Charles VIII of France

King of France from 1483 to 1498

Charles VIII of France (June 30, 1470 – April 7, 1498) was the King of France and Charlotte of Savoy. He was the son of Louis XI. He was born on June 30, 1470 in the Chateau d'Amboise, France.

Charles VIII
King of France
Reign30 August 1483 – 7 April 1498
Coronation30 May 1484 (Reims)
PredecessorLouis XI
SuccessorLouis XII
RegentAnne of France (1483–1491)
Born30 June 1470
Château d'Amboise, France
Died7 April 1498(1498-04-07) (aged 27)
Château d'Amboise, France
Burial
Saint Denis Basilica, France (body)
Notre-Dame de Cléry Basilica, Cléry-Saint-André, France (heart)
Spouse
(m. 1491)
Issue
among others...
Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France
Catherine of Valois-Orleans
HouseValois
FatherLouis XI, King of France
MotherCharlotte of Savoy
ReligionRoman Catholicism

Charles became King when aged 13. Because Charles was a minor, his older sister Anne acted as his regent, until he was 21-years-old.

In 1488, Anne, Duchess of Brittany was chosen to be Charles's wife. Anne, who was a wealthy, independent ruler had already agreed to marry Maximillian, the heir to the Austrian throne. To prevent the marriage, France invaded Brittany, and forced Anne to change her mind. Charles and Anne were married in December 1491.

As a king he was both militarily successful and diplomatically clever, and between 1494 and 1498 he completed an invasion of Italy without much opposition.

Although the young king was active and healthy, his children with Anne were not, and all died in infancy. So, when Charles died in an accident in April 1498, his cousin Louis succeeded him as Louis XII.

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