Learn More in these related Britannica articles: It must be said of this strange man that he had worthy policies to pursue: Louis XI of France seized the opportunity to occupy Roussillon and Cerdagne, thereby laying the foundation for future enmity between France and Spain.
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Louis XI King of France 1423-1483
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He conceded territory to some of them, and then he watched the lords of Brittany and Normandy fight like dogs over a bone. Within two months he recouped half of that territory. Soon "The League of Public Weal was no more. I have barely scratched the surface of what this fascinating biography offers and of the webs that Louis spun.
He handed on to his successors a national monarchy. To the twentieth century, perhaps his most startling accomplishment is that, as a means of destroying the mortal enemy of his crown, he invented cold war. View all 33 comments. May 26, Lawrence Manzo rated it it was amazing. One of the best history books I've read. Louis XI wins out in the end, and re-creates the map of Europe! What a great story, and no one knows it.
The French think of him as a Gothic Dracula-type figure who tortured his v One of the best history books I've read. The French think of him as a Gothic Dracula-type figure who tortured his victims and ran a cruel police state. He gets little recognition for having finally ended the threat of the Years War, which appeared at times to have completely annihilated the kingdom of France.
A man before his time, who brought a taste of the modern world to the governing of France in the 15th century, Louis XI was a one-of-a-kind ruler, coming to the throne in , well before the concentrated push to early modern Europe rose in the midth century. A man of common interests but exceptional intelligence, Louis recognized the place that trade and industry could h A good book intruded upon by the holidays, LOUIS XI delivers--or more to the point, Kendall delivers, a fascinating read.
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A man of common interests but exceptional intelligence, Louis recognized the place that trade and industry could have in raising the livelihood of the people and filling the royal coffers. He instituted a larger government, creating such departments as a corps of engineers, and others, that looked after the infrastructure that increased industry would demand. He intended to rule his realm without the interference of the feudal lords, striving to strengthen his hold on government and to change the rules that the feudal system operated under, and which gave the lords of the land a sense of individual sovereignty and left them operating within their own spheres attempting to win themselves more land and honors.
This left the realm in a state of continuing chaos that overlooked the commons and created factions among the lords. Louis XI changed the face of war by orchestrating scenarios that set people on edge, played off their fears, and kept them guessing, expecting the worst. He ascribed to peace because he wanted to build the economy of his realm by trade and industry, but he kept it almost in thrall by the means mentioned above.
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Today we would call it "cold war. He could be ruthless if he was forced to it, but he preferred to negotiate. If war was inevitable, he also had military savvy and talents. His reign was an early look at what the push toward absolutism would look like in the 16th century, and toward a weakening of feodality. He dressed plainly, did not live sumptuously but preferred to withdraw to out-of-the-way lodges and castles to hunt and think how to proceed.
He was a man of simpler tastes than the French were used to seeing in their king, and this confused them. He was a new breeze blowing through the land, too soon to bring lasting changes, a man born out of time. I really liked this. Louis XI isn't well known at all nowadays but he was such a great leader for France and all of Europe at a time when everything was changing: He saw far ahead what was needed and took slow careful steps in those directions in a world of complete upheaval without worrying about being 'popular' or for most of his life, even well dressed.
Not only would he wear the coarsest of common I really liked this. Not only would he wear the coarsest of common clothes, but spent much of his time when he could hunting in the wild by himself all over France, for instance. He would ride into a small town and ask for dinner at the simplest inn, dine alone and leave before anyone would know who he was. He would conduct negotiations between countries only when he knew he would get the outcome he wanted, meanwhile working strings behind the scenes, winning over advisors for the opposite camp thru direct personal intervention.
He quickly realised the king of England loved to spend money, so found a way to force Edward IV into accepting a huge 'ransome' so as not to fight, 'this time' thereby making Edward dependent on him for that money and stayed out of England's famous 'Wars of the Roses'. Louis knew so long as the money kept coming Edward would spend his time fighting elsewhere, so as not to worry about France and Louis could turn to quelling his own hothead cousin Charles Duke of Burgundy.
In the end, Louis overcame them all and consolidated France to it's farthest extent ever and left the stores full and prosperous markets as well and more secure in its defenses and treaties than France had ever really known. He met Joan of Arc as a child, managed to avoid battle with Maximillian, became lifelong friends with Francesco Sforza and Lorenzo de Medici. A generation later, Macchiavelli would write about statecraft with such a clear-eyed view to the motivations of people, and how to work them, you'd think for sure he took lessons from Louis XI.
The author knows all the maddening details of this time so well that he is able to make it real. The telling anecdote, the dating of documents, the shipment of goods, the formation of soldiers, sieges and conspiracies all fleshed out with the french countryside, the need for fresh horses, an honest messenger, the details of the curiosities of the day. The best kind of history. Outstanding 13 year work filled with intricate and researched detail about this King who truly was an aberration for his time, role, and preferences. Called the Universal Spider for his concocting ability to balance the power scales and turn webs of change and transference from both old systems of feudalism and medieval cognitive mindsets.
A nation amongst other changes. Excellent historical work which reads well and deserves many hours to absorb all the nuance of Europ Outstanding 13 year work filled with intricate and researched detail about this King who truly was an aberration for his time, role, and preferences. Excellent historical work which reads well and deserves many hours to absorb all the nuance of European change and focus within Renaissance flowering.
Feb 01, Susan Abernethy rated it it was amazing. Link to a full review of this book: Currently reading this out-of-print book. Paul Murray Kendall took 13 years to write this book and it shows. Jakob an der Birs. War broke out between Charles and the Swiss after he invaded Switzerland.
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On 2 March , the Swiss attacked and defeated the Burgundians at Grandson. Louis thus was able to see the destruction of his sworn enemy. Other lords who still favored the feudal system gave in to his authority.
Louis XI of France - Wikipedia
Still others, such as Jacques d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours , were executed. The lands belonging to the Duchy of Burgundy as constituted by Louis's great-great-grandfather John II for the benefit of his son Philip the Bold reverted to the crown of France. As noted above, the marriage on 14 February between Louis and the eight year-old Charlotte of Savoy was the true beginning of French involvement in the affairs of Italy. The Italian peninsula was a tightly compacted and politically competitive space dominated by five powers: Even the Italic League — the combination of the five major powers of Italy that had been born out of the Treaty of Lodi of — was constantly undergoing internal realignments.
Additionally, Louis had his attention drawn away from Italy by disagreements with the rulers of England and his struggles with Maximilian of Austria , who married the sole surviving heir of Charles the Bold, Mary of Burgundy , and wanted to keep her territorial inheritance intact. However, the death of the Duke of Burgundy in , [41] which conclusively settled the issue of Burgundy's position under the French throne, the conclusion of the Treaty of Picquigny with England in and the peaceful resolution in of the disposition of the "Burgundian inheritance" left to Mary of Burgundy finally allowed Louis XI to turn his attention to Italy.
Viewed from the Italian states, the death of the Duke of Burgundy in and the resultant downfall of his duchy as a threat to the French throne signalled vast changes in the states' relationships with the kingdom of France. Despite his connection by marriage to the royal house of Savoy, Louis XI continuously courted a strong relationship with Francesco I Sforza , the Duke of Milan, who was a traditional enemy of Savoy.
As a confirmation of the close relationship between Milan and the king of France, Sforza sent his son Galeazzo Maria Sforza to aid Louis XI in his war against the League of Public Weal in at the head of a large army. However, with the downfall of Burgundy in , France was seen in a new light by Milan, which now hurriedly repaired its relationship with Louis XI.
This would become a significant turning point in Italian political history. His wife Charlotte died a few months later, and is interred with him. His eldest daughter Anne of France became regent on his behalf. Louis developed his kingdom by encouraging trade fairs and the building and maintenance of roads. Louis XI pursued the organization of the kingdom of France with the assistance of bourgeois officials. Louis XI was very superstitious [46] and surrounded himself with astrologers.
Interested in science, he once pardoned a man sentenced to death on condition that he serve as a guinea pig for a gallstone operation. He was, however, a secretive, reclusive man, and few mourned his death. Louis's marriage with Charlotte of Savoy was not consummated until she was fourteen. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Margaret of Scotland m. Charlotte of Savoy m. Ancestors of Louis XI of France John II of France 8. Charles V of France Bonne of Bohemia 4. Charles VI of France Peter I, Duke of Bourbon 9. Joanna of Bourbon Isabella of Valois 2. Charles VII of France Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria Elizabeth of Sicily 5.
Isabeau of Bavaria Beatrice Regina della Scala 1. Louis XI of France Louis I, Duke of Anjou Louis II of Naples Marie of Blois Marie of Anjou Peter IV of Aragon John I of Aragon Eleanor of Sicily 7. Yolande of Aragon Robert I, Duke of Bar Violant of Bar Kingdom of France portal Biography portal. The Universal Spider , New York: University of Michigan Press, , p.