Francis I: The King of France (1515-1547)
Francis I was the king of France from 1515 to 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and his wife Louise of Savoy. When Louis XII died without a son, Francis stepped in as the new king. Francis was the first Catholic monarch to reign in France since the Middle Ages and is the only French king to be crowned by a pope.
The Formation of Modern France
Louis the Pious, the son of Napoleon I, succeeded his father and divided his kingdom between his brothers. His death triggered a three-year civil war which ended with the Treaty of Verdun. After the end of the war, the two parts of France - West Francia and East Francia - split and formed the country that we know today as France. It was under this period that many of France's great art treasures were discovered.
The Influence of Pope Francis
Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church and the sovereign of the Vatican City State. He is the first Jesuit pope and the first pope from the Americas. He has been in office since 2013. The head of the Catholic Church is a powerful position; it must be respected by every member of the Church. He is a charismatic leader who has a wide range of followers. However, there are many questions regarding Pope Francis' identity, particularly among the world's Catholics.
Francis I: The Humanist King
As a young man, Francis was exposed to a wide variety of humanists, including those who influenced his later political and cultural policies. His mother, Louise de Savoy, encouraged him to study the humanities. He also had tutors, including Christophe de Longueuil, who specialized in classical literature. His connections to humanists and their works drove his interest in collecting them once he became king.
The Rivalry with Henry VIII
The rivalry between Henry VIII and Francis I had a number of complex facets. The two kings both sought to dominate their own countries, while they also competed to gain material and political patronage. Their rivalry was also a contest of public manhood, as both kings regarded their trustworthiness as a critical aspect of public manhood. Each king asserted that he would fulfill his obligations to his subjects and to his brother monarch.
Freemason Francis I
The French king, Freemason Francis I, was a Mason for almost two centuries and was a great supporter of the Order. However, the Roman Catholic Church was not too happy with his association with Freemasonry, believing that it was a secret society. In 1795, the Pope issued a series of bulls criticizing Freemasonry, which he deemed to be in league with the Jews. Freemasonry has suffered from many setbacks since then, though.
Enmity with Charles V
In his lifetime, Charles V was one of the most powerful men in Europe. He reigned as Holy Roman Emperor and Spanish Emperor from 1516 to 1580. He was the most powerful man in the world during his lifetime, despite having a tumultuous past. His family was extremely wealthy, and he inherited a vast empire when his father, Philip I, died in 1516. Charles V inherited a vast empire that included many of his father's kingdoms, as well as the Spanish colonies in the Americas. His lands extended over almost four million square kilometers. He was the first emperor to describe his empire as "the empire on which the sun never sets."
