Renaissance Warrior and Patron : The Reign of Francis I

Rating:
Summary: France's Answer to Henry VIII, and More!
Review: This is a scholarly life of Francois I, a king about whom Americans know little or nothing, but one that was instrumental in introducing the idea of the grandeur of the French monarchy. Francois lived life to the fullest: he invaded Italy multiple times (was even captured and held for ransom once), married twice, had mistresses everywhere, built palaces and castles all over France -- including Fontainebleau and many of the most famous chateaux of the Loire.

Therefore, it is a little unfortunate that his biographer had so little of that life rub off on him. This is Knecht's second stab at Francois's life, so one would think he could step back a little and marvel at what this truly remarkable man accomplished in his lifetime. After all, he brought Leonardo Da Vinci up to live with him at Amboise and allowed one of the books of Rabelais' PANTAGRUEL to be dedicated to him. Yet Rabelais and Da Vinci are brought into the book only in passing.

Both Henry VIII and the Emperor Charles V were somewhat cowed by this monarch, whose left hand held a sword and right hand, an olive branch.

This is probably a silly thing to mention, but I feel I would recognize Francois if he were alive today. Most illustrations of Medieval or Renaissance princes are more or less interchangeable: Charles the Bold, Richard III, Philip II of Spain. The portraits of Francois make him look like a real person, as if he actually had some control about how he was depicted. A little of his personality comes through in this book, such as in his dealings with artist Benvenuto Cellini -- but what a personality!

Knecht may not be a great biographer like Duff Cooper (Talleyrand) or Richard Holmes (Coleridge), but he did succeed in bringing something of the essence of this great king across.