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LOUISE OF SAVOY (1476-1531)

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 53 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LOUISE OF SAVOY (1476-1531)  , duchess of Angouleme,
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mother of Francis I. of France, was daughter of a cadet of the house of Savoy, Philip, count of
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Bresse, afterwards duke of Savoy . Through her mother,
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Marguerite de Bourbon, she was niece of
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Pierre de Bourbon, sire de
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Beaujeu, afterwards duke of Bourbon . At the age of twelve she was married to Charles of Valois, count of Angouleme,
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great-grandson of King Charles V . The count died in 1496, leaving her the mother of two children, Marguerite (b . 1492) and Francis (b . 1494) . The accession of Louis XII., who was childless, made Francis of Angouleme the heir-presumptive to the
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throne of .France . Louise brought her children to the court, and received Amboise as her residence . She lived henceforth in fear lest Louis should have a son; and in consequence there was a secret rivalry between her and the queen, Anne of
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Brittany . Finally, her son became king on the 1st of
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January 1515 ,by the
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death of Louis XII . From him Louise received the county of Angouleme, which was erected into a duchy, the duchy of
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Anjou, and the counties of Maine and Beaufort . She was then given the title of "Madame." From 1515 to her death, she took the chief share in the government .

The

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part she played has been variously judged, and is not yet completely elucidated . It is certain that Louise had a clear head,
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practical good sense and tenacity . In the critical situation after the
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battle of Pavia (1525) she proved herself equal to the emergency, maintained order in the
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kingdom, and manceuvred very skilfully to detach Henry VIII. of England from the imperial
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alliance . But she appears to have been passionate, exceedingly rapacious and ever careful of her own
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interest . In her malignant disputes with the constable de Bourbon on the question of his wife's succession, she goaded him to extreme
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measures, and her rapacity showed itself also in her dealings with the surintendant
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des finances, J. de
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Beaune, baron de Samblancay (d . 1527), who diverted the
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money intended for the French soldiers in Italy into the coffers of the queen, and suffered death in consequence . She died in 1531, and Francis reunited to the
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crown her domains, which comprised the Bourbonnais, Beaujolais,
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Auvergne, la Marche,
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Angoumois, Maine and Anjou . There is extant a Journal of Louise of Savoy, the authenticity of which seems certain . It consists of brief notes—generally very exact and sometimes ironical—which go as far as the
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year 1522 . The only trustworthy text is that published by Guichenon in his Histoire genealogique de la maison de
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Savoie (ed. of 1778-1780, vol. iv.) . See Poesies de Francois I' et de Louise de Savoie ed. by Champollion-
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Figeac (1847); De Maulde, Louise de Savoie et Francois I" (1895); G . Jacqueton, La Politique extirieure de Louise de Savoie .

(1892); H .

Hauser, " Etude critique sur le Journal de Louise de Savoie," in the Revue historique, vol . 86 (1904) .

End of Article: LOUISE OF SAVOY (1476-1531)
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