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Charles VIII of France

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Charles VIII
16th century portrait of Charles
King of France
Reign30 August 1483 – 7 April 1498
Coronation30 May 1484 (Reims)
PredecessorLouis XI
SuccessorLouis XII
RegentAnne of France and Peter II, Duke of Bourbon (1483–1491)
Born30 June 1470
Château d'Amboise, France
Died7 April 1498(1498-04-07) (aged 27)
Château d'Amboise, France
Burial
Saint Denis Basilica, France (body)
Notre-Dame de Cléry Basilica, Cléry-Saint-André, France (heart)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1491)​
Issue
more…		Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France
HouseValois
FatherLouis XI, King of France
MotherCharlotte of Savoy
ReligionRoman Catholicism
SignatureCharles VIII's signature

Charles VIII, also called by his nickname the Affable (French: l'Affable; June 30, 1470 – April 7, 1498), was the King of France. He was the son of Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy. He was born on June 30, 1470 in the Château d'Amboise, France.

Charles became King at age 13. Because Charles was a minor, his older sister Anne acted as his regent until he was 21 years old.

In 1488, Anne, Duchess of Brittany was chosen to be Charles's wife. Anne, who was a wealthy, independent ruler had already agreed to marry Maximilian, the heir to the Austrian throne. To prevent the marriage, France invaded Brittany and forced Anne to change her mind. Charles and Anne were married in December 1491.

As a king he was both militarily successful and diplomatically clever, and between 1494 and 1498 he completed an invasion of Italy without much opposition.

Although the young king was active and healthy, his children with Anne were not, and all died in infancy. So, when Charles died in an accident in April 1498, his cousin Louis succeeded him as Louis XII.

Death

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Charles VIII, he was the second King of France to die from hitting a doorway (after Louis III)[1]

Charles VIII died on 7 April 1498 as the result of an accident. While on his way to watch a game of jeu de paume (real tennis) in Amboise he struck his head on the lintel of a door.[2] At first, the king didn't seem to be affected. He joined in the game and seemed to act entirely normally. Suddenly, he collapsed and lost consciousness in front of everyone. The people with him did not feel comfortable moving the king to his apartments. Only much later was a doctor called to his bedside. Charles never regained consciousness. He died that evening at the age of 27.[3]

Charles left a very small legacy: he left France in debt and in disorganisation as a result of his goal. However, his long journey did strengthen cultural unities to Italy, energising French art and literature in the later part of the Renaissance.[4] Since his children all died before him, Charles was the last of the elder branch of the House of Valois. Upon his death, the throne passed to his brother-in-law and second cousin once removed, Louis XII.[4] Anne returned to Brittany and began taking steps to get the independence (again) of her duchy. In order to prevent these efforts, Louis XII had his 24-year childless marriage to Charles's sister, Joan, annulled (divorced) and married Anne.[5]


Issue

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Charles married Anne of Brittany. They had 6 children:

  • Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France (11 October 1492 – 16 December 1495), died of the measles when Orlando was three years old.[6] Buried at Tours Cathedral.
  • Francis (August 1493), was premature and stillborn. Buried at Notre-Dame de Cléry.[a]
  • Stillborn daughter (March 1495)[8]
  • Charles, Dauphin of France (8 September 1496 – 2 October 1496).[9] Buried at Tours Cathedral.
  • Francis, Dauphin of France (July 1497). He died several hours after his birth. Buried at Tours Cathedral.[8]
  • Anne of France (20 March 1498). She died on the day of her birth at Château de Plessis-lez-Tours. Buried at Tours Cathedral.[8]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Anderson indicates this child born August 1493 was unnamed.[7]

References

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  1. ↑ https://x.com/iszi_lawrence/status/1374410111154679819?lang=en#:~:text=%40iszi_lawrence-,Kings%20Louis%20III%20and%20Charles%20VIII%20of%20France%20both%20died,short%20to%20repeat%20the%20accident.
  2. ↑ Heiner Gillmeister, Tennis: A Cultural History (London: Leicester University Press, 1998) p. 21. (ISBN 978-0718501471)
  3. ↑ https://www.chateau-amboise.com/en/the-strange-death-of-charles-viii-at-amboise/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Rorimer, James J. (1954). "The Glorification of Charles VIII". The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 12 (10): 281–299. doi:10.2307/3257546. ISSN 0026-1521. JSTOR 3257546.
  5. ↑ Frederic J. Baumgartner, Louis XII (New York: St. Martin Press, 1996) p. 79.
  6. ↑ Broomhall 2004, p. 188.
  7. ↑ Anderson 2014, p. 163.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Broomhall 2004, p. 189.
  9. ↑ Gobry 2012, Genealogie de Charles VIII.


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