FRANCESCO I of VALOIS, king of FRANCE — PORTRAIT. Chalk drawing, Clouet school — Chantilly, Musée Condé.
A prisoner, he had to undertake to renounce his aspirations in Italy and Burgundy (Treaty of Madrid, 14 January 1526); but, having regained his freedom, he naturally resumed the war, which ended, after further disasters, with the Peace of Cambrai (3 August 1529): at least Burgundy was thereby saved. Having secured the English and Turkish alliances, the king again attempted in 1535 to occupy Piedmont and the Milanese; but mutual exhaustion followed the success, and counselled an armistice (July–November 1537).
The following year, a ten-year truce was concluded at Nice, through the mediation of Pope Paul III, founded on the principle of riti possidetis, and the two rivals, who met at Aigues-Mortes on 14 July, now seemed well disposed to respect II. But in 1541 an incident sufficed to cause hostilities to flare up again. England’s shift in favor of Charles V (February 1543) decided the outcome of the war in the north and frustrated the advantages gained by the French in the south. The Peace of Crépy (18 September 1544) brought this further phase of the struggle to a close: F. I once again had to accept the status quo ante, renouncing Nice and, naturally, the Milanese. Three years later he died at Rambouillet (31 March 1547), while the situation had become more serious than ever. His son Henry II was to resume the struggle and carry it through to the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559).
The principal guiding principle of F. I’s policy was the struggle against the Habsburgs. Against Charles V he found himself in agreement with Clement VII, who, himself weary of Spanish tutelage, allied his house with the Valois in 1533 by giving Caterina de’ Medici in marriage to the Dauphin Henry. This same policy likewise determined his attitude toward the question of the Council: the understanding with Rome in 1533 was useful in this regard to the Pope, who wished to postpone its convocation (F. I was fully aware of the political advantages that the Council would bring to Charles V, if the religious pacification of Germany were achieved). When the Council finally began its work at Trent, France—which had also opposed the choice of Mantua or Vicenza as its seat—then followed the debates with little interest. On the contrary, persecution of the heretics intensified during this period, and in numerous French cities they were continually arrested and tried.
F. I was a magnificent patron and favored Italian artists and French humanists, who embellished his court with the splendor of the Renaissance. He spent a great deal of money; nevertheless, he cannot be called a poor administrator. In any event, the circumstances compelled him to devote all his energies solely to foreign policy. During his reign France experienced not only the harshness of war, but also sound and beneficial measures. Even the alliance with the Turks, which brought such infamy upon the head of the man who had concluded it, secured lasting advantages for French commerce.