Charles VIII "the Affable" of France (30 June 1470-7 April 1498) was King of France from 30 August 1483 to 7 April 1498, succeeding Louis XI of France and preceding Louis XII of France. Charles' achievements included defeating rebellious nobles during the "Mad War", creating a personal union with Brittany, and starting the Italian Wars with a 1494 bid to claim the throne of the Kingdom of Naples. He died accidentally when he hit his head on the lintel of a door, and the Orleans cadet branch of the House of Valois inherited the throne; his former rival, the Duke of Orleans, became "King Louis XII".
Biography[]
Charles in battle, 1494
Charles was born at the Chateau d'Amboise, France in 1470, the son of King Louis XI of France and Charlotte of Savoy. He became King of France on his father's death in 1483, and he almost immediately faced opposition from his nobles. In the "Mad War" of 1485-1488, King Charles and his regent, Anne of France, fought against a coalition of feudal lords demanding decentralization. England, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire supported the rebels, but he succeeded in crushing the opposition. He controversially married Anne of Brittany in 1491, despite her state of proxy marriage to Emperor Maximilian I of Germany. In doing so, Charles became administrator of Brittany, and Brittany entered a personal union with the Kingdom of France. Charles was also promised the throne of the Kingdom of Naples by the Pope in 1489, and King Charles sought to restore Angevin rule to the nation.
Italian Wars[]
Charles at the Siege of Florence, 1494
In 1494, Charles invaded Italy, allying with Duke Ludovico Sforza of Milan. Charles bought the neutrality of England and Austria with large concessions, and he led a massive army (including one of Europe's first siege trains) into Italy. He did not face much resistance, and the cities that resisted found their walls and defenses blasted by heavy artillery and their defenders and inhabitants massacred. After the fanatical Catholic monk Girolamo Savonarola seized power in Florence with French help, Pope Alexander VI feared that France would interfere in Papal affairs, and he assembled an alliance of states against him. The Italian War of 1494-98 saw the French succeed in taking Naples in 1495, only to be forced to withdraw through Italy as Spain and its Italian allies fought the French to a standstill. Charles briefly occupied Rome, but he was convinced to leave the city alone after the Pope, pretending to be humble, appealed to the King's Christianity; the King was invested with the throne of Naples and was given the title "Most Christian King". However, his army found that Naples was ravaged by disease, and the King himself fell ill. The French army was forced to withdraw north, fighting the Italians to a standstill at the Battle of Fornovo. In 1495, Charles returned to the Chateau d'Amboise.
Death[]
Charles VIII fatally hitting his head
On 6 April 1498, Charles received the Pope's son Cesare Borgia at his court in Lyon. Borgia delivered a message requesting the King of France's assistance in a crusade against the Ottoman Turks, and he also sought to acquire King Charles' blessing to marry Princess Charlotte of Aragon, who was concurrently betrothed to marry the King's cousin Guy XVI de Laval. Charles befriended Cesare and decided to settle the matter with a game of jeu de palme (indoor tennis); if Cesare won, the King would tell Guy that his wife was now Cesare's; if the King won, Cesare would hand over the thoroughbreds that he brought with him, would give him a crate of gold also brought with him, and would assist him with a second campaign against King Frederick of Naples (Charlotte's father). Cesare scored an "ace" by hitting the red marker on a wall, defeating King Charles. The King was having a friendly conversation with Cesare when he hit his head on the lintel of a door, giving him a concussion. He wore a bandage, and he sat at his throne, having Guy and Cesare brought before him for the announcement. Before he could tell Guy about the cancellation of the betrothal, he collapsed from his throne, and he died in his sickbed not long after.
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