LOUISE OF SAVOY (1476-1531), duchess of Angouleme, mother of Francis I. of France, was daughter of a cadet of the house of Savoy, Philip, count of Bresse, afterwards duke of Savoy, and of Marguerite de Bourbon. At the age of 12 she was married to Charles of Valois, count of Angouleme, great grandson of King Charles V. The count died in 1496, leaving her the mother of two children, Marguerite (b. 1492) and Francis (b. 1494). The accession of Louis XII., who was childless, made Francis of Angouleme the heir-presumptive to the throne of France. Louise brought her children to the court, and received Amboise as her residence. Finally, her son became king on Jan. I, 1515, by the death of Louis XII. From 1515 to her death, she took the chief share in the Government. The part she played has been variously judged, and is not yet completely elucidated. It is certain that Louise had a clear head, practical good sense and tenacity. In the critical situation after the battle of Pavia
(1525) she maintained order in the kingdom, and manoeuvred very skilfully to detach Henry VIII. of England from the imperial alliance. She died in 1531, and Francis reunited to the crown her domains, which comprised the Bourbonnais, Beaujolais, Auvergne, la Marche, Angoumois, Maine and Anjou.
There is extant a Journal of Louise of Savoy, edited by Guichenon in his Histoire genealogique de la maison de Savoie (1778-80, vol. iv.). See Poesies de Francois /er et de Louise de Savoie . . . , ed. by Champollion-Figeac (1847) ; De Maulde, Louise de Savoie et Francois /er (1895) ; G. Jacqueton, La Politique exterieure de Louise de Savoie . . . (1892) ; H. Hauser, "Etude critique sur le Journal de Louise de Savoie," in the Revue historique, vol. 86 (19o4).