Francis I: The Maker of Modern France

by Leonie Frieda

Leonie Frieda, the bestselling author of Catherine de Medici, returns to sixteenth-century Europe in the evocative and entertaining biography, Francis I.Catherine de Medici’s father-in-law, King Francis of France, was the perfect Renaissance knight, the movement’s exemplar and its Gallic interpreter. An aesthete, diplomat par excellence, and contemporary of Machiavelli, Francis was the founder of modern France, whose sheer force of will and personality molded his kingdom into the first European superpower. Arguably the man who introduced the Renaissance to France, Francis was also the prototype Frenchman—a national identity was modeled on his character. So great was his stamp, that few countries even now are quite so robustly patriotic as is France. Yet as Leonie Frieda reveals, Francis did not always live up to his ideal; a man of grand passions and vision, he was also a flawed husband, father, lover, and king.With access to private archives previously unused in a study of Francis I, Frieda recreates a remarkable era of French history to explore the life of a man who was the most human of the monarchs of the period—and yet, remains the most elusive.“Superb and vivid . . . brings the world of Francis I to life, skillfully delineating the moves and major players in both European and domestic politics . . . and also gives the reader wonderful glimpses of the often licentious court life of that time . . . Frieda suggests that, under Francis I, France preserved its political power, greatly increased its cultural influence, and positioned itself for the Grand Siecle that his Bourbon successors would soon preside over.” —Wall Street Journal

Genres: History, Biography, France, Nonfiction, 16th Century, Renaissance, European History

381 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 13, 2017

About the author

Swedish by birth, but educated in Britain, Germany and France, Leonie Frieda speaks five languages. Her researches on Catherine de Medici has taken her to Paris, Florence and Rome, as well as the châteaux of the Loire. Her next book is a biography of the Great War soldier and letter-writer Edward Horner. She lives in London with her daughter Elisabeth and son Jake.

Reviews

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is extremely easy reading and very interesting to boot.
Upon my reread I removed a star because I am shocked this historian ignores the Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War in a biography about France. This war is a sister war to the War of the Roses in England also set during the Hundred Years War. To neglect to mention the importance of this war in France while mentioning the War of the Roses seems more than an oversite and is unforgivable in my opinion.

Original Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this. From the content to the narrator of the audiobook.
What a fascinating and complicated period in European history.
So many colorful and horrible characters abound during this period.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being not well informed about this period of French history, I’m glad that I found this book. While never a page turner, it is a readable story of an unpredictable monarch. Leonie Frieda shows Francis as a gambler, spending borrowed money on wars he cannot win. He makes treaties he will not keep, even at the expense of his sons. The subtitle “Maker of Modern France” does not seem fitting.

The most valuable parts for me were those that filled in gaps in my knowledge of British and Italian history. For instance, here you see the Field of the Cloth of Gold, marriage alliances, and Henry VIII’s Vatican divorce negotiations from the French point of view. Similarly, the French view of the capture and loss of Milan puts (for me) a missing piece of the puzzle in place. Frieda shows the two Medici popes, and their different governing styles and the origins of the Scottish-French connection. You see Catherine de Medici mentored by King Francis.

I was not aware of the French role in the 1527 Sack of Rome with Francis financially unable to meet his commitment to defend Rome against Charles V and Charles Bourbon’s (Francis’s rival) leadership of the invading army.

Similarly, I was unaware of the Francis / Suleiman alliance and of the Parisian’s desertion of their city in 1544 in anticipation of an attack by Charles V.

There is plenty of pageantry in marriages and funerals. There is a lot of destruction. Whole cities and towns are destroyed, abandoned or occupied.

The author is knowledgeable and brings the characters to life with confidence. I recommend this book to anyone interested in this period in France.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Francis I was an interesting man, living in interesting times. This book was interesting to read but offered few surprises and was a little shallow. I don't see how he lived up to the sub-title of the book "the maker of modern France" and the book focuses on his foreign policy at the expense of his domestic affairs and cultural patronage and in that sense was a bit too old-fashioned for my taste. It was difficult to gain a true feeling for his relations with most of his relatives and associates, like his sister Marguerite.

There were a few careless errors that I would have expected an editor to pick up on - Peter, Duke of Bourbon is called Louis on page 11, Anne of Beaujeu is called Anne of Brittany on page 148, and Henri is called Francis's only surviving child instead of only surviving son on page 299 etc. But one thing annoyed me above all others and this was the author's constant referrals, seemingly whenever a woman was introduced, to the attractiveness of the said woman - Claude (Francis's first wife) is treated particularly harshly here, as Frieda stresses her "unsightly" appearance frequently - which seems particularly cruel as Claude was actually disabled, with a hunched back. Rather than make valid points about the inbreeding of the Valois bloodline that had probably caused this, the constant stressing bears very little purpose.

Despite this, I did enjoy the book. I just expected something a little different from what I got.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Francis I of the House of Valois was crowned king in January 1515 at the age of 20 years.

Francis I became King of France through a combination of his family lineage and the death of his predecessor without a male heir.

He was the cousin of King Louis XII, and when Louis died in 1515, the Salic Law, which prevented female succession, meant that Francis, as the closest male relative, inherited the throne.

Henry VIII was three years older than Francis. They were lifelong competitors in all things.

Francis was estimated between 6ft. 3" and 6' 5" tall with a hulking muscular body but spindley legs. Francis was well educated, and He admired the Rennisance artists and was fluent in French, Latin and Italian.

He was admired by women and had a charming personality. He also had a long nose and was sometimes called:
"François du Grand Nez" (French for "Francis of the Large Nose")

In 1520, HenryVIII and King Francis met in a grand celebration that was to seal a friendship.

It was called the meeting of The Cloth Of Gold. Henry was 28, and Francis was 25. The wives of both were present.

The meeting was intended to solidify the Treaty of London, which aimed to establish a "universal peace" among European nations.

Overall, the meeting did not end well. Henry wanted a wrestling match between him and Francis.
Henry was 6'2" and built heavier. He was trounced and thrown by Francis.

Henry never got over the humiliation.

Francis I and Queen Claude had three sons and four daughters.
His son Henry II eventually became King and married Catherine de Medici, also known as the "Serpent Queen".

Francis, like Henry VIII, never lacked the company of women and was sexually active from a very young age.

He did not end well and suffered continually from sexually contracted diseases .

Francis I experienced recurring fevers, joint pain, and other symptoms consistent with syphilis.
He died at 52 years old.

Henry VIII died at the age of 55 from sepsis due to the festering ulcers of his
legs. Three years after his lifelong competitor.

The book is well written rich in detail of the Reign of Francis I. It has a few pages of color plates which is a nice surprise.

Four Stars

[Jo Walton]

It is neither Francis's fault not Frieda's that I'm more interested in Charles VIII and Louis XII than their successor, while nobody else much seems to be interested in writing me a book about either one. From that point of view, this was useful in its early chapters.

On the whole this is a very good book, well written, consistently interesting, and it dealt well with the complexities of the international situation while keeping the focus on the people. I think Francis was a terrible person, but the women are fascinating.

Readable and interesting, recommended if you're at all interested in France in the sixteenth century.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An old fashioned royal biography that recounts various aspects of Francis's life and reign, especially his foreign policy, without much additional analysis from the author. Frieda describes wars, peace treaties, dynastic marriages and contacts between rulers but rarely brings these details together to assess Francis's overall strategy toward kingship. The book is filled with historical figures who are more interesting than Francis himself including his mother, Louise of Savoy, sister, Marguerite of Navarre and artist in residence, Leonardo de Vinci. Frieda argues that Francis is more worthy of the description "Renaissance Prince" than his contemporary King Henry VIII of England and the book provides a sense of Henry VIII's dealings with the France from the French perspective. A worthwhile read that would have benefited from more analysis of Francis and his policies.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history of Francis I by one of my favorite, go-to authors.

[Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is entertaining, but it doesn’t substantiate its claim that Francis made “modern France.” He appears to have “made” a high proportion of the French court, but the court was a small proportion of the nation. His attempts to remake himself as a Renaissance prince were largely frustrated. He recruited the aged da Vinci and Cellini to inconsequential results, at least during his lifetime. More space could have been devoted to Clouet and also the school for painting at Fountainbleau. Francis achieved one notable victory, Marignano, that brought his goal of Milan within his grasp, but all of this was wiped away by his defeat and near death at Pavia. Rulers should never lead troops into battle. Both battles served to define the duel Francis fought with his great rival, Charles V of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, a contest that continued until the time of Louis XIV, 150 years later. Francis, the most Christian king even went so far as to make an alliance with Suleiman the Great, against his “most Catholic” rival.

The Francis that is portrayed in this work is accurate, but he was never really able to be the decisive figure he sought to be.

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I know a fair amount about Henry VIII and Charles V (rulers of England and the Holy Roman Empire, respectively), I knew very little about their fellow monarch Francis I of France so when I saw this biography was available as an audiobook, I checked it out for my morning constitutionals.

If, like me, you’re not familiar with one of the most important actors in European affairs in the first half of the 16th century, Leoni Frieda’s Francis I is a good introduction and I would recommend it. The only thing that stood out as a possible lack was Frieda’s near total avoidance of the premier issue of the century – the Reformation. There’s little mention made of the nascent Protestant heresies, of the difficulties Francis’ peers contended with in affairs religious, or of France’s religious establishment’s reaction.

[In fact, Francis’ apparent indifference to religious matters extended so far as to his making alliance with Suleyman, the Ottoman Sultan, even to the extent of giving him Toulon (for a very, very brief time) as a base for an Ottoman fleet.]

As a bonus, Carole Boyd’s charming British accent makes listening a pleasure.

[Rindis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frieda's biography of Francis I is certainly on the popular history end, and is well written and accessible. Moreover, not only did I find it accessible, but it gave me some desire to get back to Here I Stand , which covers the period, and includes much of what she goes into.

However, she does not deliver on her promises in the subtitle or the introduction. Freida mentions she first got interested in Francis by seeing his symbol (a flame-wreathed salamander) everywhere in buildings while doing research. This shows the impact and involvement he had on France at the time, all the projects he had some sort of hand in. And not much of this really shows in the main part of the book. Similarly, she does not really show how he determined the course of France in the Renaissance, which would earn him the title of 'maker of modern France'.

Coverage of the period in general also suffers, with very little attention paid to the rising religious tensions in France. (In fact, if not for the Affair of the Placards, you might not realize the Reformation is happening at all.)

She is much more successful in showing Francis as a person, and some of the court around him. She also shows how much of his reign was defined by his continual rivalry with Emperor Charles V, and how it affected the future Henri II. Francis I is largely known as a poor king and person for some very good reasons, but Frieda does a very good job of rounding out his personality and accomplishments, and while this book isn't a great look at the early 16th Century in France, it is a good look at Francis himself, and is recommended as a deeper look into the person.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit dry. But ok. My first real foray into the French royalty.

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 2 out of 5]

Denna var långt ifrån dålig, och skapar ett intressant porträtt av Frans I. Den var bara inte i min smak.

[Steven Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting period of European history that I knew very little of prior to this

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francis I of France has long been overshadowed in history. He lived through the times of Henry VIII and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Leonie Frieda breathes life back into one of the major players in European policies and military movements, in such a way that you feel as though you are walking through the halls of the french palaces.

Francis was not born with the promise of a great future, but through his mother and her endless working and dealing, he claimed the French throne. As he sought to bring France into the newer Renaissance era, he also managed to make himself one of the most enigmatic figures of the time. While he lacked Henry VIII's flair of marrying and throwing off of wives, Francis did his maneuvering through military show and treaties. Eventually, much of this backfired on the monarch, who was seen as unable to carry through with the majority of promises. Most monarchs at the time would have dealt with the treaties the same way, Francis almost took his to extremes. He wanted to prove himself time and time again, and that lack of faith in himself could have lead to the loss of throne more than once.

This book was a fascinating read. I was hooked from the beginning. Not only does the author lay out the life and death of Francis, but she also ushers in the next era, laying the groundwork for some of the more disastrous events that will befall France. Francis may have been the founder of the modern era in France, but it was his daughter in law that brought that dream to full fruition.

[Gerry Grenfell-Walford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once you get past the opening chapters (which is full of who is related to who and who did what to who, and when, before who did something else), Francis gets onto the throne and Frieda gets into her stride. What follows is an accessible and surprisingly pacy account of Francis I's reign.
Before this I knew three things about Francis:
- he won and lost the Duchy of Milan twice during the messy Italian Wars of the High Renaissance.
-he gave Leonardo da Vinci a stonking pension, and a nice mini chateau at Cloux, and the latter purportedly died in his arms.
-Henry VIII had gone all out to play catch-up with him at the Field of Cloth of Gold.
This book puts these events and more into context, and the pages come alive with such striking female characters as Catherine de Medici, Diane de Poitiers, Marguerite de Navarre, and the surprisingly humble but deeply likeable Anne, last Duchess of independent Brittany.
Frieda points out that Francis has had something of a bum deal with modern historiographers, many of whose reasons for jaundice towards this king seem, in point of fact, perfectly correct. Francis was, as Frieda shows, vainglorious, self-important, egotistical, sexually incontinent, dishonest, impatient, inconsistent and completely indifferent to all the needless death his quest for military glory brought into the world.
He was also warm, charming, sincere, personally courageous, willing to fight from the front, cultured, intelligent, literate, and deeply likeable as a person, much given to living and loving, hunting, jousts, and revelry. He actually threw Henry of England in a bout of wrestling! Something few English history books mention. And this is one of the interesting things to come out of the book: whereas Francis and the Emperor Charles deeply loathed and despised each other to their very core, the relationship between Francis and Henry was more personable. Certainly there was rivalry there, and sometimes frustration and disappointment, but also a kernel of genuine affection, formed on the Field of the Cloth of Gold that never quite fell away. Francis and Henry had much in common- perhaps more than divided them. It is indeed painful to read just how close to success came Francis' lobbying of the pope for a divorce on Henry's behalf. If that had happened, what then for subsequent history?
In terms of his dealings with the Emperor Charles, I'm sorry but Francis was quite right: oaths extracted under duress are worthless and should not be expected to be adhered to. A more intelligent, softly softly approach could have ensured peace and stability for decades. Instead Charles held out for maximum material gain at the cost of Francis'kingdom, and must have known this would only create greater problems down the line when the inevitable reaction set in. Moreover Charles'treatment of Francis' two sons does him very little credit.
For all the idiocy of personal monarchy, the waste of lives, the waste of work and money, I can't help but feel some of Francis' appeal all these centuries later. He was far from perfect, and he ultimately failed in his life-long quest to add Milan to his kingdom. But he was a titanic, indeed, a genuinely great man.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book by Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review.

Today's Nonfiction post is on Francis I: The Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda. It is 384 pages long and is Harper Collins. The cover is a portrait of Francis I. The intended reader is someone who is interested in French history. There is foul language, talk of sex, and discussion of violence. Much of the text is taken from first hand historical documents. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The bestselling author of Catherine de Medici returns to sixteenth-century Europe in this evocative and entertaining biography that recreates a remarkable era of French history and brings to life a great monarch—Francis I—who turned France into a great nation.
Catherine de Medici’s father-in-law, King Francis of France, was the perfect Renaissance knight, the movement’s exemplar and its Gallic interpreter. An aesthete, diplomat par excellence, and contemporary of Machiavelli, Francis was the founder of modern France, whose sheer force of will and personality molded his kingdom into the first European superpower. Arguably the man who introduced the Renaissance to France, Francis was also the prototype Frenchman—a national identity was modeled on his character. So great was his stamp, that few countries even now are quite so robustly patriotic as is France. Yet as Leonie Frieda reveals, Francis did not always live up to his ideal; a man of grand passions and vision, he was also a flawed husband, father, lover, and king.
With access to private archives that have never been used in a study of Francis I, Frieda explores the life of a man who was the most human of the monarchs of the period—and yet, remains the most elusive.

Review- A well written piece about a little known king. Frieda is an excellent writer, she takes some very old documents and information about Frances I and makes it interesting and readable. We follow Frances I from the moment his mother has a vision about her son becoming king of France all the way to his death and what his son Henri II does just after his death. Frieda makes an excellent case for Frances I being the king that made or at least helped the Renaissance happen in France as quickly as it did by having a great interest in the arts and supporting artists. But she also talks about his great failings like making war with his neighbors when finding a peaceful solution would have been better for everyone. If you are looking for something a little different about the in-between time of the middle ages and the Renaissance, then you should give this book a look.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars.

[Jefferson Fortner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this well-done biography of an important king of France who reigned in the early 16th century (his reign began in 1515). He was the father and grandfather of the last group of the Valois dynasty before the Bourbon dynasty inherited the throne. I am already badly informed about the reigns of his grandsons (three brothers, all in a row, dying and leaving the next one in line the throne). I am badly informed because of Alexandre Dumas and his The Last of the Valois trilogy of historical novels. Of course, historical novels often distort history, especially in the case of Dumas. Still, in defense of historical novels, which I love, they are a great starting point in learning about an era. Regarding Francis I, I do not know if I should consider him to be the best worst king of France, or the worst best king. I think that I am going to go with the best worst king. Freida’s subtitle is, The Maker of Modern France, and I think she is convincing in this. She pays homage to his “renaissance man” deep interest in culture, the arts, and literature, while retaining a focus on his medieval interest in tournaments, courtly etiquette, and especially in hunting. The “worst” king part of the story is due to his disastrous wars and diplomacy with the Tudors in England and the Hapsburgs in the Holy Roman Empire / Spain. He starts his reign by invading and subduing Milan, which he promptly loses, and then he spends the rest of his life trying again, along with side adventures along his northern border. More than once he spends his country into near bankruptcy and into actual localized famine. More than once he nearly loses his kingdom and potentially his life. In the end, he has accomplished nothing and can only take the solace that Henry VIII of England and Charles I, Holy Roman Emperor / King of Spain have also accomplished nothing. It was a pretty heavy price to pay for all three entities to move from the late Middle Ages and into the modern age.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Frieda's biography of Catherine de Medici several years ago and found it incredibly informative. Given my interest in this period, I thought that it might be time to explore the period from the perspective of Henry VIII's greatest rival, Francis I. While I did learn a great deal about the political workings of France during this time from this book, as well as French-Imperial relations I often felt disinterested.

This book is not written from a linear timeline and it made it hard to follow some of the information throughout the book as I was not entirely familiar with the sequence of events before reading this book. In the latter part of the book when Henri II and Catherine de Medici were discussed I was better able to follow along with events because I was familiar with the key players.

While I didn't always enjoy how the key women in Francis' life were discussed I did enjoy learning more about them. For instance, I had not realized that the Queen of France who refused to meet with Anne Boleyn was Queen Eleanor, the sister of Charles V. This makes the snub make a great deal more sense. I also liked the powerful influence of Francis' mistresses was also discussed throughout.

Overall this is an important work because Francis was a key political player in Europe during this time. However, I found it to be a little dry. You definitely will learn something about the subject, so if you are interested in this period of history I would encourage you to read it.

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Moderate: Infertility, Medical content, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. Francis has always been a sideline character in the endless number of books I’ve read on the Tudors, and this was my first attempt at reading a biography about him. I think it was the perfect introduction to his heritage, strengths, weaknesses, and how his subjects perceived him as a ruler. Some reviewers have mentioned that they found it too general, but as I’m just starting out, I found this to be both informative and easy to follow.

Perhaps not surprisingly, I also enjoyed seeing Henry VIII as a cameo. In many ways, he’s Francis’ antagonist--from the wrestling match at the Field of Cloth of Gold, to building Nonsuch in an attempt to make him jealous. It was amusing to read about these events from Francis’ perspective and see how truly ridiculous Henry VIII was. Likewise, it was also touching to read that Francis may have reacted with such grief at the death of his rival, and how Francis himself died shortly thereafter.

Family drama, military campaigns, pageantry, backbiting, chivalry… Frieda explores it all in a way that I found to be highly engaging. When Francis bursts into Henry VIII’s quarters and claims that he’s at his service, you can feel his brazen self-esteem. When Francis is captured as a prisoner of war, you easily sense his shame and humility. There was a lot of emotion in this book, which I think is a hard thing to achieve with nonfiction. I look forward to reading more from Frieda, and learning more about French royalty.

See more of my reviews: Blog // Instagram

[Anne Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francis I of France has long been overshadowed in history. He lived through the times of Henry VIII and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Leonie Frieda breathes life back into one of the major players in European politics and military movements, in such a way that you feel as though you are walking through the halls of the french palaces.

Francis was not born with the promise of a great future, but through his mother and her endless working and dealing, he claimed the French throne. As he sought to bring France into the newer Renaissance era, he also managed to make himself one of the most enigmatic figures of the time. While he lacked Henry VIII's flair of marrying and throwing off of wives, Francis did his maneuvering through military show and treaties. Eventually, much of this backfired on the monarch, who was seen as unable to carry through with the majority of promises. Most monarchs at the time would have dealt with the treaties the same way, Francis almost took his to extremes. He wanted to prove himself time and time again, and that lack of faith in himself could have lead to the loss of throne more than once.

This book was a fascinating read. I was hooked from the beginning. Not only does the author lay out the life and death of Francis, but she also ushers in the next era, laying the groundwork for some of the more disastrous events that will befall France. Francis may have been the founder of the modern era in France, but it was his daughter in law that brought that dream to full fruition.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite my love for French history and it’s monarchy, especially during the Renaissance period, I have a few specific qualms about this book.

Seeming Francis as the ‘Maker of Modern France’, I didn’t necessarily see this argument running throughout the book.
Although there were various points made about his patronage of the arts, and his own personal intellect and interests towards it, influenced by his mother, a lot of the book covered his many campaigns - a lot of which were initiated against his ever-evolving relationship with Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor - where I fail to see how this actually made him as the moderniser of France.

On the other hand, her attempt to shed more recognition she thought deserving towards the French king that helped initiate the French Renaissance was, I thought, successful.
I liked how we were able to truly grasp a sense of Francis’ personality during his reign - his flaws, as well as his redeeming qualities. Because there are a lot of French monarchs, it’s easy to forget the individual qualities that make them distinct as kings. But because of Leonie’s constant reminders about Francis’ charming and boisterous attitude, for example, it’s easier to acknowledge what makes this king unique, and distinct from his predecessors and successors.
I did think this biography about Francis was very easy to read; I like how the author didn’t use convoluted sentences or jargon that a lot of other historical authors employ.

[Dimitrios Souvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I found it quite easy to comprehend while also being able to cater to those who have a greater understanding of the period. The issue with historical non-fiction can occasionally be that there is an oversimplification or occasionally lacking the detail required to fully comprehend certain ideas or concepts. I feel that Frieda struck the right balance. I really found the book allowed me to understanding Francis and also his complex family background. I also really enjoyed the maps and family trees - both of which I used regularly throughout the book. The reason I gave this 4 stars is because I felt there could have been a greater reliance on contemporary sources - the bibliography tended to have a large amount of secondary sources - although not unreliable, it does tend to feel like it could have been a bit more thorough in terms of research. Although, understandably, most of these sources would have no doubt been in France, Spain and Italy (and other areas of Europe which Francis found himself throughout his life) and therefore in different languages and of course these languages which would have become even more complex to understand due to the differences over the last 500 years. I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend this to anyone interested in the period.

[Andrew Dockrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This being my first introduction to Leonie Frieda it wasn't too bad. There seemed to be a few grammatical errors I ran into, that threw me off a little and took me out of my reading. With that issue aside, her writing flowed very well and it was an easy and enjoyable read. I was a little let down that a few of his more interesting stories didn't find their way into her book, like how he sent John Cabot I believe it was, to go to the new world towards what would today be Newfoundland. Also I was disappointed that his story with the boar didn't make it in. But all in all pretty good, I would say that Frieda's treatment of Francis I is probably my second favorite of the two that I've read and I didn't find that she argued very well for how he was the maker of modern France - I think that's a bit generous. I would not go out of my way to read her again, as I found her book to be a little on the summarizing side, barely scratching the surface on different events and not getting into the nitty-gritty details and focusing a lot on his foreign policy and not really on his domestic affairs too much. But if she did a figure of history that I loved, I'd probably give her another go.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well written book about the life of King Francis I of France. He was a contemporary of King Henry VIII of England and Emperor Charles V. It was interesting to read a history about the politics of Europe during the first half of the 1500s from the French perspective. The details about the French royal family and the court, and the relationship between Francis I and Charles V showed a stormy relationship of royal one-upmanship. Knowing very little about European national politics at the time, I was surprised to read about the cozy relationship between France and the Ottoman Empire.

There is no mention at all of any struggle between France and Spain overseas and very little mention of the Huguenots. Although his reign was early in the colonial race some of the seeds of the future colonial race did start within the time period covered by the book. The same could be said for Huguenots. Despite this, it is a very good book about the period. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the time period.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an ARC as a GoodReads giveaway. I entered this giveaway mainly because of my late high school French teacher Mrs. Rohrer. She loved all things French, and I remember her enthusiastic stories about Francois Premier, his chateaux, his salamander symbol, etc. This book is quite readable and interesting for a layperson like me. The names were a challenge, though. With so many royals of that time named Charles, Louis/Louise, Henry, Francis and Mary, I had trouble juggling the cast of characters. The lineage charts and maps at the beginning of the book were very helpful. Francis' personality and those of his counterparts came through, but I was battle-weary by the end of the book. What a turbulent time. My ARC copy didn't include any illustrations - I do hope the published book includes pictures of the people and places described in the text. All in all, I think Madame Rohrer would be pleased.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid but also extremely readable biography of Francis I, king of France. I loved seeing events of the Tudor reign from the French POV, such as the marriage of Mary Tudor to Francois’s predecessor, and the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

I also liked seeing what I always suspected – that Francis spent a lot less time thinking about Henry VIII and England than Henry did obsessing abut Francis and France. There were a lot of ups and downs to this king’s life, and Frieda does a great job showing what was happening both at a personal level but also how his life played out in the context of the political world stage.

As Francis’ life draws to a close, Frieda makes it clear that his death gave Catherine Medici the opening she needed to become a legend – and that Francis knew it too, outright stating what a great queen she was going to be.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Francis I is a king who is often mentioned in conjunction with Henry VIII as the dashing, licentious king across the channel in France. I was eager to finally get to read more about him as his own person, and Leonie Frieda is a talented writer and biographer. Francis embodied the pop culture archetype of Henry VIII better than the real Henry ever did: a suave, hedonistic playboy who spent his time throwing parties and chasing skirts while his obedient wife silently attended to her knitting in the background.

As other reviews have mentioned, Frieda fails elaborate why Francis should be considered the "maker of modern France," which is an achievement usually ascribed to Louis XIV. Surprisingly little is said about his relationship with the women in his life, whether it be his wives, mother, sister, or mistresses. For a man who was so notorious for his love affairs, it would have been especially interesting to see how they influenced his reign. And while Frieda does openly criticize Francis for his faults, in this she is still rather charitable. From an outsider's perspective, Francis was a selfish narcissist who gained the throne by luck and was willing to trade his own freedom for that of his two young, newly motherless sons (Frieda attributes this to Francis believing that the people needed their king, but nothing else we learn about him suggests that Francis had a great sense of noblesse oblige). Her dismissal of rape accusations against Francis also feels dated. Francis was the king; no matter how gallant he thought he was being, no woman was in a position to say no to him, and it's not hard to see how some of the women he pursued would come away from it feeling violated or embittered.

[Gerry Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leonie Frieda has written an engaging biography of Francis I of France. During his 32 year reign during the 16th century he warred with Henry VIII of England and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. His many expeditions to conquer parts of Italy—especially Milan—led to ruinous results including his own imprisonment after the battle of Pavia. Nonetheless Francis managed to foster French unity and cultivated the arts as a Renaissance prince. He was surrounded by strong women such his mother Louise of Savoy and his sister Marguerite and mentored his daughter in law Catherine de Medici who succeeded his son Henry as a powerful queen in her own right.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leonie Frieda has written a detailed biography of Francis I (and included a number of mini-biographies of those whose lives intersected Francis', sometimes to the detriment of the narrative arc of the story). You definitely get a feel for what European politics was like in the 1500s. I struggled with the subtitle of the book, however, as I assumed that Frieda would be making an argument about how Francis helped create the modern state, but I never got that sense. It didn't seem like there was much of an argument here, but more a chronicling of Francis' diplomatic and military adventures.

[Jeanne Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book very much. I read a lot and can usually go through a nonfiction book of this length in 2-3 days. This one took me over a week, because I kept making excuses not to read it.

It started out okay, but as it developed, several biased opinions were presented. It seemed that the editing became more superficial as the book progressed. I was disappointed, as I really knew very little about Francis I and had hoped to increase my understanding of him and his times. I did learn some, but now feel that I will need to do further reading to correct the biases in this book.