Louis XI of France

Reign: 1461 – 1483
Life: 1423–1483

Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the Praguerie in 1440. The king forgave his rebellious vassals, including Louis, to whom he entrusted the management of the Dauphiné, then a province in southeastern France. Louis's ceaseless intrigues, however, led his father to banish him from court. From the Dauphiné, Louis led his own political establishment and married Charlotte of Savoy, daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy, against the will of his father. Charles VII sent an army to compel his son to his will, but Louis fled to Burgundy, where he was hosted by Philip the Good, the Duke of Burgundy, Charles's greatest enemy. When Charles VII died in 1461, Louis left the Burgundian court to take possession of his kingdom.

During Louis XI of France's reign, Afonso V of Portugal ruled Portugal, Mehmed II ruled Ottoman Empire, and James III of Scotland ruled Scotland.

Want to learn more? Further reading

Louis XI: The Universal Spider by Paul Murray Kendall

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Louis XI: The Universal Spider

Paul Murray Kendall

Kendall's vivid portrait of the wily king who united France after the Hundred Years' War.

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