FRANCIS I. of France was, like Louis XII., descended from Charles the Wise through Louis I., duke of Orleans. This unfortunate princo was assassinated by John, duke of Burgundy, and his two eons were for a long period prisoners to the English. The younger of the two, John, count of Angouleme, was succeeded by his son Charles. During the life of Louis XI. the Count of Angoulame had some difficulty iu guarding against the jealousy of the king, and by his command married Louisa of Savoy, who, on the 12th of September 1494, became the mother of Francis I. Louis XII. took charge of the infant heir of Angouletne at the death of his father, and afterwards gave him his daughter Claude in marriage. Francis distinguished himself in the defence of the frontiers on the side of Spain and Flanders, and succeeded to the throne at the age of twenty-nne, in January 1515.
One of his first endeavours was to prosecute the claim on the duchy of Milan, which he derived from his grandmother Valentine. Against this expedition the Swiss had already combined with Pope Leo X. and with the King of Spain ; but Francis having passed the Alps unexpectedly, a battle took place at Marignano, in which the Swiss infantry fought with even more than their usual obstinacy and courage. The combat lasted two days, and from 10,000 to 15,000 Swisa are said to have fallen in it. The victorious French entered Milan on the 23rd of October 1515, and n peace was shortly after concluded with tho pope.
In January 1510 the prince (afterwards Charles V.) who was destined to be tho rival of Francis throughout his whole career, succeeded to the kingdom of Castile notwithstanding his mother Joan was still alive. The frontier Agee to France on the side of Flanders and of the Pyrenees were thus in the hands of one and the same montreli. The treaty of Novon 11516) reeedabliehed for a short time the peace of Europe; and the King of France endeavoured to prepare himself against future wars by securing the friendship of the Swiss, whom he had learnt to appreciate its enemies. The Venetians and the Pope also became his allies.
On the death of Maximilian, emperor of Germany (1519), Charles and Francis declared themselves candidetes for the imperils' crown. The former urged his claims as one of the house of Austria and as the only prince in Europe who, by uniting the wealth of the New World and the arms of the Old, could arrest the progress of the Sultan Selim II. Francis put forward his greater experience in war, and dwelt on the impolicy of placing the joint power of Spain, Flanders, Naples. and the empire in the bands of an Austrian prince. Henry VIII. of England was inclined to become a competitor himself, while Leo X. would gladly have seen on the German throne some prince of less importance than Charles or Francis, and one who had no power or claim in Italy. It is said that the crown was offered to the elector of Saxony, who declined it and secured the election of Charles. Francis had SO interview with the King of England between Guinea and Ardres, and Charles landed at Dover on his voyage from Corunna to the Netherlands 11520).
In 1521 Francis made an attempt to recover Navarre for the family of Jean D'Allnad; but after the capture of Pampeluna the French were repnlaed from before Logroho, and finally lost all they had pre viously gained. Another cause of quarrel arose from Robert de la Mark, lord of Bouillon, declaring war against the emperor and throwing himself on France. 31ezieres was defended by Bayard against the imperial army, and a pretended attempt at mediation having been made by 1Volsey, who was intriguing for the papal crown, a league was concluded against Francis by the emperor, the king of England, and the pope. Lautree, the general of Francis. being deserted by Ilk Swiss auxiliaries, was driven from the Milanese by Prosper Colonna; Parma and Placentia were united to the ecclesiastical states; and the death of Leo X. is said to have been accelerated by joy at the suc
cesses of his allies (1521). The French, although reinforced by 10,000 Swiss, were defeated at Bicocca, and while Milan and Genoa were being lost in Italy, Henry of England attacked Picardy and Normandy. In 1523 the Venetians, hitherto friendly to Francis, joined the pope and the emperor against him ; and his own subject, the constable of Bourbon, exposed to the vengeance of slighted love on the part of the king's mother, fled to his enemies. The French under Bounivet however passed the Ticino in spite of the veteran Prosper Colonna; and the failure of three attacks on the side of Gascony, Burgundy, and Picardy left Francis in as good a position as the strength of his adversaries could allow him to hope for. In the spring of 1524 Pescara and Bourbon defeated the French on the Seale; and in this battle fell Bayard, "the knight without fear and without reproach." An attempt on the part of the imperialists to maintain the war in Provence was frustrated by the king, who passed the Cenia and advanced on Milan. Of that city he obtained possession ; but by laying siege to Pavia, which was gallantly defended by Antonio de Leyvs, he Rave time for the imperial generals to reorganise their forces. This they did with such effect, that on the 2 ttli of February 1525, they utterly defeated the French troops, and Francis himself remained a prisoner in the hands of Lannoy, vice-king of Naples. He announced the result of the battle of Pavia to his mother in the celebrated words, "Tout cst perdu fors l'honoeur I" Charles demanded, as the ransom of the French king, Burgundy for himself, Provence and Dauphiny for Bourbon, and the renunciation of all claims on the Italian states. Ile caused his prisoner to be conveyed by sea from Genoa to Barcelona, and thence to Madrid, where ho detained him in rigorous confinement, until the alteration in his health made the emperor fear the loam of all the advantages which he had anticipated. At length the treaty of Madrid was arranged (1526). Francis was to cede Burgundy, to give up all claims on Italy or on the sovereignty of Flanders and Artois, to restore Bourbon to his dignities and estates, to marry Eleanor, queen downer of Portugal, sister to the emperor, and finally to deliver his eldest and second sons as hostages' for the fulfilment of these stipulations. While he pledged his oath and honour for the observance of the conditions of the treaty, he caused a secret protest against the validity of his promise to be prepared. Ile set foot in France a little more than a year after the battle of Pavia, and mounting his horse, put him Into a gallop, esclaiming," I am yet a king 1" It very soon became obvious that the French king did not intend to adhere to the treaty of Madrid. While Charles in vain demanded the fulfilment of Lis oath, from which the pope had absolved him, French' (Petered Into a league with the Venetians, Clement, and Henry of England. The imperial generals, taking advantage of a delay on the part of the French, reduced the castle of Milan, though obstinately defended by Werra, whom Charles had already declared to have for felted his duchy. In 1527 Bourbon advanced upon Rome; he himself fell in the assault of that city, which suffered more from the army of a Christian emperor, the especial patron of the 'Comm see, than it had ever done from the most barbarous of its heathen invaders. Clement him/reit, abut up in the castle of St. Angelo, was at length obliged to surrender, and was only released for a heavy ransom at the termination of six mouths.