King Louis XI
The Spider King’s Webs of Intrigue United France
Jan 17, 2009 William Silvester
Louis was born on July 3, 1423 at Bourges in Central France, the son of Charles VII and Mary of Anjou. France was in the midst of the Hundred Years War and his father’s power was restricted to the central and southern parts of the country while the English held the north. At a early age he learned to regard his father as a weakling and look upon him with contempt.
Margaret of Scotland
In 1436 his father compelled him to marry 12-year-old Margaret of Scotland, the daughter of Scotland’s King James I. Louis had little use for her as she was a favourite of his hated father and often supported Charles against Louis. She died trying to give Louis an heir in 1445 at the age of 20.
Royal Plots
Louis love of conspiracy led him to become part of a plot to control his father. In 1440 he was involved in an uprising known as the Praguerie whose goal was to establish Louis as regent over his father. Instigated by Charles, Duke of Bourbon, the plot failed within two months due to the loyalty of Charles’ army and cities. The king gave the Duke of Bourbon a huge pension in an effort to buy his loyalty and forgave his son, confirming him as heir apparent.
Louis saw his father’s forgiveness as a further sign of his weakness and continued to plot against him. In September 1446 Charles had finally had enough and ordered his son from his court to ostensibly establish order in his province of Dauphiné. Father and son would never meet again.
Charlotte of Savoy
Louis took a second wife on February 14, 1451. It was a political marriage to 8-year-old Charlotte of Savoy and without the consent of his father. For the most part Louis ignored her though he did manage to father eight children by her over the years between 1458 and 1472, only three of whom survived infancy.
Duke of Burgundy
Tired of being ignored and plotted against, King Charles sent at army against his son. Louis fled from Dauphiné, taking refuge in Burgundy with Duke Philip the Good.
When word reached Louis in July of 1461 that his father was dying, he abandoned his young wife in Burgundy and hurried to Reims to seize the crown.
The Spider King
Now that he was king, Louis XI pursued many of the policies for which he had criticized his father, for they were now in his best interests. He limited the powers of the dukes and barons who had once supported and conspired with him. Charles the Bold, now Duke of Burgundy, fearing he would be deprived of his inheritance when his father gave away parts of his lands to Louis to finance a crusade, joined the League of the Public Weal, led by Louis’ brother Charles de Valois, in rebellion against the king. The revolt was unsuccessful but political expediency forced Louis to grant an unfavourable peace.
Meanwhile, having successfully seized control of England during the Wars of the Roses, Edward IV invaded France in 1475. Louis quickly negotiated the Treaty of Picquogny with Edward that provided a huge cash payment with an anuual pension to follow effectively ending the Hundred Years’ War.
With peace finally established, Louis was able to turn his talents to the good of his kingdom. He began a road building program to help bind his kingdom together and keep closer tabs on his subordinates. Trade fairs were encouraged and a postal system established. The feudal system was slowly done away with as Louis established himself as one of France’s first modern kings.
The Spider King had united France by the time he died at Chateau de Plessis-lez-Tours in August, 1483. His successor and eldest son, 13-year-old Charles VIII stepped up to a secure and strong throne.
Bibliography
Joseph M. Tyrrell – Louis XI – Twayne - 1980
Thomas B. Costain – The Last Plantagenets – Popular Library – 1963
Stephanie Ezrol – The Commonwealth of France’s Louis XI – Fidelio - 1995
King Louis XI of France
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