Francis I of France

Francis I was the first king of France from the Angoulême branch of the House of Valois. He ascended to the throne in 1515 after the death of his cousin and father-in-law Louis XII. He was a charismatic and ambitious ruler who sought to expand French influence in Italy and Europe. He fought several wars against his rival Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, which resulted in both victories and defeats. He was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 and had to sign the Treaty of Madrid, which he later repudiated. He formed alliances with Henry VIII of England, the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and several German princes to counter the Habsburg threat. He also supported the Protestant Reformation in Germany, but persecuted the Huguenots in France. Francis I was a patron of the arts and scholarship, who invited many Italian artists and humanists to his court. He acquired the Mona Lisa and other paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, who spent his last years in France under Francis' protection. He also commissioned the construction of several magnificent châteaux, such as Chambord and Fontainebleau, which exemplified the French Renaissance architecture. He reformed the French language by making it the official language of administration and culture, and by establishing the Collège de France as a center of learning. He is regarded as one of the most influential kings of France and a symbol of the French Renaissance.