The reputation of Francis I, king of France (1515-47 ) has fluctuated over the centuries. Acclaimed as a€?noblea€? and a€?greata€? in the sixteenth century, he came to be unfairly denigrated under the
The court of France in the sixteenth century has often been seen merely as a focus of political intrigue and conflict, but it was also a cultural center in which the visual arts, music, literature, an
King Henry III of France has not suffered well at the hands of posterity. Generally depicted as at best a self-indulgent, ineffectual ruler, and at worst a debauched tyrant responsible for a series of
The house of Valois ruled France for 250 years, playing a crucial role in its establishment as a major European power. When Philip VI came to the throne, in 1328, France was a weak country, with much
