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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
About the author
Paul Murray Kendall
22 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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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 11, 2026
Placeholder review. I hope to be able to return to it later and write the review this book so fully deserves!
What a ride, what a king, what an intriguing character.
No wonder French king Louis XI was called the Universal Spider: all that intrigue and politicking makes your head spin as thoroughly as Shelob spun Frodo in her sticky web in The Lord of the Rings film.
Calling him Machiavellian might seem like the natural response, but it actually does him a disservice.
For one thing, Machiavelli himself had a rather critical attitude toward Louis, which makes me give Machiavelli the side-eye: dude, how could you fail to recognise such pure essence of cunning and foresight?
For another (and following from the point above), Louis was so much more.
If you think the Wars of the Roses were complicated, wait until you see how Louis dragged France —or more precisely its largely useless and selfish aristocracy— literally kicking and screaming into a more modern age. (They kicked back, of course, it isn't as if the French Revolution had happened for nothing!)
Kendall’s biography shows a ruler who was not merely cunning, but patient, calculating, and astonishingly modern in the way he wielded diplomacy, intelligence, and political manipulation.
I only wish Louis could have gone on reigning for another forty years or so—history might well have taken a different turn, and Paul Murray Kendall could have written an even longer book about him.
🩷 Mille remerciements à Ryan pour cette formidable recommandation!
🩷 Heartfelt thanks to my Best Friend's son, Alex, who was so kind to get me this book all the way from England as I couldn't find any copies available to me in the whole of Europe!
Alex, you are the Best!!
What a ride, what a king, what an intriguing character.
No wonder French king Louis XI was called the Universal Spider: all that intrigue and politicking makes your head spin as thoroughly as Shelob spun Frodo in her sticky web in The Lord of the Rings film.
Calling him Machiavellian might seem like the natural response, but it actually does him a disservice.
For one thing, Machiavelli himself had a rather critical attitude toward Louis, which makes me give Machiavelli the side-eye: dude, how could you fail to recognise such pure essence of cunning and foresight?
For another (and following from the point above), Louis was so much more.
If you think the Wars of the Roses were complicated, wait until you see how Louis dragged France —or more precisely its largely useless and selfish aristocracy— literally kicking and screaming into a more modern age. (They kicked back, of course, it isn't as if the French Revolution had happened for nothing!)
Kendall’s biography shows a ruler who was not merely cunning, but patient, calculating, and astonishingly modern in the way he wielded diplomacy, intelligence, and political manipulation.
I only wish Louis could have gone on reigning for another forty years or so—history might well have taken a different turn, and Paul Murray Kendall could have written an even longer book about him.
🩷 Mille remerciements à Ryan pour cette formidable recommandation!
🩷 Heartfelt thanks to my Best Friend's son, Alex, who was so kind to get me this book all the way from England as I couldn't find any copies available to me in the whole of Europe!
Alex, you are the Best!!
June 25, 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."
October 11, 2013
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 can 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 can 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.
October 15, 2018
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.
June 29, 2008
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.
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 13, 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.
February 2, 2013
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
December 22, 2010King 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 !
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews