[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":32},["ShallowReactive",2],{"zoom:p7ch2z7:en":3},{"period":4,"chapter":22,"zoom":25},{"id":5,"title":6,"titleEn":6,"titleEs":7,"range":8,"rangeEn":8,"rangeEs":8,"covers":9},"p7","Renaissance","Renacimiento","1461 → 1610",[10,13,16,19],{"filename":11,"url":12},"British_-_Field_of_the_Cloth_of_Gold_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg","https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/British_-_Field_of_the_Cloth_of_Gold_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg?width=1600",{"filename":14,"url":15},"Marignan-1515-francois1er.jpg","https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Marignan-1515-francois1er.jpg?width=1600",{"filename":17,"url":18},"ChateauDeChambord.jpg","https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/ChateauDeChambord.jpg?width=1600",{"filename":20,"url":21},"Henri_IV_Toschi_(format_original).jpg","https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Henri_IV_Toschi_(format_original).jpg?width=1600",{"id":23,"title":24},"p7ch2","Charles VIII: the Italian adventure and the end of the direct dynasty (1483–1498)",{"id":26,"title":27,"chapterId":23,"html":28,"hasEn":29,"isFallback":30,"seoDescription":31},"p7ch2z7","1498: death and funeral of Charles VIII","\u003Cp>The accidental death of Charles VIII and his funeral marked the end of the direct Valois dynasty and the beginning of a new era for the French monarchy.\u003C/p>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Ch2>⚰️ The circumstances of the death\u003C/h2>\n\u003Ch3>The accident of 7 April 1498\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>On 7 April 1498, Charles VIII died in tragic circumstances at the château of Amboise. Queen Anne of Brittany, who had just given birth to a stillborn child on 20 March, was still convalescing.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch3>The fateful day\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>To distract the queen, Charles VIII took her to watch a game of real tennis in the château’s moats. To get there, they had to cross the Hacquelbac gallery, a foul-smelling passage that also served as a latrine.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>In his haste, Charles VIII, walking quickly, struck his head violently against the low lintel of a doorway. Though stunned, he did not immediately lose consciousness and continued on to the tennis game.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch3>The symptoms and the death agony\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>During the game, Charles VIII suddenly collapsed at around 2 pm. He was laid on a straw mattress, unable to speak, and remained there for nine hours, despite being close to his own apartments.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>The physicians were powerless. According to the memoirs of Philippe de Commynes, the king recovered his speech three times to invoke: “My God and the glorious Virgin Mary, my lord Saint Claude and my lord Saint Blaise, help me!”\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>He died that evening, at the age of 27, after a reign of almost 15 years.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2>⚕️ The medical hypotheses\u003C/h2>\n\u003Ch3>Medical theories\u003C/h3>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Cranial trauma\u003C/strong>: the impact against the lintel may have caused a subdural haematoma.\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Stroke\u003C/strong>: symptoms suggestive of high blood pressure.\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Epilepsy\u003C/strong>: a hypothesis put forward to explain why he was not moved for 9 hours.\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Apoplexy\u003C/strong>: the diagnosis of the Bishop of Angers, who was present at the scene.\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ol>\n\u003Ch3>The symptoms described\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Loss of speech (aphasia)\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Partial paralysis\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Progressive loss of consciousness\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Death after 9 hours of agony\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Ch2>⛪ The royal funeral\u003C/h2>\n\u003Ch3>Preparation of the body\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>The body of Charles VIII was embalmed according to royal rites. The funeral ceremony lasted several days, bringing together 7,000 people, including 400 paupers, in keeping with tradition.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch3>The funeral procession\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>The funeral procession left Amboise for Saint-Denis, the royal necropolis. The funeral convoy was followed by:\u003C/p>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Queen Anne of Brittany, in deep mourning\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>The great lords of the kingdom\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Foreign ambassadors\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>The clergy in full ceremonial dress\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Ch3>The ceremony at Saint-Denis\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>The funeral rites continued until 1 May 1498. The ceremony at the basilica of Saint-Denis was presided over by the Archbishop of Reims, in the presence of the whole court.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2>👑 The immediate succession\u003C/h2>\n\u003Ch3>The dynastic succession\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>Charles VIII died without a male heir. Under Salic law, it was his cousin Louis of Orléans, of the Valois-Orléans branch, who succeeded him under the name Louis XII.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch3>Immediate consequences\u003C/h3>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Anne of Brittany\u003C/strong> became a widow at 21\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Louis of Orléans\u003C/strong> was proclaimed king on 8 April 1498\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The Breton succession\u003C/strong> once again became a political issue\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The Italian Wars\u003C/strong> were temporarily interrupted\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ol>\n\u003Ch2>🏛️ The funeral\u003C/h2>\n\u003Ch3>The ceremony\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>The funeral of Charles VIII was among the most lavish of the reign:\u003C/p>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Lying in state\u003C/strong> for 3 days at the château of Amboise\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>A funeral procession\u003C/strong> of 200 people to Paris\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>A solemn mass\u003C/strong> at Notre-Dame de Paris\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Burial\u003C/strong> in the basilica of Saint-Denis\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ol>\n\u003Ch3>The tomb\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>Charles VIII was buried in the basilica of Saint-Denis, the necropolis of the kings of France. His tomb, modest at first, would be replaced under Francis I.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2>🏰 The immediate consequences\u003C/h2>\n\u003Ch3>For the monarchy\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>The end of the direct Valois branch\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>The accession of the Orléans branch (Louis XII)\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>A potential succession crisis averted\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Ch3>For Brittany\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Anne of Brittany, now a widow, recovered her rights over Brittany\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>She would have to marry Louis XII to retain her duchy\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>The question of the definitive annexation of Brittany was postponed\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Ch3>For Italy\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Military operations suspended\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>The Italian Wars resumed under Louis XII\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>A change in French strategy in Italy\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Ch2>📜 Contemporary sources\u003C/h2>\n\u003Ch3>Direct testimonies\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Philippe de Commynes\u003C/strong> in his Memoirs\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The Bishop of Angers\u003C/strong>, present at the accident\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The court chroniclers\u003C/strong>\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The accounts of the royal silver plate office\u003C/strong>\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Ch3>Official documents\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>The death certificate and the record of burial\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Funeral accounts\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Diplomatic correspondence\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Wills and codicils\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Ch2>🧠 Key takeaways\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>7 April 1498\u003C/strong>: the accidental death of Charles VIII\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Cause\u003C/strong>: cranial trauma after striking a lintel\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Age\u003C/strong>: 27, a 15-year reign\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Successor\u003C/strong>: Louis XII (Louis of Orléans)\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Consequences\u003C/strong>: the end of the direct Valois, the beginning of the Valois-Orléans\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Funeral\u003C/strong>: lavish, befitting a king of France\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Ch2>📚 Sources and interpretations\u003C/h2>\n\u003Ch3>Primary sources\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Memoirs of Philippe de Commynes\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Chronicles of Jean d’Auton\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Registers of the Parlement of Paris\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>Accounts of the royal silver plate office\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Ch3>Historical interpretations\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Traditional\u003C/strong>: the accidental death of a young and inexperienced king\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Modern\u003C/strong>: the end of a reign marked by the Italian Wars\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Symbolic\u003C/strong>: the end of an era, the beginning of the French Renaissance\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Ch3>Legacy\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>The introduction of the Renaissance into France\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>The start of the Italian Wars\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>The definitive incorporation of Brittany\u003C/li>\n\u003Cli>The transition towards the French Renaissance\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Next zoom\u003C/strong>: Historical judgements on Charles VIII and his reign.\u003C/p>\n",true,false,"The accidental death of Charles VIII and his funeral marked the end of the direct Valois dynasty and the beginning of a new era for the French monarchy.",1784451809279]