• '

  Written with energy, humour and an eye for telling detail, Glenn Richardson’s book tells of a remarkable king who exerted considerable power but is all too often overlooked. Much more than simply a study of a particular monarch, Francis I draws the reader into a world not only of courtly grandeur, artistic patronage and architectural innovation, but political and religious upheaval, constant diplomatic manoeuvring, and military action resulting in moments of triumph or, more often, expensive disappointment.

  '

  Janet Dickinson, Departmental Lecturer in Lifelong Learning (History), University of Oxford

• '

  A brilliant insight into the fascinating and intriguing character of a lion of the European Renaissance.

  '

  Mary Hollingsworth, author of Catherine de' Medici: The Life and Times of the Serpent Queen

• '

  Glenn Richardson’s fresh account of the reign of the “first gentleman of France” is full of the vibrant colour and bold innovations of France’s great Renaissance king. It is a story of statecraft, courtiers, lovers, battles and some of the finest royal architecture still standing in France today.

  '

  Jonathan Spangler, Senior Lecturer in History, Manchester Metropolitan University

Introduction: Francis i, ‘Renaissance’ Monarch
1 Le roi chevalier
2 A Kingdom in the Hazard
3 Francis as Governor and Patron
4 The Warrior Again
Epilogue: ‘Le Grand Roi François’?

References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index

Glenn Richardson is Professor of Early Modern History at St Mary’s University, London, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His books include Wolsey (2020) and The Field of Cloth of Gold (2013).