Charles VIII (France) (1470–1498, Ruled 1483–1498)

CHARLES VIII (FRANCE) (1470–1498, ruled 1483–1498)

CHARLES VIII (FRANCE) (1470–1498, ruled 1483–1498), king of France. Charles VIII was the last king of France in the direct line of the Valois dynasty. The only son of Louis XI (ruled 1461–1483) of France and Charlotte of Savoy, he was born on 30 June 1470. Because of his frailty as a child, Charles was not allowed to participate in vigorous activity, whether mental or physical. As a result he grew up with a limited education and little training in the arts of war and hunting. He became king at his father's death in 1483. Since he was ten months shy of being fourteen years old, he needed a regent to govern for him. A contentious struggle erupted over the regency between his older sister Anne of Beaujeu (1461–1522) and his cousin Louis of Orléans (ruled 1498–1515). It led to the convocation of the Estates-General in January 1484, which had the widest representation and most significant results of any meeting before 1789, most notably a powerful request for a reduction in taxes. The Estates-General, however, failed to designate a regent, and Charles turned fourteen without having one. Louis XI had designated Anne and her husband as his son's guardians, and they dominated the government for the next decade. Upset by the failure of his schemes, Louis of Orléans with his ally Duke Francis of Brittany (1435–1488) led a revolt known as the Fools' War. After their defeat in 1488, Louis was imprisoned and Francis died soon after. Francis's daughter, Anne (1477–1514), the new duchess of Brittany, had little choice but to agree to marry Charles. The marriage took place in December 1491, after Charles had repudiated his betrothal to Margaret of Austria, the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.

By then Charles had freed himself from the tutelage of his sister and had begun to rule in his own right. He began planning the expedition to seize control of southern Italy, known as the First French Invasion of Italy (1494–1495). The Valois claim to the kingdom of Naples dated to 1265, when the pope invested Charles of Anjou with the realm as a papal fief. In the decades after 1265 the French lost control of Naples to the royal family of Aragon. Charles VIII was eager to assert his right to Naples and use it as a base for a crusade against the Ottoman Turks, who had conquered Constantinople in 1453. Encouraged by Ludovico Sforza of Milan, who had his own dispute with King Alfonso of Naples, Charles led the French army into Italy in the spring of 1494. The army consisted of the royal companies of gens d'armes, the armored lancers still regarded as the best fighting men in Europe; infantry companies, including six thousand Swiss pikemen, the best foot soldiers of the era; and an artillery train of seventy large bronze cannon, also the best available. The quick reduction of several North Italian forts by the French cannons convinced the Italians that further resistance was futile, and the French marched down Italy to Naples as if on parade. The Neapolitan king fled, and Charles entered Naples in triumph in March 1495.

The steps Charles had taken to secure the neutrality of France's neighbors broke down in light of his success, and Ferdinand of Aragón, determined to vindicate his family, organized a league of the major states of Europe and Italy against Charles. Recognizing that the league threatened to trap him in southern Italy, Charles retreated toward France with half of his army, leaving the rest to occupy Naples. His enemies forced him to give battle at Fornovo, south of the Po River, on 6 July 1495. The bloodiest battle of the expedition was a stalemate, but Charles gained an open route back to France, where he arrived in October 1495. His short time in Italy stimulated Charles's interest in Renaissance art and architecture. His most noteworthy project was the reconstruction of the château of Amboise using Italian artists and artisans, including the noted Fra Giacondo.

Charles and Anne had three children, but only one son survived the first month of life. His death at age three from measles was a devastating blow to the king. It convinced him to give up frivolous pleasures and reduce the tax burden on his people, as the Estates-General of 1484 had requested. Before he could begin to implement his new policies, he died at Amboise on 7 April 1498 after striking his head on a low doorframe. Whether he died from the blow or from aggravating a prior condition is unknown. He was succeeded by Louis of Orléans, who became Louis XII.

See also Anne of Brittany ; France ; Italian Wars (1494–1559) ; Louis XII (France) ; Naples, Kingdom of ; Valois Dynasty (France) .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bridge, John S. C. A History of France from the Death of Louis XI. 5 vols. Oxford, 1921–1936. A highly detailed history of France that includes the time of Charles VIII's reign. Especially strong on the invasions of Italy.

Labande-Mailfert, Yvonne. Charles VIII et son milieu, 1470–1498. Paris, 1975. The best biography of Charles.

Frederic J. Baumgartner