Son of Charles the Simple and Ogive of Wessex, Louis IV was ousted from the throne by Raoul I. When his father was captured, his mother took him to England, hence his nickname of Outremer. After the death of the king (936), Hugh the Great, Duke of France refuses the crown and calls Louis to make him reign under his tutelage. But Louis IV, supported by the bishops, emerges from his tutelage. From then on, Hugues will thwart all attempts to restore Carolingian authority. Invited by Harold de Bayeux, Louis falls into an ambush. His retinue is massacred. He was taken prisoner (945) in Rouen. It was delivered to Hugh the Great who exchanged it for the town of Laon, pivot of the Carolingian defense and last possession of the Carolingians in Gaul. But, threatened with excommunication, Hugh concluded peace in 950. Louis died in 954.
King of France from 1461 to 1483, Louis XI , nicknamed “the universal aragne”, had the heavy task of restoring to France its lost prosperity during the Hundred Years War. Turbulent son of Charles VII, he has a reputation as a harsh ruler, sometimes seen as a tyrant. His reign was nevertheless funda