Francis I of France

Reign: 1515 – 1547
Life: 1494–1547

A prodigious patron of the arts, Francis promoted the emergent French Renaissance by attracting many Italian artists to work for him, including Leonardo da Vinci, who brought the Mona Lisa, which Francis had acquired. Francis's reign saw important cultural changes with the growth of central power 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 the French language, Francis became known as le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres (the 'Father and Restorer of Letters').

During Francis I of France's reign, Henry VIII of England ruled England, Suleiman the Magnificent ruled Ottoman Empire, and Charles V ruled Spain.

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Francis I by R. J. Knecht

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Francis I

R. J. Knecht

Knecht's definitive life of the Renaissance prince who rivalled Charles V for European mastery.

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