King François I
| Francis I | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Jean Clouet, c. 1530
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| King of France | |
| Reign | 1 January 1515 – 31 March 1547 |
| Coronation | 25 January 1515 |
| Predecessor | Louis XII |
| Successor | Henry II |
| Born |
12 September 1494 Château de Cognac, France |
| Died | 31 March 1547 (aged 52) Château de Rambouillet, France |
| Burial | Basilica of St Denis, France |
| Spouse |
Claude, Duchess of Brittany Eleanor of Austria |
| Issue among others... |
Francis III, Duke of Brittany Henry II of France Madeleine, Queen of Scots Charles, Duke of Orléans Margaret, Duchess of Savoy |
| House | Valois-Angoulême |
| Father | Charles, Count of Angoulême |
| Mother | Louise of Savoy |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
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Royal styles of King Francis I Par la grâce de Dieu, Roi de France |
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| Reference style | His Most Christian Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Most Christian Majesty |
| Alternative style | Monsieur Le Roi |
Francis I (French: François Ier) (12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was the first King of France from the Angoulême branch of the House of Valois, reigning from 1515 until his death. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his cousin and father-in-law Louis XII, who died without a son.
A prodigious patron of the arts, he initiated the French Renaissance by attracting many Italian artists to work on the Château de Chambord, including Leonardo da Vinci, who brought the Mona Lisa with him, which Francis had acquired. Francis' reign saw important cultural changes with the rise of absolute monarchy in France, the spread of humanism and Protestantism, and the beginning of French exploration of the New World. Jacques Cartier and others claimed lands in the Americas for France and paved the way for the expansion of the first French colonial empire.
For his role in the development and promotion of a standardized French language, he became known as le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres (the "Father and Restorer of Letters"). He was also known as François du Grand Nez ("Francis of the Large Nose"), the Grand Colas, and the Roi-Chevalier (the "Knight-King") for his personal involvement in the wars against his great rival the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain Charles V.
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