LUIGI XII, king of FRANCIA. — Of the Valois-Orléans house, born on 27 June 1462 at Blois to Carlo d'Orléans and Maria di Clèves, he succeeded his cousin Carlo VIII on 7 April 1498 and died on 1 January 1515. He married Giovanna, daughter of Luigi XI, and then Anna di Bretagna, widow of Carlo VIII, in order to reunite this great fief with the crown; by her he had two daughters, Claudia and Renata. In his third marriage he married Maria d'Inghilterra (September 1514).
As a prince he was often rebellious toward Luigi XI and the regent Anna di Beaujeu; he took part with Carlo VIII in the expedition to Italy, asserting his rights to Milan as the grandson of Valentina Visconti, and occupying Novara, where he was besieged. Having become king, he assumed the titles of duke of Milan and king of Naples, continued his cousin’s Italian policy, and, having secured the alliance of Venice and Alessandro VI, easily occupied Milan (1499) and divided Naples with Ferdinando il Cattolico (Treaty of Granada, 1500); but the French were soon driven out by the Spaniards (1503). He aided Cesare Borgia’s conquest of Romagna and, in 1507, harshly suppressed a revolt in Genoa. He played the leading part in the League of Cambrai and the defeat of Venice; but when Giulio II turned against the French, they were expelled from Italy. The king then made the mistake of convening a conciliabulum at Pisa to have the Pope deposed; he was excommunicated and had to submit. In France he was remembered as the father of the people because of reduced taxes and the sound reforms carried out with Cardinal d'Amboise.