Francis I of France, was born at Cognac, France, on Sept. 12, 1494, and became king on Jan. 1, 1515. His first act was to reconquer Milan. Charles V, Henry VIII and the pope were in alliance against him, driving his troops out of Italy and invading France on the north. Taken prisoner at the battle of Pavia (1525), Francis was kept a year at Madrid, gaining his freedom only by renouncing Flanders, Artois, the duchy of Burgundy and all his Italian possessions. His struggles with Charles V continued until the peace of Crécy or Cressy, 1744. His reign is marked by the Renaissance (the new birth of learning), the beginning of the Protestant Reformation and the strengthening of the power of the monarchy. He fostered learning and art, invited painters and scholars to his kingdom, founded libraries, opened schools and built several of the finest palaces in France; but his persecution of the Vaudois has left a stain on his memory. He died March 31, 1547. See Court and Reign of Francis I by Pardoe and Francis I and His Times by Corgriet.
