(1476 - 1531)
It is said of Charles D'Angouleme that by nature he was easy going and had a great love of art and literature; something that he passed on to his children and was later nurtured by Louise herself. Throughout their brief marriage he maintained two mistresses; Antionette De Poliganc, who would become a good friend to his wife; and Jeanne Comte. With Antionette he had two daughters: Jeanne and Madeliene and with Jeanne, one daughter named Souveraine (which translates to 'Supreme Sovereign')
Charles and Louise would have two children: Marguerite, born on April 11, 1492 and Francois, the future King Francois I; born Sept 12, 1494. Her husband died on January 1, 1496; making Louise a widow at the age of only 19; but Charles had named her guardian of all of his children, legitimate and otherwise.
When her uncle died on April 8, 1498; he was succeeded by Louis D'Orleans; who would become King Louis XII; but at the time, Louis had no children; meaning that Louise's own son Francois was then heir presumptive to the throne. Though he was only four, Louise began to prime him for his future role; instilling a thirst for knowlege and appreciation of the arts; as well as a drive toward lofty ambitions.
King Louis XII would later marry the former King's widow; Anne of Brittany, and on October 13, 1499; their daughter Claude was born. Though originally promised in marriage to Charles of Luxembourg; Claude's father would later repudiate the treaty that included this contract, and instead had her betrothed to Louise's son, ensuring that she would one day become Queen of France. On August 3, 1508; Francois was moved permanently to court, preparing for the day that he would become King.
King Louis XII died on New Years Day, 1515; and Francois and Claude, who had been married in May of that year, were now the King and Queen of France. Since he was still quite young and had inherited a precarious kingdom, the first ten years of his reign were spent jockeying for position on the European political stage; and Louise would act as Regent in his absence.
Her contibution to Canadian history took place in 1524, when she helped arrange an expedition by Jean De Verazan to the New World, in search of the elusive Northwest Passage and any treasures that could help offset the country's deficit. I know that her son has been given credit for this, but I have my doubts, since he was busy elsewhere at the time. Also, the owner of Verazan's ship; (the Maquette de La Dauphine) was a close friend of her daughter's. Though his expedition was not really considered successful, he did give Acadia it's Euro name.
Later, when Francois was taken prisoner in 1525 after his defeat at Pavia, Louise wrote to his enemy Charles V; asking that he treat her son well. She then sent her daughter to try to negotiate for his release, and after promising that he would marry Eleanor De Habsburg; the King was allowed to go home. However, he flatly refused to honour the agreement (a chip off the old block), claiming that he had not signed it, and despite the fact that his sons were being held hostage in his place, he stubbornly held out.
Finally, in 1529, Louise renegotiated, resulting in the Paix des Dames (Peace of the Ladies), which was signed by her and Marguerite of Austria on August 3, 1529 This new treaty won her grandsons' release after four years in captivity. This time, Francois could'nt back out and the promised marriage took place on July 6, 1530; though his lifestyle changed little. He rarely saw his wife and spent most of his time in the company of his mistresses.
She may have also been responsible, at least in part, for the problems between her son and Charles De Bourbon. When the young Duke's wife had died without children, Louise felt that the lands and titles should go back to the House of Bourbon; of which she was part; through her mother. The fact that her son was expected to reimburse the Duke for his expenses, which had come from wealth that had been her birthright, would not have met with approval.
Louise De Savoie died on September 22, 1531.
