Louis XI wearing his Collar of the
Order of Saint Michael, c. 1469
King of France
(more...)
Reign
22 July 1461 − 30 August 1483
Coronation
15 August 1461, Reims
Predecessor
Charles VII
Successor
Charles VIII
Born
3 July 1423 Bourges, Berry, France
Died
30 August 1483(1483-08-30) (aged 60) Château de Plessis-lez-Tours, France
Burial
6 September 1483
Notre-Dame de Cléry Basilica, Cléry-Saint-André
Spouses
Margaret of Scotland
(m. 1436; died 1445)
Charlotte of Savoy
(m. 1451)
Issue Detail
Anne, Duchess of Bourbon
Joan, Queen of France
Charles VIII, King of France
House
Valois
Father
Charles VII of France
Mother
Marie of Anjou
Signature
Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (French: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the Praguerie in 1440. The king forgave his rebellious vassals, including Louis, to whom he entrusted the management of the Dauphiné, then a province in southeastern France. Louis's ceaseless intrigues, however, led his father to banish him from court. From the Dauphiné, Louis led his own political establishment and married Charlotte of Savoy, daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy, against the will of his father. Charles VII sent an army to compel his son to his will, but Louis fled to Burgundy, where he was hosted by Philip the Good, the Duke of Burgundy, Charles' greatest enemy.
When Charles VII died in 1461, Louis left the Burgundian court to take possession of his kingdom. His taste for intrigue and his intense diplomatic activity earned him the nicknames "the Cunning" (Middle French: le rusé) and "the Universal Spider" (Middle French: l'universelle aragne), as his enemies accused him of spinning webs of plots and conspiracies.
In 1472, the subsequent Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, took up arms against his rival Louis. However, Louis was able to isolate Charles from his English allies by signing the Treaty of Picquigny (1475) with Edward IV of England. The treaty formally ended the Hundred Years' War. With the death of Charles the Bold at the Battle of Nancy in 1477, the dynasty of the dukes of Burgundy died out. Louis took advantage of the situation to seize numerous Burgundian territories, including Burgundy itself and Picardy.
Without direct foreign threats, Louis was able to eliminate his rebellious vassals, expand royal power, and strengthen the economic development of his country. He died in 1483, and was succeeded by his minor son Charles VIII.
LouisXI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (French: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father...
known as Louis of Orléans and was compelled to be married to his disabled and supposedly sterile cousin Joan by his second cousin, King LouisXI. By doing...
influence even before succeeding his father. He had a deep rooted rivalry with LouisXI, the King of France, which was the cause to many disputes and events during...
according to some historians, a former senior officer of the palace guards of LouisXI who was killed at the battle of Montlhéry. However, popular tradition has...
of Philippe de Commines, Lord of Argenton: Containing the Histories of LouisXI and Charles VIII Kings of France and of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy...
King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father LouisXI at the age of 13. His elder sister Anne acted as regent jointly with her...
by her aged husband Louis d'Amboise, Viscount of Thouars, in a fit of jealousy over her affair with Charles de Valois, LouisXI's brother, the king had...
Charles VII were marked by conflicts with his turbulent son, the future LouisXI. Born at the Hôtel Saint-Pol, the royal residence in Paris, Charles was...
November 1522) was a French princess and regent, the eldest daughter of LouisXI by Charlotte of Savoy. Anne was the sister of Charles VIII, for whom she...
mid-15th century resulted in yet another debasement during the reign of King LouisXI, with the Livre Parisis reduced to 1 French ounce (30.594 g) fine silver...
Lorraine, Philibert of Savoy, George of England, and Charles de Guyenne. LouisXI himself expressed interest in nominating a prince of Aragon or Naples,...
by King LouisXI of France on 1 August 1469, in response to the Order of the Golden Fleece founded by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, Louis' chief competitor...
death. Political and religious tensions with Louis XIV of France were a constant preoccupation for Innocent XI. Within the Papal States, he lowered taxes...
region to fall back into disorder. After his succession as LouisXI of France in 1461, Louis united the Dauphiné with France, bringing it under royal control...
VII was crowned on 17 July 1429. LouisXI was crowned on 15 August 1461. Charles VIII was crowned on 30 May 1484. Louis XII was crowned on 27 May 1498....
Translated by Krieger, Angela. Palgrave Macmillan. Kendall, Paul Murray (1971). LouisXI: The Universal Spider. Compton Printing Ltd. Knecht, Robert J. (2016)....
nobles, organized in 1465 in defiance of the centralized authority of King LouisXI of France. It was masterminded by Charles the Bold, Count of Charolais...
of Provence and Forcalquier, dies, bequeathing his lands to his cousin LouisXI of France. 1482: by the Treaty of Arras, the Duchy of Burgundy and Picardy...
November 1441 – 1 December 1483) was Queen of France as the second spouse of LouisXI. She served as regent during the king's absence in 1465, and was a member...
the absorption of the duchy itself into the French crown lands by King LouisXI, while the bulk of the Burgundian possessions in the Low Countries passed...
Louis XVI (Louis Auguste; French: [lwi sɛːz]; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the...
over France and beyond. He served the French Valois kings Charles VII, LouisXI and Charles VIII, but also participated in two aristocratic uprisings,...
noblewoman. She was a mistress to LouisXI of France before his accession as King of France. She had three daughters with LouisXI, who were all acknowledged...
the absorption of the duchy itself into the French crown lands by King LouisXI, while the bulk of the Burgundian possessions in the Low Countries passed...
Louis XIII (French pronunciation: [lwi tʁɛz]; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death...
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