French Renaissance Monarchy: Francis I & Henry II (Seminar Studies) [2 ed.] 1138161136, 9781138161139

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French Renaissance Monarchy: Francis I and Henry

French Renaissance Monarchy Francis I and Henry II Second Edition

R. J. Knecht Seminar Studies

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www.routledge.com  an informa business

R. J. Knecht

ISBN 978-0-582-28707-5

FRENCH RENAISSANCE MONARCHY

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French Renaissance Monarchy: Fran cis I and Henry II SECOND EDITION

R.J. KNECHT

~~ ~~o~1~~n~s~~up LONDON AND NEW YORK

First published 1984 by Pearson Education Limited Second edition 1996 Published 2014 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Copyright© 1984, 1996, Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Notices Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary. Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility. To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein. ISBN 13:978-0-582-28707-5 (pbk) British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Knecht, R. J. (Robert Jean) French Renaissance monarchy: Francis I and Henry 11/R. J. Knecht - 2nd ed. p. em. - (Seminar studies in history) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0 582 28707 3 1. Francis I. King of France, 1494-1547. 2. Henry II, King of France, 1519-1559. 3. Monarchy-France-History-16th century. 4. France-Kings and rulers-Influence. 5. Valois. House ofGenealogy. I. Title. II. Series. DC113.K584 1996 944' .028'0922-Dc20 95-34669 CIP Set by 7 in 10112 Sa bon

CONTENTS

Editorial foreword Note on referencing system Acknowledgements Preface to the second edition Map

Vll V111 V111

IX X

PART ONE: THE BACKGROUND 1.

THE KINGDOM OF FRANCE

2.

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM

1 12

PART TWO: ANALYSIS

3.

THE MONARCHS: FRANCIS I AND HENRY II

24

4.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Italian Wars Valois-Habsburg rivalry

30 30 33

5.

THE SINEWS OF WAR

47

6.

THE CHALLENGE OF HERESY The problem of definition The growth of persecution

59 59 67

7.

THE KINGS AS PATRONS The royal court Francis I and Henry II as builders Francis I and Henry II as art patrons Literary patronage

73 73 76 80 83

PART THREE: ASSESSMENT

8.

FRENCH RENAISSANCE MONARCHY: 'POPULAR' OR 'ABSOLUTE'?

86

v1

Contents

PART FOUR: DOCUMENTS Genealogy: The House of Valois Glossary Bibliography Index

97

120 122 128 134

EDITORIAL FOREWORD

Such is the pace of historical enquiry in the modern world that there is an ever-widening gap between the specialist article or monograph, incorporating the results of current research, and general surveys, which inevitably become out of date. Seminar Studies in History are designed to bridge this gap. The books are written by experts in their field who are not only familiar with the latest research but have often contributed to it. They are frequently revised, in order to take account of new information and interpretations. They provide a selection of documents to illustrate major themes and provoke discussion, and also a guide to further reading. Their aim is to clarify complex issues without over-simplifying them, and to stimulate readers into deepening their knowledge and understanding of major themes and topics.

NOTE ON REFERENCING SYSTEM

Readers should note that numbers in square brackets [5] refer them to the corresponding entry in the Bibliography at the end of the book (specific page references are given in italic). A number in square brackets preceded by Doc. [Doc. 5] refers readers to the corresponding item in the Documents section which follows the main text. Words asterisked at first occurrence are defined in the Glossary.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The publishers would like to thank the following for permission to reproduce copyright material: Academie des Sciences Morales et Politiques for extracts from Ordonnances des Rois de France: Regne de Francois Ier 1936 and 1941 Vol V pp. 81-3 and Vol VII pp. 248-51; Yale University Press for an extract from The Monarchy of France by Claude de Seyssel, translated by J. H. Hexter, edited by D. R. Kelley, 1981; Phaidon Press Ltd for an extract from p. 125 of The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini edited and abridged by Charles Hope published in 1983.

PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION

In revising this book, I have taken note of important research done over the past decade. The chapter on the Sinews of War has been completely rewritten and that on the Kings as Patrons is new. A document has been added to illustrate this new chapter. The bibliography has been brought up to date. Birmingham, 1995

R.J.K.

X

MAP

•

0

Towns with a Parlement Areas annexed to kingdom under Francis I and Henry II Present frontier of France Frontier of France in 1515

0

0

France 1515-59

150m 200km

PART ONE: THE BACKGROUND 1 THE KINGDOM OF FRANCE

In 1515, when Francis I became king, France was still not a fully developed nation state. Signs of a national consciousness can be found in the writings of some contemporary scholars and also at a more popular level, yet France lacked well-defined frontiers, a common language and a unified legal system. Her eastern border was so blurred in places that some villagers living near it did not know whether they belonged to France or the Holy Roman Empire, a confusion which they happily exploited by evading taxes and the law. In so far as a frontier existed at all, it followed roughly the rivers Scheidt, Meuse, Saone and Rhone from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. People living west of this line were vassals of the French king; those to the east were subject to the emperor. French suzerainty over Artois and Flanders, however, was purely nominal, effective control of these areas having passed to the house of Burgundy. Further east, the frontier cut through the duchy of Bar, whose ruler, the duke of Lorraine, did homage for one half to the king of France, and for the other to the emperor. In the south, Dauphine and Provence were still not regarded as integral parts of the kingdom, as they were situated east of the Rhone: the king was obeyed as dauphin in the one and as count in the other. The south-west border of France more or less followed the Pyrenees, avoiding Roussillon, which belonged to Aragon, and the small kingdom of Navarre, ruled by the house of Albret. Within France, there were three foreign enclaves: Calais, which belonged to England, the Comtat-Venaissin, which belonged to the papacy, and the principality of Orange, which belonged to the house of Chalon. A few great fiefs also survived, notably the duchy of Brittany and the large Bourbon demesne in central France. Linguistically, too, France was not fully unified by the start of the sixteenth century. Modern French is descended from langue d'oi'l*, a dialect spoken in northern France during the Middle Ages; in the • Asterisked words are explained in the Glossary on p. 122

2

The Background

south langue d'oc* was used. After 1450, however, as the French monarchy asserted its authority, following the expulsion of the English from Gascony, the langue d'oi1 began to make deep inroads in the south. The Parlements* of Toulouse, Bordeaux and Aix used it, and southern noblemen who took up offices at court adopted it. They continued to speak it when they returned home and communicated the habit to their servants. By 1515 the expansion of the French language southward was in full swing: only Gascony, Provence and a few smaller areas needed to be won over. Another area where unification was less than complete at the end of the Middle Ages was the law. During the medieval period each province, often each locality, had its own set of customs. Broadly speaking, Roman law prevailed in the south, while customary law held sway in the north, but patches of customary law existed in the south and Roman law penetrated the north to a limited extent. For a long time customs were fixed by practice only: this made for flexibility, but also uncertainty. From the twelfth century, therefore, charters were drawn up listing the customs of individual lordships or towns. The first serious attempt at a more general codification was made by Charles VII (1403-61), but there was no general progress till Charles VIII set up a commission in 1497. It was under Louis XII (1462-1515) that codification really got under way and the process continued under Francis I. During the first half of the sixteenth century France underwent a number of territorial changes. In the north-east, the town of Metz and the bishoprics of Toul and Verdun were occupied by France in 1552 and thereafter remained under the 'protection' of her king [123]. The duchy of Savoy was occupied militarily by the French from 1535 until 1559. Calais was permanently wrested from the English in 1558. But these gains have to be offset against certain losses. Thus under the peace of Madrid (1525), as subsequently confirmed by the treaties of Cambrai (1529) and Crepy (1544), France lost her rights over Flanders, Artois and Tournaisis - territories situated between the Scheidt and the North Sea. Within the kingdom, the process of unification was advanced in the first half of the sixteenth century by the annexation of the duchy of Brittany and the absorption of the Bourbon demesne. It is often assumed that Brittany became part of France in 1491 as a result of the marriage between King Charles VIII and the duchess Anne. Actually, it was not until 1532 that the duchy was formally attached to the French kingdom. In 1515 Francis I had persuaded his first wife, Claude, who had inherited the duchy from Anne, her mother,

The Kingdom of France

3

to give him its administration. Thus ever since 1515 Brittany had been ruled by the king in the right of his wife. Then, in 1524, shortly before her death, Claude made a will bequeathing the duchy to her eldest son, Fran