Earlyyears. Francis was the son of Charles de Valois-Orleans, comte d'Angoulerne, and Louise of Savoy. On the accession of his cousin Louis XII in 1498, Francis became heir presumptive and was given the Duchy of Valois. With his sister Marguerite, he was raised by his mother, who had been wid• owed at the age of20 and whom he deeply revered; he knelt whenever he spoke to her. No one had as much power over him as these two women. Idolized, he grew up following his own whims, without discipline and more infatuated with chivalrous romances, songs, and violent exercise than with classical studies. He was greatly admired by the gay, young circle of his mother's cultured court for his athletic build and the elegance of his demeanour and manner . His need for female companions stemmed from this upbringing, as did his lack of realism and his chivalrous imagination. Louis Xll, distrustful of Francis, did not allow him to dabble in affairs of state but sent him off at the age of 18 to the frontiers, which had been attacked in force. There, Francis learned more about warfare and, being of a sensual nature, about the licentious• ness of camp life than about how to govern the state or, even more, to govern himself. Shortly before his death, Louis XI I married him to Claude, his 15-yearold daughter. On Jan. I, 1515, at the age of 20, Francis became king of France.

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