and cough with which he resolved all difficulties. “Allez, il y voit assez,” he repeated. “And what I am glad about,” he continued, “is that the sovereign has given him complete power over all the armies, over the entire region, a power that no commander in chief has ever had. This is another autocrat,” he concluded with a victorious smile.
“God forbid, God forbid,” said Anna Pavlovna. L "homme de beaucoup de merite, still new to court society, wishing to flatter Anna Pavlovna, shielding her former opinion from this judgment, said.
- They say that the sovereign reluctantly transferred this power to Kutuzov. On dit qu "il rougit comme une demoiselle a laquelle on lirait Joconde, en lui disant: "Le souverain et la patrie vous decernent cet honneur." [They say that he blushed like a young lady who would have read Joconde, while told him: "The sovereign and the fatherland reward you with this honor."]
- Peut etre que la c?ur n "etait pas de la partie, [Maybe the heart did not quite participate,] - said Anna Pavlovna.
“Oh no, no,” Prince Vasily interceded fervently. Now he could not give in to Kutuzov to anyone. According to Prince Vasily, not only Kutuzov was good himself, but everyone adored him. “No, it cannot be, because the sovereign was so able to appreciate him before,” he said.
“God only grant that Prince Kutuzov,” said Anpa Pavlovna, “takes real power and does not allow anyone to put spokes in his wheels – des batons dans les roues.”
Prince Vasily immediately realized who this nobody was. He whispered:
- I know for sure that Kutuzov, as an indispensable condition, said that the heir to the Tsarevich should not be with the army: Vous savez ce qu "il a dit a l" Empereur? [Do you know what he said to the sovereign?] - And Prince Vasily repeated the words, as if said by Kutuzov to the sovereign: “I cannot punish him if he does badly, and reward him if he does well.” O! this is smartest person, Prince Kutuzov, et quel caractere. Oh je le connais de longue date. [and what character. Oh, I've known him for a long time.]
“They even say,” said l “homme de beaucoup de merite, who still did not have court tact, “that the most illustrious made it an indispensable condition that the sovereign himself did not come to the army.
As soon as he said this, in an instant Prince Vasily and Anna Pavlovna turned away from him and sadly, with a sigh at his naivety, looked at each other.

While this was happening in Petersburg, the French had already passed Smolensk and were moving closer and closer to Moscow. The historian of Napoleon Thiers, like other historians of Napoleon, says, trying to justify his hero, that Napoleon was unwittingly drawn to the walls of Moscow. He is right, as are all historians who seek an explanation of historical events in the will of one person; he is just as right as the Russian historians who assert that Napoleon was attracted to Moscow by the skill of the Russian generals. Here, in addition to the law of retrospectiveness (recurrence), which represents everything that has passed as a preparation for an accomplished fact, there is also reciprocity that confuses the whole thing. A good player who loses at chess is sincerely convinced that his loss was due to his mistake, and he looks for this mistake at the beginning of his game, but forgets that in his every step, throughout the whole game, there were such mistakes that no one his move was not perfect. The error to which he draws attention is noticeable to him only because the enemy took advantage of it. How much more complicated than this is the game of war, taking place under certain conditions of time, and where not only the will directs lifeless machines, but where everything springs from the innumerable clash of different arbitrariness?
After Smolensk, Napoleon was looking for battles for Dorogobuzh at Vyazma, then at Tsarev Zaimishch; but it turned out that due to the innumerable clash of circumstances to Borodino, a hundred and twenty miles from Moscow, the Russians could not accept the battle. From Vyazma, an order was made by Napoleon to move directly to Moscow.
Moscou, la capitale asiatique de ce grand empire, la ville sacree des peuples d "Alexandre, Moscou avec ses innombrables eglises en forme de pagodes chinoises! [Moscow, the Asian capital of this great empire, the sacred city of the peoples of Alexander, Moscow with its countless churches, in the form of Chinese pagodas!] This Moscou haunted Napoleon's imagination. On the march from Vyazma to Tsarev Zaymishch, Napoleon rode on horseback on his nightingal english pacer, accompanied by guards, guards, pages and adjutants. Chief of Staff Berthier lagged behind in order to interrogate a Russian prisoner taken by the cavalry. He galloped, accompanied by the translator Lelorgne d "Ideville, caught up with Napoleon and stopped the horse with a cheerful face.
– Eh bien? [Well?] said Napoleon.
- Un cosaque de Platow [Platov Cossack.] says that Platov's corps is connected with a large army, that Kutuzov has been appointed commander in chief. Tres intelligent et bavard! [Very smart and chatterbox!]
Napoleon smiled, ordered to give this Cossack a horse and bring him to him. He himself wanted to talk to him. Several adjutants galloped off, and an hour later the serf Denisov, who had been ceded to Rostov by him, Lavrushka, in a batman's jacket on a French cavalry saddle, with a roguish and drunken, cheerful face, rode up to Napoleon. Napoleon ordered him to ride beside him and began to ask:
- Are you a Cossack?
- Cossack, your honor.
"Le cosaque ignorant la compagnie dans laquelle il se trouvait, car la simplicite de Napoleon n" avait rien qui put reveler a une imagination orientale la presence d "un souverain, s" entretint avec la plus extreme familiarite des affaires de la guerre actuelle " , [The Cossack, not knowing the society in which he was, because the simplicity of Napoleon had nothing that could open the presence of the sovereign to the Eastern imagination, spoke with extreme familiarity about the circumstances of this war.] - says Thiers, telling this episode Indeed, Lavrushka, who got drunk and left the master without lunch, was flogged the day before and sent to the village for chickens, where he became interested in looting and was taken prisoner by the French. duty to do everything with meanness and cunning, who are ready to do any service to their master and who cunningly guess the master's bad thoughts, especially vanity and pettiness.
Once in the company of Napoleon, whose personality he recognized very well and easily. Lavrushka was not in the least embarrassed and only tried with all his heart to deserve the new masters.
He knew very well that it was Napoleon himself, and the presence of Napoleon could not embarrass him more than the presence of Rostov or the sergeant with rods, because he had nothing that neither the sergeant nor Napoleon could deprive him of.
He lied everything that was interpreted between the batmen. Much of this was true. But when Napoleon asked him what the Russians think, whether they will defeat Bonaparte or not, Lavrushka narrowed his eyes and thought.
He saw subtle cunning here, as people like Lavrushka always see cunning in everything, he frowned and was silent.
“It means: if you are in battle,” he said thoughtfully, “and in speed, that’s right.” Well, if three days pass after that same date, then, then, this very battle will go into delay.
Napoleon was translated as follows: “Si la bataille est donnee avant trois jours, les Francais la gagneraient, mais que si elle serait donnee plus tard, Dieu seul sait ce qui en arrivrait”, [“If the battle takes place before three days, then the French will win him, but if after three days, then God knows what will happen. ”] Lelorgne d "Ideville conveyed smiling. Napoleon did not smile, although he apparently was in the most cheerful mood, and ordered to repeat these words to himself.
Lavrushka noticed this and, to cheer him up, he said, pretending not to know who he was.
“We know that you have Bonaparte, he beat everyone in the world, well, another article about us ...” he said, not knowing himself how and why boastful patriotism slipped through his words in the end. The interpreter relayed these words to Napoleon without ending, and Bonaparte smiled. “Le jeune Cosaque fit sourire son puissant interlocuteur,” [The young Cossack made his powerful interlocutor smile.] says Thiers. After walking a few steps in silence, Napoleon turned to Berthier and said that he wanted to experience the effect that sur cet enfant du Don [on this child of the Don] would have the news that the person to whom this enfant du Don was speaking was the emperor himself. , the same emperor who wrote the immortally victorious name on the pyramids.

Before taking the throne

Lively and cheerful by nature, Louis fought in tournaments, went hunting, loved to feast, and in his youth was not interested in politics. Louis was married to Jeanne, daughter of King Louis XI. When the latter died, Louis was a dangerous rival for the ruler of France, Anne de Beaujeu, who was older sister his wife. Dunois was the leader of the Orleans party. With the help of state officials, the Orleans party hoped to take power from Anna, but this did not succeed. Soon, however, a new coalition was formed of Louis and the Dukes of Brittany, Bourbon and Lorraine. The goal of the union was to free the king from the hands of bad advisers (Anna). The "Mad War" of the coalition of dukes against the crown began. At the battle of Sainte-Aubin-du-Cormier (1488), the insurgents were defeated, and Louis was captured and imprisoned in Bourges. Three years later, Louis was released thanks to the requests of his wife.

The beginning of the reign. Popular reforms

After Charles VIII, who died childless, Louis freely ascended the throne and treated all his former enemies mercifully, forgetting the insults inflicted on him (“The King of France,” said Louis, “forgot the insults of the Duke of Orleans”, French Le roi de France a oublié les injures du duc d'Orléans). Wanting to keep Brittany for France, Louis married Anne of Brittany, the widow of Charles VIII (Louis divorced his first wife, the ugly Jeanne, with the permission of Pope Alexander VI). Weak and indecisive, Louis was influenced by the advisers around him, especially Georges Amboise. At the beginning of his reign, he eased taxes, took care of improving the judiciary. In March 1499 notables were assembled in Blois to draw up the rules of the trial. Louis settled relations between peasants and owners, defining more precisely the feudal obligations of the former. For judicial reforms, generosity and cordiality, Louis received the nickname "father of the people."

Italian wars
First successes

Foreign policy Louis led to a series of unfortunate wars. The grandson of Valentina, from the House of Visconti, he laid claim to the Duchy of Milan, continuing, following the example of Charles VIII, to think about the conquest of the kingdom of Naples. On his side were the pope, the French nobility, Henry VII of England and Emperor Maximilian. With experienced commanders, Louis moved to Italy, crossed the Alps (July 1499) and took Milan on September 14. The Milanese rebelled, but Louis subdued them by capturing Lodovico Moro. In 1500, Louis entered into an alliance with Ferdinand of Aragon in Grenada, dividing the kingdom of Naples with him. King Federigo of Neapolitan was taken prisoner (1501); Louis received Abruzzo and Campania.

French-Spanish War

Louis now directed his concerns to maintaining and expanding his dominion in Northern Italy, pacified Genoa (1507) and joined the Cambrai League against Venice (Maximilian, Pope Julius II, Ferdinand of Aragon; 1509). Julius II, wishing to oust the French from Italy, separated from Louis and concluded a "holy league" against France. Convened by Louis at Tours (1510), the council of the clergy decided to protect the rights of the Gallican church, allowed the king to repel the attacks of the pope, and approved Louis' intention to convene an ecumenical council in Pisa.
The collapse of Louis' plans

Since 1512, the war in Italy takes a turn unfavorable for Louis: his troops are defeated, Milan slips out of his hands, Maximilian Sforza is proclaimed Duke of Milan. In 1513, the French troops suffered heavy defeats at Novara and Gingat. The French treasury was empty. After lengthy negotiations, Louis made peace in August 1514 with the kings of England and Spain. He died on January 1, 1515, shortly before his death, having married for the third time Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VII (Anne of Brittany died in 1514). Louis left no sons; his cousin-nephew and son-in-law, Francis, Count of Angouleme, became his successor.
Family and Children

1st wife: (from 1476) Jeanne de Valois (1464-1505), Princess of France, daughter of King Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy. The marriage was annulled.

2nd wife: (since 1499) Anne of Brittany (1477-1514), daughter of Francis II, Duke of Brittany, and Marguerite de Foix. They had two daughters and several other children who died in infancy:

Claude of France (1499-1524), Duchess of Brittany and Berry; m - (from 1514) Francis I (1494-1547), Count of Angouleme, then King of France.

Rene d'Orleans (1510-1575), Duchess of Chartres, known in Italy as Renata of France; m - (since 1528) Ercole II d "Este (1508-1559), Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio.

3rd wife: (from 1514) Mary Tudor (1496-1533), Princess of England, daughter of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.

The advantage of a man who loves a single woman is that she protects him from everyone else.
(Heyem)

Ever since Louis XII got his dear little Breton into his bedroom, he seemed to be quite a contented man. He, who once did not miss a single skirt, now remained completely indifferent to the prettiest girls in his court. One might think that he spends such tedious nights with the queen that during the day he simply does not have the strength to think about such trifles.

Now he looked calm and peaceful. In the morning, getting out of bed, he liked to walk through the groves that surrounded Blois, singing some frivolous song. And sometimes, still singing, he would appear at his Council.

In short, he was happy.

But if, on a personal level, Louis had some reason to congratulate himself on this marriage, then as a king they turned out to be much less. Indeed, the marriage contract signed at Nantes looked far less advantageous for France than the contract once signed at Langeais. Small. The Breton woman took advantage of the love of Louis to regain everything that she had to cede to Charles VIII after her father's troops were defeated.

The new contract included the following terms:

1) Anna of Brittany retains the right to personal government of the duchy;

2) If there are children from a real marriage, the second child, whether male or female, inherits the duchy, and if the spouses have only one heir, then the duchy will pass to the second child of this heir;

3) If the duchess dies before the king, leaving no offspring, Louis XII will retain Brittany for the rest of his life, but after him the duchy will be returned to the direct heirs of Madame Anne.

Blinded by love, Louis XII agreed to the terms dictated by a cunning little duchess in an ermine robe. Thus Brittany retained its independence, which it regained with the death of Charles VIII.

In July 1499 Louis. XII, whose intentions with respect to Italy completely coincided with those that Charles VIII was hatching, set out to conquer the Duchy of Milan. Before leaving Blois, he took Queen Anne to Romorantin Castle, who, through his efforts, was expecting a child at that time.

Better than here. Madame, you will not find a place to give birth to the Dauphin we expect, he told her.

To be honest, it's an interesting idea. Indeed, in this castle lived the Countess of Angouleme, Louise of Savoy, mother of Francis, Duke of Valois, a plump five-year-old boy, whom a bizarre kaleidoscope of premature deaths made the rightful heir to the French throne. It is easy to imagine what feelings this woman overwhelmed at the sight of Anne of Brittany, who hoped to give birth to the Dauphin. While the whole court prayed tirelessly for the birth of a boy, Louise secretly dreamed that the queen would have a daughter and that Francis would inherit the throne of Louis XII.

For five years now, the young Countess of Angouleme had lived with the hope that her son would become king. Achieving this goal would be perceived by her as a kind of revenge. So far, fate had really not been kind to her. After a bleak childhood, as soon as she was twelve years old, her father, Philippe de Bresse, married Louise to Count Charles of Angouleme, who at that time was thirty years old.

The count took his wife to Cognac, where he lived for his own pleasure with two mistresses: Antoinette de Polignac, the daughter of the Angouleme governor, and Jeanne Comte, a girl from among the ladies of the court. Louise was so delighted with her marriage that she did not express the slightest dissatisfaction with her husband's hobbies and very quickly got used to the strange family life four of us. However, at first Charles of Angouleme was very passionate about his twelve-year-old wife. For a while, he even left his favorites, who, not at all tormented by jealousy, took advantage of the pause to take a breath. It must be admitted that the Count of Angouleme was distinguished by a rare indefatigability, but at the same time, it seems that no one could be found who would explain to him that the bed, by the way, was also intended for sleeping.

After several months of extremely exhausting life, Louise suddenly became very sad.

I am not at all like other women, she once said with chagrin.

To persistent questions from one of the ladies of her retinue, she burst into tears and replied that is it okay not to get pregnant when you are already thirteen years old.

And then to say, in Cognac, where all the ladies of the court acquired bastards, her case was strange. And therefore, Louise of Savoy went to Plessis-le-Tour to receive a blessing from Francois de Paul, about whom there was a rumor that he could restore the woman's ability to give birth by prayers. The holy man was agitated by her premature anxiety and predicted to the young countess that she would become the mother of the king ...

Louise returned to Cognac with some confidence, and a few months later she was able to announce her high expectations. Was it the son she had foretold? No. On April 11, 1491, she gave birth to a blue-eyed girl, who was christened Margarita.

<Накануне свадьбы дочери Филипп де Бресс писал своей второй жене, Клодине де Бресс, что Луиза очень озабочена предстоящей ей брачной ночью, а «это означает, отмечал он, что она жаждет овладеть тем умением, которым владеете вы, взрослые замужние женщины…».>

Why was she named by that name? - the courtiers were perplexed.

Due to the persistent curiosity of one of the ladies of her retinue, an explanation was soon found. At the beginning of her pregnancy, Louise always wanted oysters, and one day she accidentally swallowed a pearl along with an oyster ... By the way, “margarita” in Latin means “pearl”.

After the birth of little Marguerite, Charles of Angouleme returned to his former pastimes with Antoinette de Polignac, and then with Jeanne Comte, without stopping, however, relations with his wife; at night he came to the bedroom to the one that inexplicably aroused in him a constant attraction. On other nights, when his appetite was especially violent, he successively honored each of the three beauties.

The result was impressive: in 1494, Antoinette, Jeanne and Louise became pregnant at the same time. These three upcoming motherhoods delighted Charles of Angouleme. Until the very end of summer, he gazed with pride at his three rounded bellies, testifying to his rare ability to deal with ladies.

Finally, on December 12, on the lawn under an oak tree, Louise of Savoy gave birth to a loud-mouthed, strong man, who was named Francis.

"Isn't he going to be king?" she asked herself.

But the prediction of Francois de Paul looked too fantastic. In those days, the House of Angouleme was very far from the throne ...

Immediately after the birth of little Francis, both favorites gave birth to daughters. For several months, the proximity of children's cradles so tired Charles that he went to sleep with one of the beauties of the court in the farthest chambers.

Being suddenly abandoned, Louise suffered greatly. And then there was Karl, being in a good mood, every day expanding the circle of his affections. Now he visited Louise's bed less and less often, and the poor countess was in utter despair.

And suddenly, on January 1, 1496, Charles died due to a severe cold. A widow at the age of nineteen, Louise almost immediately takes Jean de Saint-Geleu, the manager of the castle, with whom she indulges in love pleasures with the ardor inherent in youth, wanting to find an upset balance. So several years passed. And now, after the death of Charles VII, her Francis becomes the rightful heir. Then Louise decides to approach the royal court. One fine day, accompanied by her own children and her lover, the favorites of the late Count Charles and their bastards, she appeared at the castle of Chinon, where all this very colorful company caused a real scandal. In the end, she had to return to Romorantin in the hope that Anne of Brittany would not be able to give birth to a son to Louis XII, just as she failed to give an heir to Charles VIII.

Now one can easily imagine the state of Louise at a time when the queen was about to give birth in her castle.

She spent whole hours in prayer, turning the rosary and lighting candles, in the hope that Louis would not have a son. And on October 13, 1499, heaven rewarded her: Anna gave birth to a girl, who was named Claude.

Naturally, Louise tried her best to hide her joy, but the queen, being a delicate little thing, immediately noticed the gleam of triumph in the eyes of the Countess of Angouleme and at the same moment flared up with great hatred for her.

Meanwhile, in Italy, Louis XII, whom the queen simply transformed, was thinking about only one war.

For the first time in his life, a military campaign did not serve as a pretext for wandering around the brothels. During the previous campaign, he arranged such deafening orgies that the memory of them was alive throughout northern Italy. That is why all the beauties of the Milanese aristocracy awaited the arrival of the King of France with a mixture of fear and hope.

Alas! They spent absolutely nothing on decorations and toilets: Louis's love for Anna was so great that he did not even look at the local beauties.

This sudden loyalty literally shocked everyone.

Nothing, - these completely spoiled persons consoled themselves, - a person does not change so quickly! Another night will come when he will return to us.

But they were mistaken, as the Genoese were mistaken a few years later, dreaming of removing Louis XII from the places of military events and sending a woman to him for this purpose so that she would seduce him.

Everything was arranged so that the king, not having time to arrive, immediately lost his head. On the streets along which the royal procession followed, he could see in the windows, on the galleries and balconies of palaces and residential buildings the most beautiful women of the city, “most of whom were in white silk dresses, tied with a belt under the chest and short enough to it was to notice the legs ... ". And all together, according to a contemporary, “was a dazzling garland of Genoese women, so dear to my heart gallant Frenchman for their majestic posture and gentle charms, for grace and ardor, for their passion for chatting with taste, for constancy in feelings and fidelity.

In the following days, magnificent and highly refined festivities were held in the city, where the Genoese brought their wives and daughters "contrary to local customs", solely obeying the order of the city senators. Everyone was charged at any cost to force french king fall in love and involve him in some intrigue.

In the twinkling of an eye, Genoa turned into a city completely given over to pleasure.

In the evening, when Louis XII left the palace and went to one of the balls, the streets were brightly lit with torches and fireworks, fragrant with flowers and filled with the sweet sounds of serenades. According to a contemporary of the events, Jean d "Othon, to all these amusements, where the night hours flew by in courtship, dances, masquerades and games, "the Genoese brought their wives, daughters, sisters and relatives, wanting to provide a pleasant pastime for the king and his entourage. Some the most beautiful women were chosen from these associates and presented to the king, kissing them first for a test, after which the king did the same with great pleasure, and then he danced with them and received the most honorable award from them.<Жан д"Отон. История Людовика XII в 1502 году.>.

It was the most honorable, because Louis XII limited himself to a kind conversation with beauties, shaking their delicate hands or playfully biting his ear, which, of course, was the highest manifestation of gallantry. And if at the same time, carried away, he caressed a woman's breasts, it was only because habit is second nature.

It was then that the disappointed and impatient Genoese instructed the most brilliant woman of the city, Tomassina Spinola, the wife of a famous lawyer, to melt the ice of royal chastity and seduce him.

As a special mission, she was to obtain from Louis XII a number of concessions in favor of the Genoese Signorina. To achieve this goal, a detailed mise-en-scene was developed.

Laurent Cataneo, one of the most distinguished and famous nobles in the country, was given the task of involving the king of France in a situation favorable for love affairs. To achieve this, he invited the king to his villa and regaled the guest with the most exciting spectacle possible. Under the marble portico, "the youngest, with dazzling white skin" creatures, dressed up with exquisite lasciviousness in all the rules of Italian coquetry, danced, gradually getting rid of their clothes.

After a performance that lasted about an hour, during which only highly stimulating drinks were served, Louis XII finally saw Tomassina Spinola.

Needless to say, he liked her and agreed to walk with her along the garden path. However, the love for his little Bret, as he called Anna of Brittany, prevented the king from capturing the beautiful Genoese into dense thickets, as he had done before.

In the following days, such meetings were skillfully arranged again and again, because the Genoese were stubborn, but as a result of this the most ridiculous thing that can be imagined happened: Tomassina herself fell in love with the king.

Pale, with a pleading look, she asked permission to become the lady of his heart, just as he himself became her "honorary friend."

Louis agreed "to such a sweet relationship," and Thomassina, delighted at "being desired by the king," began to wear the colors of France and announced to her husband "that she did not want to sleep with him anymore."

But the plan failed.

When the king, after some time, left the city to return to France, the Genoese, upset to the core, found that Thomassina, all in tears, had retired to a monastery.

She did not stay there for long, because three years later, that is, in 1505, when a rumor came to Italy that Louis XII had died, the beauty died of grief.

Touched by such affection, the King of France sent several lines of poetry to the Genoese to be carved on the tombstone of Thomassina "as a token of eternal memory and an unforgettable impression."

This was to please the Genoese, who from the very beginning of 1502 could not forget their failure.

Anne of Brittany, of course, knew all the details of this Platonic story and was very proud that she turned one of the most frivolous French princes into a faithful husband and wise king.

For several years, Louis XII and Anna lived happily ever after. For a long time already the French court was not such a respectable place as in these years.

An observer of those times reports that the queen “invited all the unmarried ladies of the court to her place and, after carefully examining each one, chose the one who was more modest and more like a country girl in her manners. All of them were forbidden to secretly meet and be nice to the nobles. In turn, the men at the court were allowed to conduct only chaste and decent conversations with the ladies. The queen warned that if one of them wants to talk about love, then it can only be about permitted love, in other words, about pure and bashful love, inevitably leading to marriage, and the desire to unite in marriage should be expressed in just a few words. ... The prudent princess did not want her house to be open to those terrible people who, in conversations with the ladies, without hesitation, allowed themselves obscenities and obscene things ”<Шарль де Сент-Март. Надгробная речь на смерть Франсуазы Алансонской>.

Is it not because of this that most of the charming ladies who adorned the French court hurried to leave Blois and settle in those courts where life was not so dull?

However, one day the pious queen herself almost caused a diplomatic scandal because of the obscene words she uttered. Without intention, of course. Here's how it happened. Anna, who was engaged in state affairs, while the king was absorbed in the war in Italy, herself received foreign ambassadors who came to court. Out of a desire to please the ambassadors, she did not miss the opportunity to make a short speech to each of them in her native language. She was usually assisted in this by an officer who served with her, Señor de Grigno, who knew German, English, Spanish, Swedish, and Italian, and taught the queen those few words that so flattered foreigners.

One day the officer came up with the absurd idea of playing a dubious farce. Knowing that the ambassadors of Ferdinand of Spain were about to arrive in Blois, he gave the queen to learn very rude expressions in Spanish, and, according to the historian who told about this, “simply vile curses.” Suspecting nothing, Queen Anne uttered these dubious words to the guests.

Satisfied with his own invention, Señor de Grigno was also talkative. He told the king about this joke, who had a lot of fun, but nevertheless warned the queen.

This joke Anna never forgave Señor de Grigno.

All this time in Amboise, Louise of Savoy spent her days in the company of Marshal de Gier, her son's new tutor, who replaced Jean de Saint-Jelay in this post. Evil tongues claimed that the young marshal, like his predecessor, was the lover of a charming countess.

The truth was that he was madly in love with her. Every evening he made an attempt to get into Louise's room, and each time she rejected him. Finally, his unsatisfied desire made him so furious that he went to the royal court in Blois and there he began to tell right and left that Louise of Savoy was the mistress of Jean de Gelay and at the same time tried with all her might to seduce him, Pierre de Jie...

There is no doubt that this story made a lot of noise, Anna of Brittany, who even had a nervous attack on this occasion, threw herself on her knees before the crucifixion and asked the ladies of the court to pray with her so that such abominations would not bring the wrath of God on the French kingdom.

After that, completely ill, she retired to her bedroom.

Some believe that this nervous breakdown, and even the strongest annoyance at the betrothal of her daughter Claude to Francis de Valois (which took place against her wishes) shortened her life. She died at the age of thirty-eight on February 9, 1514.