Louis XII was the son of the poet Charles d'Orléans and Marie de Clèves. Educated by Louis XI, he was forced to marry his daughter:Jeanne de France. Louis d'Orléans opposes the regency of Anne de Beaujeu who leads the country during the minority of Charles VIII (Mad War). Beaten, Louis d'Orléans is imprisoned for three years in a fortress. He was freed by Charles VIII and took part with him in the First Italian War. Charles VIII dies without heir, Louis d'Orléans is declared king of France. Louis XII annuls his marriage with Jeanne de France and marries Anne de Bretagne, the widow of his predecessor. After having conquered the Duchy of Milan, the French armies were defeated and Louis XII had to renounce his claims to Italy. He resumes hostilities and is victorious in Ravenna but again loses his territories. His cousin, François I succeeded him.
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