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Louis XI: The Universal Spider
The enthralling and little-known story of the ugly, fat, paranoid, and ruthless king known as "the universal spider" for his incessant machinations. In the year Louis XI was born, just after the 100 Years' War, England still ruled much of France. Unifying the land became his idée fixe, and through Louis' wiliness, network of spies, and willingness to forge alliances when needed, he succeeded in pulling the country out of anarchy and achieving his goal.
640 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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About the author
Paul Murray Kendall
21 books23 followersPaul Murray Kendall was an American academic and historian. A 1928 graduate from Frankford High School, Kendall studied at the University of Virginia, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1932, and master's in 1933. In 1937, while studying for a Ph.D, he became an instructor in English at the Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1939, and continued as professor at Ohio University until his retirement in 1970, after which he served as head of the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Kansas.
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November 5, 2019
First let me point out that the GR blurb* for this book is incorrect. Louis XI was born during the Hundred Years' War with France. He was born in 1423 which was prior to the great battle of Verneuil in 1424 and the siege of Orléans years later (as a child he met Joan of Arc). In fact the war lasted until 1453 when he was an adult. However, his reasonably long reign started after the end of the war in 1461.
Paul Murray Kendall states in the preface that he had laboured for thirteen years over this biography. It proved to be worth the effort. PMK also mentions that fortunately Louis's life is very well documented. From the pages of this excellent biography emerges a very interesting person.
From an early age Louis had a very problematic relationship with his father, Charles VII of France. They had very different personalities, and they clashed almost continuously. Charles VII of France may after all have been the legitimate son of Charles VI, but he certainly seemed to have been a bastard in the other sense of the word - to his son the Dauphin Louis, in any case.
Louis had a very simple, unpretentious upbringing, and later in life he continued to live that way. He tended to wear simple clothing and he spent a lot of time on the road, during which time he worked and hunted. He loved animals and he took his menagerie of horses, birds and dogs with him wherever he travelled, and he was regarded as a dog connoisseur. He was disdainful of dandies, he "made fun of the pomposities of priests", and he "gibed at ambassadorial suavities". It is quite amusing to compare him with the impressively turned out Duke of Burgundy with whom he sought refuge from his father. This was the Duke at Louis's coronation:
He was parsimonious, probably due to the manner in which he had to eke out a living when he was young, but he rewarded others well. Loyal himself, he demanded strict loyalty from others. Louis had a knack for defusing volatile situations and for extricating himself from perilous plights. In fact, Louis's sharp (and often devious) mind seemed to work best when he was cornered or his resources were stretched.
He was not in favour of jousting. His view was that while nobles were jousting the English were pillaging. Regarding the English, Louis managed to meddle in both sides of the Wars of the Roses. First he negotiated with Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, who acted for the Yorkists, and then later he sheltered Margaret of Anjou, the erstwhile Lancastrian Queen of England, and encouraged her to "infiltrate agents into England". Before long Yorkist King Edward IV of England invaded France but Louis once again managed to wheel and deal and soon a treaty was signed by which Edward would receive seventy-five thousand crowns in cash to leave with his army and return to England. There were other conditions including an annual subsidy to be paid to the English, but deal done and much dining and wining to follow. In addition the five year old dauphin was betrothed to Princess Elizabeth of York. Later Louis quite simply married the dauphin off to someone else.
He was also unconventional in the manner in which he governed, and he seriously annoyed several of the nobles to the extent of revolt. There is a thrilling account of the battle at Montlhéry, and I laughed out loud when I read how he negotiated with the members of the League of the Public Weal and brought them to his will. He conceded territory to some of them, and then he watched the lords of Brittany and Normandy fight like dogs over a bone. Within two months he recouped half of that territory. Soon "The League of Public Weal was no more." Louis could always be relied on to do the unexpected.
I have barely scratched the surface of what this fascinating biography offers and of the webs that Louis spun.
*"In the year Louis XI was born, just after the 100 Years' War, England still ruled much of France."
Paul Murray Kendall states in the preface that he had laboured for thirteen years over this biography. It proved to be worth the effort. PMK also mentions that fortunately Louis's life is very well documented. From the pages of this excellent biography emerges a very interesting person.
From an early age Louis had a very problematic relationship with his father, Charles VII of France. They had very different personalities, and they clashed almost continuously. Charles VII of France may after all have been the legitimate son of Charles VI, but he certainly seemed to have been a bastard in the other sense of the word - to his son the Dauphin Louis, in any case.
Louis had a very simple, unpretentious upbringing, and later in life he continued to live that way. He tended to wear simple clothing and he spent a lot of time on the road, during which time he worked and hunted. He loved animals and he took his menagerie of horses, birds and dogs with him wherever he travelled, and he was regarded as a dog connoisseur. He was disdainful of dandies, he "made fun of the pomposities of priests", and he "gibed at ambassadorial suavities". It is quite amusing to compare him with the impressively turned out Duke of Burgundy with whom he sought refuge from his father. This was the Duke at Louis's coronation:
"Then came an imperial figure, the lord of pageantry, mounted on a horse trapped in black satin crusted with gold and gems - the Duke of Burgundy, in a black velvet cloak winking with rubies and diamonds and pearls. The jaunty brim of his hat displayed an array of precious stones reported to be worth 400,000 crowns; and on a helmet borne ceremoniously after him flashed the Ruby of Flanders,..."Fortunately Louis also dressed up for that occasion. And another time:
"As the splendid Duke of Burgundy and his meanly dressed companion passed through the village street lined with onlookers, bewildered queries rose on the air. "Where's the King? Which one is he? That one?" When the villagers realized that "that one" was indeed the King, they could not conceal their astonishment."Louis was non-conformist and eschewed pomp and ceremony.
He was parsimonious, probably due to the manner in which he had to eke out a living when he was young, but he rewarded others well. Loyal himself, he demanded strict loyalty from others. Louis had a knack for defusing volatile situations and for extricating himself from perilous plights. In fact, Louis's sharp (and often devious) mind seemed to work best when he was cornered or his resources were stretched.
He was not in favour of jousting. His view was that while nobles were jousting the English were pillaging. Regarding the English, Louis managed to meddle in both sides of the Wars of the Roses. First he negotiated with Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, who acted for the Yorkists, and then later he sheltered Margaret of Anjou, the erstwhile Lancastrian Queen of England, and encouraged her to "infiltrate agents into England". Before long Yorkist King Edward IV of England invaded France but Louis once again managed to wheel and deal and soon a treaty was signed by which Edward would receive seventy-five thousand crowns in cash to leave with his army and return to England. There were other conditions including an annual subsidy to be paid to the English, but deal done and much dining and wining to follow. In addition the five year old dauphin was betrothed to Princess Elizabeth of York. Later Louis quite simply married the dauphin off to someone else.
He was also unconventional in the manner in which he governed, and he seriously annoyed several of the nobles to the extent of revolt. There is a thrilling account of the battle at Montlhéry, and I laughed out loud when I read how he negotiated with the members of the League of the Public Weal and brought them to his will. He conceded territory to some of them, and then he watched the lords of Brittany and Normandy fight like dogs over a bone. Within two months he recouped half of that territory. Soon "The League of Public Weal was no more." Louis could always be relied on to do the unexpected.
I have barely scratched the surface of what this fascinating biography offers and of the webs that Louis spun.
"He came to the throne of a feudal realm racked for a century by invasions, civil strife, popular upheavals, princely ineptitude, plague. He handed on to his successors a national monarchy. To the twentieth century, perhaps his most startling accomplishment is that, as a means of destroying the mortal enemy of his crown, he invented cold war."Not for nothing is he called "The Universal Spider". Highly recommended.
*"In the year Louis XI was born, just after the 100 Years' War, England still ruled much of France."
November 7, 2025
Historian Paul Murray Kendall Chronicles The Life & Reign Of France's Sixth Valois Monarch, King Louis XI 'The Prudent'.
In his preface to Louis XI: The Universal Spider, historian Paul Murray Kendall acknowledges the tremendous debt owed to his friends & colleagues while composing it : "Having labored on this biography for some thirteen years, I have accumulated so many debts to scholars, associates, friends, staffs of libraries & archives in the United States, Britain, France, & Italy, that I am forced to compress in one inadequate expression of gratitude my appreciation for invariably helpful & sometimes invaluable counsel." The present volume is considered part of a rehabilitation movement for the French monarch in the early 1970's. Paul Murray Kendall was an American historian who lived from 1911-1973 & taught as an instructor at Ohio University & the University of Kansas. He authored a number of books, including Richard III, which is considered his magnum opus, as well as Warwick the Kingmaker & The Yorkist Age: Daily Life During the Wars of the Roses.
This 1986 reprint edition of Paul Murray Kendall's 1971 The Universal Spider is published by W.W. Norton & Company & features a 375 page main text that is split into 2 books & divided into 25 chapters. There is an additional 10 page section devoted to appendices, a simplified genealogical chart depicting the royal House of France which begins with the male children of John II 'the Good', a list of European rulers & principal lords, & 57 pages of expanded notes that are spoken of highly by the author, in his preface: "The notes, in truth, are portions of the narrative which limitation of space forced me to retire from the biography proper but which I could not bear to part with." Also included are detailed maps of France in the fifteenth century, Picardy & the Somme Towns, & a tactical battle map of the Battle of Montléry.
The French king Louis XI, called 'the Prudent', was born on 3 July 1423 to King Charles VII 'the Victorious' & his wife, Queen Marie of Anjou. He ruled France for 22 years, from 1461 - 1483, & his reign was characterized by his well-orchestrated plots & ceaseless intriguing -- his vast networks of spies & informants were renowned throughout Europe -- making him one of the most quintessentially Machiavellian rulers ever to have lived. Though highly unpopular amongst his subjects, Louis was nonetheless a tireless workhorse who constantly strove to improve the quality & position of the French monarchy, & few sovereigns can approach the impressive list of accomplishments he achieved during his time in power. Although his methods were often ruthless & underhanded, he was an extremely effective statesman. Kendall aptly describes his character in the following excerpt : "..he was a creator rather than an organizer, partly because he saw the art of government as an extension of his own mind, & partly because, struggling with a recalcitrant cast of players, he barely had the time to act out his new drama & no time at all to write the script."
In the prologue Kendall discusses the decline of feudalism & the rise of the merchant guilds & the middle class, the bourgeoisie, in French society. France during the fifteenth century was dominated by influential barons & dukes who paid, in the author's words, only nominal "homage by courtesy" to the crown. The French territories under Louis' direct control included Normandy, Île de France, & Champagne in the north; Touraine, Poitou, & Saintonge in the center; & Guienne, Languedoc & Dauphiné in the south, with many of the powerful feudal potentates controlling wealthy, semi-independent domains such as the Duchies of Burgundy & Brittany & the provinces of Maine & Anjou. The reduction of feudalism was in Louis' best interests as it diminished the dukes' powerbase & provided opportunities for commoners & former serfs, & Louis was known for elevating men of low standing & placing them in key positions to keep his nobles in check & ensuring that the political scene in France essentially revolved around his decisions. Kendall summarizes this concept in the following passage: "Whatever the King did was important; what manner of ruler he was, all important. Today we choose to hope that our history is essentially determined by mass movements, trends of thought, economic imperatives, social illuminations, the people participating in its destiny. In the fifteenth century, a savage or weak or foolish King could be an international disaster; a great king brightened the lives of millions. Justice was the King's justice; war or peace was the King's cause; & the King's justice, the King's cause, was the King." Louis XI's extant written correspondence clearly demonstrates he possessed a penchant for clever wordplay & droll sarcasm, & Paul Murray Kendall's colorful writing is rife with deft eloquence & tasteful, humorous anecdotes that aptly mirror the abilities of his monograph's subject.
In Chapter 2, The Filial Son, Kendall discusses Louis' early adventures (& misadventures) while trying to find his place in his father's favorite-driven court. As the 15 year-old crown prince, the Dauphin, Louis puts his diplomatic skills to the test when he travels to Toulouse to stamp out a group of French brigands, the Écorcheurs, who had conquered a cluster of towns & holdfasts in the area. He meets with the local lord, the Count of Foix, & manages to convince him to lend financial assistance to his cause after a series of persuasive encounters where he flatters & fêtes the count into acquiescing to his demands, & is subsequently able to purchase the outlaws' withdrawal from the region, also garnering the jealousy of his father, King Charles VII 'the Victorious'. Kendall's narrative has a flair for dramatic, flowery speech & elaborate metaphors which makes his book very enjoyable to experience --- his writing style here is somewhere in between E.R. Chamberlin's stylized prose & a more traditional modern scholarly study, & is a refreshing change of pace for readers who are looking for something other than a dry, academic monograph.
The French nobles' rebellion which took place in 1340 was known as the Praguerie, due to the similar civil unrest occurring at that time in Bohemia, & it consisted of a dispirited pair of powerful lords - Charles de Bourbon & Duke John of Alençon - who sought to diminish the power of King Charles VII by utilizing the young Dauphin Louis as a figurehead while they became the de facto leaders of the government. The armed contingents of the dukes raised in Poitou, Berry & Touraine were to ambush the king & take him under their supervision, where he would be under the 'tutelage' of Louis, who would in turn, be their instrument while they made the major decisions in matters of state. The attempt to capture Charles at Touraine was botched, however, & the king & his troops escaped to confront Louis & Duke John at Niort, after which a summit meeting was held at Clermont. Although the Dukes of Bourbon & Alençon attempt to convince the king to award Louis control of Dauphiné & the governments of Languedoc & Île de France, Louis leaves the conference with only partial control of Dauphiné & the acquisition of some minor holdings.
In Chapter 3, The Prince of Cutthroats, Louis is dispatched on a mission to aid the Emperor of the Germanies & the Duke of Austria against the incursions of the Swiss Confederation, who had laid siege to Zurich & would soon follow suit on the town of Farnesbourg. Louis commanded a large force of mercenary Écorcheurs, now in his employ, from his base of operations at the city of Langres. Langres was 130 miles from his ultimate objective, an imperial city called Bâle which had allied with the Swiss, & needed to be conquered to ensure the empire's continued control of the region. Upon engaging the Confederation force of Swiss pikemen & halberdiers at Bâle the Dauphin split his army into separate contingents in an attempt to mislead his enemy & to lure the citizens into sending a detachment of reinforcements to aid their allies. The result is a Pyrrhic victory for the French, who wipe out the Swiss force of 2,500 troops at the terrible cost of 4,000 Écorcheurs. The diplomatic playing field soon changes for the young Louis, however, when the Emperor shows no willingness to live up to his promise of placing a group of towns in the Duke of Austria's Haute-Alsace region under French control, & the Dauphin is soon negotiating another treaty with his erstwhile foes, the Swiss, & planning his own incursions on the Alsatian towns.
In Chapter 11, Heavy Heart, the revolt of the Spanish province of Catalonia from its liege lord, King John II of Aragon, presents the newly-coronated King Louis with a golden opportunity to gain an international ally while acquiring new territory early on during the spring of his rule. In exchange for a fee of 200,000 crowns & the Catalan provinces of Roussillon & Cerdagne, Louis promises to provide John with the military aid which was required to suppress the rebellion. The Catalans then approach John's rival, King Henry IV of Castille, asking to be placed under his rule, but Louis purchases Henry's non-intervention & ends up gaining control of the two territories in 1463, which sets an appropriately grandiose precedent for the early reign of the now-40 year-old French monarch. Kendall is adept at explaining these brief, almost anecdotal sequences of diplomacy & subterfuge, managing to make them compelling to the reader as well as including a wealth of fascinating scholarly information. His skill as a writer is undeniable.
Overall, Paul Murray Kendall's The Universal Spider is an informative, enjoyable read -- the book is composed in an old-fashioned style of florid prose & eloquent, narrative digressions commonly found in the writing of early 20-century scholars such as Cecilia M. Ady & D.M. Bueno de Mesquita. Many of the author's flowery descriptions, thought-provoking similes, & descriptive metaphors stand out due to their high level of polish -- this study took over a decade to complete -- & the results speak for themselves. Louis XI possessed an infinitely subtle & nuanced personality; his intricate plots & webs of intrigue were so multi-faceted that his enemies often never knew they had been ensnared until it was too late & the trap had been sprung. But he also possessed a coarseness to his character that was unapologetically plain -- his early upbringing at Loches & his aversion to the nobility led Louis to be more comfortable with commoners than his own kind, & he would regularly dine & converse with the working class. He often eschewed royal protocol when meeting with his lords, preferring to treat them with a degree of familiarity they undoubtedly felt honored to receive. The author aptly describes his personality in Chapter 5, The Emperor of Dauphiné: "If he was too ambitious to call himself contented & too saturated in his passion for statecraft to be satisfied with repose, he nonetheless possessed a talent for simple pleasures, he enjoyed exercising his enormous curiosity, & he found the texture of life infinitely interesting. He was already famous as a tireless horseman, wearing out his entourage in endless cavalcades. He ate & drank heartily; he loved to talk, & he also knew how to listen." Readers who are curious to learn about another French monarch from this period may enjoy Professor Frederic J. Baumgartner's slightly-more scholarly biography, Louis XII, & those seeking historical studies written in a style similar to Kendall's need go no further than Cecilia M. Ady's The Bentivoglio of Bologna & A History of Milan Under the Sforza, as well as D.M. Bueno de Mesquita's Giangaleazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan 1351-1402. Thank you so very much for reading, I hope that you enjoyed the review!
In his preface to Louis XI: The Universal Spider, historian Paul Murray Kendall acknowledges the tremendous debt owed to his friends & colleagues while composing it : "Having labored on this biography for some thirteen years, I have accumulated so many debts to scholars, associates, friends, staffs of libraries & archives in the United States, Britain, France, & Italy, that I am forced to compress in one inadequate expression of gratitude my appreciation for invariably helpful & sometimes invaluable counsel." The present volume is considered part of a rehabilitation movement for the French monarch in the early 1970's. Paul Murray Kendall was an American historian who lived from 1911-1973 & taught as an instructor at Ohio University & the University of Kansas. He authored a number of books, including Richard III, which is considered his magnum opus, as well as Warwick the Kingmaker & The Yorkist Age: Daily Life During the Wars of the Roses.
This 1986 reprint edition of Paul Murray Kendall's 1971 The Universal Spider is published by W.W. Norton & Company & features a 375 page main text that is split into 2 books & divided into 25 chapters. There is an additional 10 page section devoted to appendices, a simplified genealogical chart depicting the royal House of France which begins with the male children of John II 'the Good', a list of European rulers & principal lords, & 57 pages of expanded notes that are spoken of highly by the author, in his preface: "The notes, in truth, are portions of the narrative which limitation of space forced me to retire from the biography proper but which I could not bear to part with." Also included are detailed maps of France in the fifteenth century, Picardy & the Somme Towns, & a tactical battle map of the Battle of Montléry.
The French king Louis XI, called 'the Prudent', was born on 3 July 1423 to King Charles VII 'the Victorious' & his wife, Queen Marie of Anjou. He ruled France for 22 years, from 1461 - 1483, & his reign was characterized by his well-orchestrated plots & ceaseless intriguing -- his vast networks of spies & informants were renowned throughout Europe -- making him one of the most quintessentially Machiavellian rulers ever to have lived. Though highly unpopular amongst his subjects, Louis was nonetheless a tireless workhorse who constantly strove to improve the quality & position of the French monarchy, & few sovereigns can approach the impressive list of accomplishments he achieved during his time in power. Although his methods were often ruthless & underhanded, he was an extremely effective statesman. Kendall aptly describes his character in the following excerpt : "..he was a creator rather than an organizer, partly because he saw the art of government as an extension of his own mind, & partly because, struggling with a recalcitrant cast of players, he barely had the time to act out his new drama & no time at all to write the script."
In the prologue Kendall discusses the decline of feudalism & the rise of the merchant guilds & the middle class, the bourgeoisie, in French society. France during the fifteenth century was dominated by influential barons & dukes who paid, in the author's words, only nominal "homage by courtesy" to the crown. The French territories under Louis' direct control included Normandy, Île de France, & Champagne in the north; Touraine, Poitou, & Saintonge in the center; & Guienne, Languedoc & Dauphiné in the south, with many of the powerful feudal potentates controlling wealthy, semi-independent domains such as the Duchies of Burgundy & Brittany & the provinces of Maine & Anjou. The reduction of feudalism was in Louis' best interests as it diminished the dukes' powerbase & provided opportunities for commoners & former serfs, & Louis was known for elevating men of low standing & placing them in key positions to keep his nobles in check & ensuring that the political scene in France essentially revolved around his decisions. Kendall summarizes this concept in the following passage: "Whatever the King did was important; what manner of ruler he was, all important. Today we choose to hope that our history is essentially determined by mass movements, trends of thought, economic imperatives, social illuminations, the people participating in its destiny. In the fifteenth century, a savage or weak or foolish King could be an international disaster; a great king brightened the lives of millions. Justice was the King's justice; war or peace was the King's cause; & the King's justice, the King's cause, was the King." Louis XI's extant written correspondence clearly demonstrates he possessed a penchant for clever wordplay & droll sarcasm, & Paul Murray Kendall's colorful writing is rife with deft eloquence & tasteful, humorous anecdotes that aptly mirror the abilities of his monograph's subject.
In Chapter 2, The Filial Son, Kendall discusses Louis' early adventures (& misadventures) while trying to find his place in his father's favorite-driven court. As the 15 year-old crown prince, the Dauphin, Louis puts his diplomatic skills to the test when he travels to Toulouse to stamp out a group of French brigands, the Écorcheurs, who had conquered a cluster of towns & holdfasts in the area. He meets with the local lord, the Count of Foix, & manages to convince him to lend financial assistance to his cause after a series of persuasive encounters where he flatters & fêtes the count into acquiescing to his demands, & is subsequently able to purchase the outlaws' withdrawal from the region, also garnering the jealousy of his father, King Charles VII 'the Victorious'. Kendall's narrative has a flair for dramatic, flowery speech & elaborate metaphors which makes his book very enjoyable to experience --- his writing style here is somewhere in between E.R. Chamberlin's stylized prose & a more traditional modern scholarly study, & is a refreshing change of pace for readers who are looking for something other than a dry, academic monograph.
The French nobles' rebellion which took place in 1340 was known as the Praguerie, due to the similar civil unrest occurring at that time in Bohemia, & it consisted of a dispirited pair of powerful lords - Charles de Bourbon & Duke John of Alençon - who sought to diminish the power of King Charles VII by utilizing the young Dauphin Louis as a figurehead while they became the de facto leaders of the government. The armed contingents of the dukes raised in Poitou, Berry & Touraine were to ambush the king & take him under their supervision, where he would be under the 'tutelage' of Louis, who would in turn, be their instrument while they made the major decisions in matters of state. The attempt to capture Charles at Touraine was botched, however, & the king & his troops escaped to confront Louis & Duke John at Niort, after which a summit meeting was held at Clermont. Although the Dukes of Bourbon & Alençon attempt to convince the king to award Louis control of Dauphiné & the governments of Languedoc & Île de France, Louis leaves the conference with only partial control of Dauphiné & the acquisition of some minor holdings.
In Chapter 3, The Prince of Cutthroats, Louis is dispatched on a mission to aid the Emperor of the Germanies & the Duke of Austria against the incursions of the Swiss Confederation, who had laid siege to Zurich & would soon follow suit on the town of Farnesbourg. Louis commanded a large force of mercenary Écorcheurs, now in his employ, from his base of operations at the city of Langres. Langres was 130 miles from his ultimate objective, an imperial city called Bâle which had allied with the Swiss, & needed to be conquered to ensure the empire's continued control of the region. Upon engaging the Confederation force of Swiss pikemen & halberdiers at Bâle the Dauphin split his army into separate contingents in an attempt to mislead his enemy & to lure the citizens into sending a detachment of reinforcements to aid their allies. The result is a Pyrrhic victory for the French, who wipe out the Swiss force of 2,500 troops at the terrible cost of 4,000 Écorcheurs. The diplomatic playing field soon changes for the young Louis, however, when the Emperor shows no willingness to live up to his promise of placing a group of towns in the Duke of Austria's Haute-Alsace region under French control, & the Dauphin is soon negotiating another treaty with his erstwhile foes, the Swiss, & planning his own incursions on the Alsatian towns.
In Chapter 11, Heavy Heart, the revolt of the Spanish province of Catalonia from its liege lord, King John II of Aragon, presents the newly-coronated King Louis with a golden opportunity to gain an international ally while acquiring new territory early on during the spring of his rule. In exchange for a fee of 200,000 crowns & the Catalan provinces of Roussillon & Cerdagne, Louis promises to provide John with the military aid which was required to suppress the rebellion. The Catalans then approach John's rival, King Henry IV of Castille, asking to be placed under his rule, but Louis purchases Henry's non-intervention & ends up gaining control of the two territories in 1463, which sets an appropriately grandiose precedent for the early reign of the now-40 year-old French monarch. Kendall is adept at explaining these brief, almost anecdotal sequences of diplomacy & subterfuge, managing to make them compelling to the reader as well as including a wealth of fascinating scholarly information. His skill as a writer is undeniable.
Overall, Paul Murray Kendall's The Universal Spider is an informative, enjoyable read -- the book is composed in an old-fashioned style of florid prose & eloquent, narrative digressions commonly found in the writing of early 20-century scholars such as Cecilia M. Ady & D.M. Bueno de Mesquita. Many of the author's flowery descriptions, thought-provoking similes, & descriptive metaphors stand out due to their high level of polish -- this study took over a decade to complete -- & the results speak for themselves. Louis XI possessed an infinitely subtle & nuanced personality; his intricate plots & webs of intrigue were so multi-faceted that his enemies often never knew they had been ensnared until it was too late & the trap had been sprung. But he also possessed a coarseness to his character that was unapologetically plain -- his early upbringing at Loches & his aversion to the nobility led Louis to be more comfortable with commoners than his own kind, & he would regularly dine & converse with the working class. He often eschewed royal protocol when meeting with his lords, preferring to treat them with a degree of familiarity they undoubtedly felt honored to receive. The author aptly describes his personality in Chapter 5, The Emperor of Dauphiné: "If he was too ambitious to call himself contented & too saturated in his passion for statecraft to be satisfied with repose, he nonetheless possessed a talent for simple pleasures, he enjoyed exercising his enormous curiosity, & he found the texture of life infinitely interesting. He was already famous as a tireless horseman, wearing out his entourage in endless cavalcades. He ate & drank heartily; he loved to talk, & he also knew how to listen." Readers who are curious to learn about another French monarch from this period may enjoy Professor Frederic J. Baumgartner's slightly-more scholarly biography, Louis XII, & those seeking historical studies written in a style similar to Kendall's need go no further than Cecilia M. Ady's The Bentivoglio of Bologna & A History of Milan Under the Sforza, as well as D.M. Bueno de Mesquita's Giangaleazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan 1351-1402. Thank you so very much for reading, I hope that you enjoyed the review!
January 31, 2019
French King Louis Xl, a complicated, and intelligent man was driven by pure hate for his father. He was a good king in many ways but a utter failure as a human being. Part of the reason was his understandable lack of trust in other people; he was shipped off as a child, spent his early years in isolation, forced to marry at 13 and then plotted against by his “loved ones.” The author, Paul Murray Kendall has written an excellent, well-researched book on his life “Louis Xl, the Universal Spider” which brought some light to this reader's understanding of how profound King Louis Xl was to world history.
Despite his profound cruelty and desire to mentally outwit the entire court, King Louis Xl made some very wise and thoughtful decisions. But he was secretive to the point that he once declared, "If I thought my own cap knew my secrets, I would throw it into the fire.” The great historian of his time (Philippe de Commynes) says: "Of all the princes that I ever knew, the wisest and the most dexterous to extricate himself out of any danger or difficulty in time of adversity was our master, King Louis XI."
He made many lifelong aristocratic enemies, in part because he defeated feudal system itself, which was the predominant form of society in all Europe. The entire European courts were outraged that he managed to did this so skillfully right under their noses He bankrupted the elite and created new industries by making new trade deals with other countries . He did not take advice from anyone but himself although he pretended to seek council to appease people. When King Louis died, after a twenty-two year rule, he had made France a stronger and richer country. But most importantly he changed the face of Europe.
The author, Mr. Kendal, spent 13 years researching this classic book and it is a must read to anyone who wants to understand European history. Highly recommended. Four stars.
Despite his profound cruelty and desire to mentally outwit the entire court, King Louis Xl made some very wise and thoughtful decisions. But he was secretive to the point that he once declared, "If I thought my own cap knew my secrets, I would throw it into the fire.” The great historian of his time (Philippe de Commynes) says: "Of all the princes that I ever knew, the wisest and the most dexterous to extricate himself out of any danger or difficulty in time of adversity was our master, King Louis XI."
He made many lifelong aristocratic enemies, in part because he defeated feudal system itself, which was the predominant form of society in all Europe. The entire European courts were outraged that he managed to did this so skillfully right under their noses He bankrupted the elite and created new industries by making new trade deals with other countries . He did not take advice from anyone but himself although he pretended to seek council to appease people. When King Louis died, after a twenty-two year rule, he had made France a stronger and richer country. But most importantly he changed the face of Europe.
The author, Mr. Kendal, spent 13 years researching this classic book and it is a must read to anyone who wants to understand European history. Highly recommended. Four stars.
May 26, 2009
One of the best history books I've read. 15th Century France & England strike you as "Medieval" with guys running around in armour and Chivalry, etc., but they had a real Renaissance mindset. The challenge of dealing with the unconquered Edward IV in England and Charles the Bold of Burgundy are a fascinating story. Louis XI wins out in the end, and re-creates the map of Europe! What a great story, and no one knows it. The French think of him as a Gothic Dracula-type figure who tortured his victims and ran a cruel police state. He gets little recognition for having finally ended the threat of the 100 Years War, which appeared at times to have completely annihilated the kingdom of France.
October 26, 2009
I really liked this. Louis XI isn't well known at all nowadays but he was such a great leader for France and all of Europe at a time when everything was changing: culture, politics, security and the means for furthering and maintaining these things as well. He saw far ahead what was needed and took slow careful steps in those directions in a world of complete upheaval without worrying about being 'popular' or for most of his life, even well dressed. Not only would he wear the coarsest of common clothes, but spent much of his time when he could hunting in the wild by himself all over France, for instance. He would ride into a small town and ask for dinner at the simplest inn, dine alone and leave before anyone would know who he was. He would conduct negotiations between countries only when he knew he would get the outcome he wanted, meanwhile working strings behind the scenes, winning over advisors for the opposite camp thru direct personal intervention. He quickly realised the king of England loved to spend money, so found a way to force Edward IV into accepting a huge 'ransome' so as not to fight, 'this time' thereby making Edward dependent on him for that money and stayed out of England's famous 'Wars of the Roses'. Louis knew so long as the money kept coming Edward would spend his time fighting elsewhere, so as not to worry about France and Louis could turn to quelling his own hothead cousin Charles Duke of Burgundy. In the end, Louis overcame them all and consolidated France to it's farthest extent ever and left the stores full and prosperous markets as well and more secure in its defenses and treaties than France had ever really known. He met Joan of Arc as a child, managed to avoid battle with Maximillian, became lifelong friends with Francesco Sforza and Lorenzo de Medici. A generation later, Macchiavelli would write about statecraft with such a clear-eyed view to the motivations of people, and how to work them, you'd think for sure he took lessons from Louis XI.
The author knows all the maddening details of this time so well that he is able to make it real. The telling anecdote, the dating of documents, the shipment of goods, the formation of soldiers, sieges and conspiracies all fleshed out with the french countryside, the need for fresh horses, an honest messenger, the details of the curiosities of the day. The best kind of history.
The author knows all the maddening details of this time so well that he is able to make it real. The telling anecdote, the dating of documents, the shipment of goods, the formation of soldiers, sieges and conspiracies all fleshed out with the french countryside, the need for fresh horses, an honest messenger, the details of the curiosities of the day. The best kind of history.
December 26, 2018
The secrets of success in statecraft are persistence, pragmatism and not to be too squeamish. Louis XI of France had all these qualities. But it also helps to be a great warrior, and this Louis was not.
Louis inherited a France ruined by war, surrounded by enemies and organized as a loose federation of powerful nobles. From this he built a larger, richer and more centralized state. And he did it without winning any notable battles.
He got off to a bad start and provoked a baronial revolt that he was too weak to suppress. But eventually he learned that enemies could be bought off, hostile alliances split and reluctant allies mobilized by money. It was economic means that brought him his victories.
Louis has had a raw deal in the public imagination, perhaps because he lacked the flair and bravado of England's Edward IV or Charles the Bold of Burgundy. But he bought off the former and financed the alliance that would beat the latter and ultimately kill him. Louis was effective without being heroic in the accepted sense, so many people assume he must somehow have cheated.
Louis did what Machiavelli insists is impossible: he won a kingdom with gold, not steel. A lesson that is relevant to many states today.
Louis inherited a France ruined by war, surrounded by enemies and organized as a loose federation of powerful nobles. From this he built a larger, richer and more centralized state. And he did it without winning any notable battles.
He got off to a bad start and provoked a baronial revolt that he was too weak to suppress. But eventually he learned that enemies could be bought off, hostile alliances split and reluctant allies mobilized by money. It was economic means that brought him his victories.
Louis has had a raw deal in the public imagination, perhaps because he lacked the flair and bravado of England's Edward IV or Charles the Bold of Burgundy. But he bought off the former and financed the alliance that would beat the latter and ultimately kill him. Louis was effective without being heroic in the accepted sense, so many people assume he must somehow have cheated.
Louis did what Machiavelli insists is impossible: he won a kingdom with gold, not steel. A lesson that is relevant to many states today.
September 4, 2025
Zasługuje na miano klasyki gatunku. Czasami jednak było mi trudno nadążyć za motywacjami postaci, szczególnie na początku. Brakowało choćby krótkiego wyjaśnienia dynamiki w średniowiecznej rodzinie panującej.
October 27, 2007
Kendall's knack for restoring the reputations of blackened monarchs (he's also written a bio of Richard III) is very impressive here. The book presumes some advanced knowledge of the post Hundred Years' War era (which I didn't have), but Kendall's rubbery, witty prose style carried me along anyway. In the end, he portrays the Universal Spider as a savvy quick-moving political operator rather than a vicious superstitious tyrant (the standard view). Not so much a product of his times, but a brutal beacon of the future.
July 28, 2015
Outstanding 13 year work filled with intricate and researched detail about this King who truly was an aberration for his time, role, and preferences. Called the Universal Spider for his concocting ability to balance the power scales and turn webs of change and transference from both old systems of feudalism and medieval cognitive mindsets. France becomes different. A nation amongst other changes.
Excellent historical work which reads well and deserves many hours to absorb all the nuance of European change and focus within Renaissance flowering.
Excellent historical work which reads well and deserves many hours to absorb all the nuance of European change and focus within Renaissance flowering.
July 5, 2015
Link to a full review of this book:
http://flhwnotesandreviews.com/2015/0...
Currently reading this out-of-print book. Paul Murray Kendall took 13 years to write this book and it shows. He really has the knack for making Louis' personality shine through. It has a lot of great detail but in a good way and Kendall writes with a wry sense of humor. The description of the battle of Montlheury is riveting! I highly recommend this book. I didn't know anything about Louis other than he was called the Universal Spider. This book explains it all.
http://flhwnotesandreviews.com/2015/0...
Currently reading this out-of-print book. Paul Murray Kendall took 13 years to write this book and it shows. He really has the knack for making Louis' personality shine through. It has a lot of great detail but in a good way and Kendall writes with a wry sense of humor. The description of the battle of Montlheury is riveting! I highly recommend this book. I didn't know anything about Louis other than he was called the Universal Spider. This book explains it all.
January 4, 2014
I found this to be the best of Kendall's books. Partly because the story of Louis XI is like a historical version of Clavell's _Shogun_ with so many near misses in being elevated to power and then the "sword of Damocles" that follows him throughout all of his various adventures. If the 100 years war and dealing with England vs. France is interesting to you, this will be a really fascinating "bridge period" to the Reformation and 30 Years War and how bigger European national politics comes to replace kings. At least that is how I saw it.
February 19, 2017
Before there was Bismarck, before there was Metternich, before there was Richelieu, there was Louis XI of France, “the universal spider.” Much like those other guys, he wove a diplomatic web of alliances, funding (“bribery” is the more accurate term), and fast-talking to isolate his foes, mainly the powerful Duke of Burgundy and gather in the spoils when they fell (the Duke in war with the Swiss). He became king when France was just starting its recovery from the disastrous Hundred Years War with England; when he died, he left it a powerful and wealthy nation. The great kingdom of Louis XIV was birthed by Louis XI. King Louis is not too well known this side of the Atlantic; indeed, the great majority of the author’s sources are French. This biography was published in 1971 and Goodreads doesn’t list many in English since. The book does a good job describing Louis’s successful diplomacy and its results against his neighbors, what was less easy to follow for me was how he kept his own feudal nobility in its place, which he did. He was a patron of the rising middle class and towns, which overtook the feudality of the times. There are a lot of French names and titles to try to follow, not easy, and more detailed maps of France would have helped as Louis was constantly in motion. If you’re willing to take the trip, this is a good story of a fascinating individual and his success, often in spite of himself. Sometimes his mouth overloaded his ***, but he recovered; today, he’d be a great statesman or used car salesman.
June 22, 2020
Paul Murray Kendall has written a detailed biography of Louis XI, King of France from 1461 to 1483.
Louis is a major figure in the history of France and its development as a nation state, but he also had wider influence over the political map of Europe being involved in Spain, Italy, England and the Duchy of Burgundy. Known as the ‘universal spider’ for his political intrigue, Louis used his intelligence and personality to manage France and its neighbours. A man of simple tastes, he rejected the model of kingship of previous monarchs with the aim of creating a new model of society.
Kendall has produced a fascinating life of a fascinating man, but this is very much a political biography and more on the social and personal life of Louis would have made this a more balanced biography.
Louis is a major figure in the history of France and its development as a nation state, but he also had wider influence over the political map of Europe being involved in Spain, Italy, England and the Duchy of Burgundy. Known as the ‘universal spider’ for his political intrigue, Louis used his intelligence and personality to manage France and its neighbours. A man of simple tastes, he rejected the model of kingship of previous monarchs with the aim of creating a new model of society.
Kendall has produced a fascinating life of a fascinating man, but this is very much a political biography and more on the social and personal life of Louis would have made this a more balanced biography.
December 9, 2025
This was a good read. Kendall does a nice job gathering together the different source materials to paint a picture of Louis XI's life and times (and his notes go into extreme detail with the sources). Despite knowing a fair amount about medieval history, Kendall shares a lot of which I did not know. It gave me some decent background in the affairs between France and Italian states prior to the incursions of Charles VIII, Louis' successor, into the peninsula. Louis was near admirable in how he was able to create plans and alliances to his benefit during his reign, however the Machiavellian and narcissistic aspects of these plans which placed his own ego in the centre are definitely not of good repute.
May 6, 2022
Un des meilleurs rois de France
C'est sans aucun doute l'une des meilleures biographies royales que j'ai lu et celle d'un des rois les plus fascinants de l'histoire de France. Son conflit avec Charles le Téméraire, duc de Bourgogne, est tellement omniprésent durant son règne que ce livre est presque une double biographie de Louis XI et de Charles. A lire absolument !
C'est sans aucun doute l'une des meilleures biographies royales que j'ai lu et celle d'un des rois les plus fascinants de l'histoire de France. Son conflit avec Charles le Téméraire, duc de Bourgogne, est tellement omniprésent durant son règne que ce livre est presque une double biographie de Louis XI et de Charles. A lire absolument !
September 28, 2020
Pareille à un roman, l'histoire d'un des personnages les plus extraordinaires et les plus mal compris de tous les temps.
Read
October 25, 2020A well researched book into the life of Louis XI, interesting to read how he learnt by his mistakes and all the difficulties he endured
February 1, 2023
le meilleur livre sur Louis XI
Want to read
September 12, 2016King Louis XI of France
born 3 July 1423 –
died 30 August 1483
born 3 July 1423 –
died 30 August 1483
January 14, 2019
Great biography, very well documented, very detailed and sometimes, because of that, heavy to digest !
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