King of France: Life and Reign of Charles VIII Quiz

Answer: Château d'Amboise

The Château d'Amboise is a palace located in the commune of Amboise, Indre-et-Loire Department, in the centre of France. Situated on the Loire River, the palace came into the possession of the monarchy in 1434, after its owner, Louis d'Amboise, Viscount of Thours (1392-1469), was arrested under accusations of plotting against King Louis XI of France, who reigned from 1461-1483.

Although Louis d'Amboise was shown mercy and not executed, his Château d'Amboise was confiscated, and it became the birthplace of Charles VIII in 1470.

Answer: Charlotte of Savoy

Charlotte of Savoy (1441-1483) was the second wife of King Louis XI of France, of the House of Valois. He had been married to Margaret of Scotland (1424-1445), who died aged 20 of a fever before she could have Louis' children. Charlotte was one of 19 children, 14 of which lived to see adulthood. Her father was Louis, Duke of Savoy (1413-1465) and Anne of Cyprus (1418-1462).

Charlotte of Savoy married King Louis XI in 1451, when she was 9 years old and he was 27. Louis was not king yet, and had the title of Louis, Dauphin of France. The future King Louis XI did not have the blessing nor permission for his marriage to Charlotte, but that did not stop the rebellious prince. The marriage was not consummated until Charlotte turned 15, giving birth to their first son, also named Louis, in 1458. The baby died, however, shortly after his birth. She had eight children, five of which tragically suffered the same early deaths. Charles VIII was their only son who survived into adulthood.

Most of Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy's children either died young or had serious health issues due to inbreeding. The House of Valois had taken part in this practice of marrying family members for between 200-250 years. Louis XI's parents, Charles VII of France and Marie d'Anjou, were second cousins, who lost 9 out of their 14 children, 3 of which died young. The same reproductive problems followed Louis and Charlotte as a result of hundreds of years of inbreeding.

Louis XI took very little interest in his young wife. Charlotte, in turn, took little interest in Louis XI's political affairs and reign of France. Unlike her mother, Anne of Cyprus, who was a prominent political advisor and even took over managing France with her husband's approval, Charlotte was more interested in raising her children and embroidery. However, Louis XI did once entrust her with acting as his regent when he was away in 1465.

Answer: Charles was frequently ill

Because Charles VIII was often ill as a child, his father was more concerned with sole heir's health as opposed to his education. Louis XI outright scrapped lessons in Latin for Charles, even though Louis had studied the language himself, starting at aged 6. Charles' tutor was instructed to give him simplified reading.

Many of those in Louis XI's court did not believe that Charles VIII would survive into adulthood because he was so often ill. They incorrectly predicted that his life would follow the fate of his siblings who died very young.

Answer: Edward of Westminster

Edward of Westminster (1453-1471) was the son of King Henry VI of England (1421-1471) and Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482). When Henry VI of England was overthrown in 1461 by King Edward IV of England, Edward of Westminster fled to France. King Louis XI of France wanted to wage war against Burgundy, who were allies of the Yorkists and the new king, Edward IV of England.

Louis decided he would stand a better chance at conquering Burgundy if he assisted the Lancastrians in getting their power back. As a gesture of this new political friendship, Louis made Edward of Westminster the godfather of his son, the future King Charles VIII of France.

Edward of Westminster died in the Battle of Tewkesbury aged 17.

Answer: Mont Aiguille

On 26 June 1492, Antoine de Ville became the first recorded person to reach the summit of Mont Aiguille. The mountain was nicknamed "Inaccessible" which Charles VIII saw as a challenge, and ordered Antoine to climb it to render the nickname inaccurate, while he and other members of his court were accompanying Charles on a pilgrimage.

Answer: Anne of France

Anne of France (1461-1522) was Charles VIII's sister, and the oldest surviving daughter of Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy. She was known for her intelligence and political capabilities, once being described by Louis XI as "the least foolish woman in France." She acted as Charles's regent from his ascension to the French throne in 1483, until 1491.

Anne acted as regent alongside her husband, Peter II, Duke of Bourbon (1438-1503). He was one of the few members of Louis XI's court who Louis thought well of during his entire time in service, appointing Peter as a guardian of Charles VIII on his deathbed.

Answer: Margaret of Austria

Margaret of Austria (1480-1530) was the daughter of Archduke Maximilian of Austria (1459-1519), who would become Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1508. Her mother was Mary of Burgundy (1457-1482), who was the only surviving child of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1433-1477) and Isabella of Bourbon, Countess of Charolais (1434-1465).

In 1482, Maximilian I of Austria signed the Treaty of Arras. This treaty ended the first portion of the War of the Burgundian Succession, with Margaret of Austria being betrothed to Charles VIII as part of the treaty. Margaret was three years old at the time of the treating signing. However, the marriage did not come to fruition.

In 1488, Francis II, Duke of Brittany, fell from his horse and died. This left his daughter, Anne of Brittany, aged 11, to marry Maximilian, out of fear that the Duchy of Brittany would be subjected to conquest by France. Anne of France, acting as Charles' regent, refused to give her permission for the marriage. She refused because the marriage would mean the Hapsburgs, the family Maximilian was part of, would then be located on two of France's borders.

France invaded Brittany and Anne of Brittany was forced to instead marry Charles VIII.

Answer: Château de Langeais

With construction beginning around the 10th century, the Château de Langeais is located in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. In around 1465, King Louis XI of France had it rebuilt during his reign, as the building had been decimated during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453).

Charles and Anne's wedding was not met without protest. Anne herself was reportedly unhappy to go through with the wedding. Charles VIII is recorded to have been not the most handsome of boys, and had a peculiarly large head. Austria strongly objected, asserting that the wedding was illegal not only because Anne was unwilling, but because she was also still married to Maximilian and that Charles VIII was still betrothed to Maximilian's daughter, Margaret of Austria.

Pope Innocent VIII annulled the marriage between Anne of Brittany and Maximilian after being given a lot of financial motivation by France. Margaret of Austria was returned to her family in 1493.

Answer: Charles

Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France (1492-1495), was born in the Château de Plessis-lez-Tours, Indre-et-Loire Department, central France. Charles was with her during the birth of his first son, but soon became irritating in the room by losing his composure after becoming disturbed by witnessing childbirth. The baby was healthy for the first three years of his life.

France was struck with an epidemic of measles in 1495. Charles ordered his young son to be quarantined away from the world to avoid catching the disease, but his efforts failed. The king and queen were devastated by the loss, with some speculating that Anne of Brittany may have taken her own life.

Anne of Brittany had another son in 1493, Francis, who was stillborn. In 1495 she had a stillborn daughter, who was buried unnamed. In 1496 she had another baby named Charles, but he died just over a month after his birth. In 1497 she had another son named Francis, who died hours after he was born. The last child she had of Charles VIII's was a daughter named Anne, who died an hour after her birth. The reproductive problems that had plagued Charles' family for centuries were now afflicting him.

Answer: The Affable

Although Charles VIII was not intellectually gifted, nor well educated or capable of managing France's affairs, his personality was described as friendly and pleasant to be around.

Charles VIII may have been lacking in wisdom and judgement, but members of his court were pleased to be under the reign of a well-mannered king that was not a tyrant as his father, Louis XI, had been.

Answer: Alfonso II

Also known as "Charles VIII's Italian War" and the "First Italian War," the Italian War of 1494-1495 saw France fighting the Italian States, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire in war. Charles VIII had a claim to Naples via the House of Anjou (Marie of Anjou (1404-1463) was his paternal grandmother). Therefore, when Ferdinand I of Naples (1424-1494) died, Charles believed that Naples should be his. However, Ferdinand's son, Alfonso II of Naples (1448-1495), Ferdinand I's oldest son, declared himself the King of Naples.

Charles' belief that Naples was rightfully his was exacerbated by the actions of Pope Innocent VIII (1432-1492). The Pope had excommunicated Ferdinand I of Naples in 1489, due to Ferdinand's refusal to pay financial dues to the church. The Pope gave his blessing for Charles to rule Naples due to the ongoing dispute with Ferdinand. However, Ferdinand and the Pope reconciled, and the excommunication was lifted, but Charles would not let go of the idea that Naples should be under his rule.

Charles VIII and his 25,000 soldiers invaded Italy in 1494, hoping to capture Naples. They reached Naples by 1495. Alphonso was frightened of the French army, and so abdicated the throne of Naples to his son, Ferdinand II of Naples. Alphonso then escaped to a Sicilian monastery. Charles was subsequently crowned as King of Naples.

Answer: Syphilis

The first recorded outbreak of syphilis was in Naples when Charles VIII and his soldiers were invading the city. Charles' soldiers were accused of spreading the disease recklessly across Europe when on their travels back to France.

Although it was not as deadly as the bubonic plague, syphilis still had a high mortality rate and the symptoms of the disease were catastrophic, inflicting the sufferer with sores all over their body, which were extremely painful. Those who survived catching syphilis suffered life-long impairments to both their body and mind. Charles and his men being blamed for this outbreak did not endear the French to the rest of Europe. Charles womanizing his way through the brothels of Italy whilst on campaign did not help to counter the rumours that the French were responsible for the spread of syphilis.

For or centuries after this, syphilis was referred to as the "French disease," and was not coined "syphilis" until Girolamo Fracastoro named the disease in 1530.

Answer: League of Venice

Also known as the "Holy League," the League of Venice consisted of Italian forces backed by Pope Alexander VI, Spanish forces led Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, and Emperor Maximilian I's forces of the Holy Roman Empire. Established in 1495, it was an anti-French coalition that was established to remove Charles and his men from Italy.

Ferdinand of Aragon was particularly active within the League due to his own personal ambitions. He wanted to not only quash French power, but to gain Naples back for his own family, which he was successful at accomplishing in 1504. The League enabled him to work closely with Maximilian I, and Ferdiand's son, Juan of Castile and Aragon, would marry Margaret of Austria, Maximilian's daughter who had originally been engaged to Charles VIII.

Charles also had a claim to Milan, and the Italian powers were concerned that conquering Naples would not be the end of French power in the region. Milan defected from France to join the League of Venice, although it had initially supported Charles.

The League of Venice threatened to blockade the route back to France so that Charles could never return home. This led to Charles to march to Lombardy in the north of Italy. He left his viceroy, Gilbert of Bourbon-Montpensier (1443-1496) in his place. Ferdinand of Aragon used this opportunity to recapture Naples, with the League following Charles north as he retreated.

Answer: Siege of Atella

The Italian War of 1494-1495 was concluded with the Siege of Atella. The League of Venice had already managed to drive Charles into the north of Italy. The French headquarters during Charles VIII's campaign was in Atella, which was near Naples, lying north. Gilbert, Count of Montpensier had been driven back to the headquarters in fear, and agreed to surrender if French reinforcements (which the French were in dire need of) arrived within 30 days. These reinforcements never appeared, and Gilbert surrendered.

Charles VIII was forced to flee back to France, losing most of his plunder from Italy in the process. Once home in France, Charles tried to plan the campaign again for the future and rebuild his army, but did not succeed at either.

Answer: Cranial trauma

On April 7 1498, Charles VIII was on his way to watch a tennis game. While making his way to the match, he hit his head on a door frame. This accident occurred in the Château d'Amboise, his birthplace. At first, the injury did not have a profound reaction from him and he was able to watch the game as he planned.

When the game was over and Charles was leaving, he lost consciousness and never regained it. He fell into a coma and died aged 27. He left France in debt and without an heir to the throne.

Louis XII, his cousin and brother in-law succeeded him as king.