By Louise was used to irregular households. Her parents, Philip of Savoy and Marguerite of Bourbon, had married when they were both 34, late for the 15th century. The following year, her father’s 14 year old mistress Libera had a son, who would become known in history as René the Grand Bastard. About three years later Marguerite gave birth to Louise.
Four years later Marguerite gave birth to a son who, like his father, would become Duke of Savoy. During the same time Libera gave birth to another son and daughter.
Louise was six years old when her mother died. Her father decided to send her to the French court to be brought up by Anne de Beaujeu. Anne was acting as Regent for her thirteen year old brother who had just become King Charles VIII. In the wonderful way that noble intermarriages worked, Louise was the Regent’s cousin by her father and the niece of the Regent’s husband Pierre de Beaujeu by her mother.
With Louise away at the French court, her father remarried. His second wife had six children and at the same time, his new mistresses gave birth to at least four more children.
Louise’ family’s domestic situation had been good preparation for what she would have to deal with when she married Charles. Initially not at all happy about the marriage which had been forced on him, Charles was pleased to find Louise accepted his mistresses. She made Antoinette her lady in waiting and Jeanne also had an official position in the household. It appears the three women became very good friends and had no problem with the idea of taking turns in Charles’ bed.
About two years after the marriage Antoinette gave birth to a daughter Jeanne. Louise became worried that she might be sterile. She decided to travel to Plessis-Lèz-Tours to consult Francis of Paola. The elderly monk had a growing reputation of being able to either predict or intercede with the birth of a son. Louise was thrilled when Francis of Paola not only confirmed she would have a son, but made the startling prediction that her son would be King.
This seemed highly unlikely. The only person who believed it could be true was Louise.
When Charles VIII married Anne of Brittany at the end of 1491, Louise was already pregnant. Four months later at the age of 15 she gave birth. The child was not Louise’s “Caesar”, as she referred to the promised son, but a daughter. She named her Marguerite, after both the baby’s grandmothers.
Six months later the Queen Anne of Brittany gave birth to Charles Orland (also predicted by Francis of Paola). The young heir to the throne was fit and healthy and he was to be the first of a total of six children Anne would give birth to during her marriage to King Charles VIII. Francis of Paola’s prediction to Louise seemed highly improbable. Nevertheless she continued to believe.
Two years later, Louise was pregnant again. In September 1494 the promised son was born. She named him François after the monk who had predicted his birth – and his glorious future. Around the same time both Antoinette and Jeanne also gave birth to daughters who were named Madeleine and Souveraine. The strange little household had settled in Charles’ chateau in Cognac. They didn’t have much money but it seems to have been a cultured, harmonious atmosphere.
Just over a year after François’ birth, his father’s easy life with the three women and five children came to an abrupt end. Charles d’Angoulême had been hunting in freezing conditions and he died from a resulting chill at the age of 36. It was New Years Day 1496. He had no idea that nineteen years later – to the day – his baby son would become King of France.
Charles’ unexpected death left Louise a widow at 19. She had no intention of remarrying, nor did she even consider evicting her husband’s two mistresses and their children. Louise kept the unusual household together at the château of Cognac where she took great care with the education of her children. Her late husband had been as interested in books as women and they had an impressive collection for the time.
François was surrounded by two generations of women, all of whom adored him. It was a situation he would always enjoy and find perfectly normal.
Amboise
The Chateau of Amboise had been the residence of King Charles VIII and his wife Anne of Brittany. It was here that he died at the age of 27 after accidentally hitting his head on the doorway on his way to watch a game of tennis. Louis d’Orleans succeeded him as Louis XII. Charles VIII’s will called on his successor to marry his widow, Anne of Brittany, if he died without an heir.
Louis set about organising an annulment of his marriage and he married Anne nine months later. Until they had a child the next in line to the throne would be the three year old Francois d’Angouleme. Given that the new King decided Louise should bring Francois from Cognac to grow up in the French court.
Louis XII preferred to remain in his own chateau in Blois, 35 kilometres away along the Loire River. He gave the Chateau of Amboise to Louise as a residence and it became François’ home for the next eight years.
Anne was pregnant almost immediately following her marriage to Louis and it is not hard to imagine Louise’ anguish as she waited for the Queen to give birth. She was relieved when the baby was a girl they named Claude. In France, the Salic Law denied females the right to inherit the throne.
Louise had the same nervous wait for almost fifteen years with Anne’s eight subsequent pregnancies. In the end only Claude and another daughter survived. It is not hard to understand why the relationship between Anne and Louise was strained. It was a ghastly situation but Louise never lost faith in Francis of Paola’s prophecy that Francois would become King.
Louise had made it clear she had no intention of remarrying. Widows had more rights than married women. They were the head of their own household. Louise was independent, and at the court she was the mother of the heir to the throne.
The King planned on marrying his elder daughter Claude to François, heir to the throne in the absence of future male children. Anne would not hear of it. She hated Louise and resented the presence of her healthy young son. Anne made a huge power play. She organised the marriage contract of her daughter Claude to Charles, the grandson of the Austrian Emperor Maximilian. It was signed when Claude was less than two years old and Charles less than 18 months old. Louis humoured his wife for a period but this marriage would clearly not be in the best interests of France.
At the age of six, the Austrian Emperor’s grandson Charles inherited the throne of the Low Countries (now Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg). Through his mother Joanna the Mad, young Charles was also the heir to the Spanish throne. In addition, he was due to inherit Austria when his grandfather died. France was already surrounded by a potential enemy (which is what Charles did indeed become). If Claude married Charles, Brittany (which Claude would inherit from her mother) would be added to the mix. This was something a French King could not even consider. To Anne’s displeasure, but with the support of the French, Louis manoeuvred the cancellation of the engagement to Charles. Instead Claude would marry François next in line to the French throne.
Anne died at the age of 36. Four months later, still in mourning dress for her mother, Claude married François She was fourteen and he was nineteen. It looked like Francis of Paola’s prediction had been right and Louise could relax, but not for long.
At 52 Louis XII believed he could still father a son an heir so he decided to re-marry. He married Mary, Henry VIII of England’s 18 year old sister. Within weeks Louis XII was bedridden and he died less than three months after the wedding, on New Years Day 1515.
Francois was now King – provided Mary wasn’t pregnant. In keeping with tradition Mary was sequestered. She assured Francois she wasn’t pregnant and on January 25, 1515 and Francois was crowned King on January 25, 1515.
After years of anguish, Louise had finally seen Francis of Paola’s prediction come true. She had never lost faith her “Caesar” would become king and devoted her life to that cause.
Louise played an important role in her son’s reign even before it started. She had been identifying suitable advisors for him and the transition to power was remarkably smooth. Louise was made Regent when François went off to war in Italy six months after his coronation. “Madame” as she was called, was always taken seriously. She was a strong woman and she had the political intelligence to match. She would prove to be capable of conducting high level negotiations on behalf of her son.
“The King and Madame” became a common expression during François’ reign.
François showered land and privileges on his mother. Louise had proven she could handle financial matters since the death of her husband when she was only nineteen. Her undeniable head for business was demonstrated as she added to her own inherited lands – with a lot of help from her son. The vast land holdings she added to her own properties were well managed. When Louise died François inherited from her the counties of Romorantin (which had been originally her dowry), Montpensier, Clermont and Forez and the duchies of Auvergne.
François’ ascension to the throne also changed the fortunes of another woman who played an important part in his court – his sister Marguerite.
