 | dimadick (0)
04/27/2004 |  Louis XI was son to Charles VII. As an ambitious prince, Louis openly despised his indecisive father. He attempted several times to dethrone him without success. he finally succeeded on the throne on 1461.
Louis became known as the Spider King due to his long web of political machinations. His set goal was to transform the powerful and more or less autonomous French Feudal Lords to obedient servants of the Crown. His arch-rival in this attempt was the equaly ambitious Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy.Their conflict of fifteen years ended with the death of Charles in battle and the annexation of Burgundy to France. Anjou was soon also annexed to the state territorries.
Louis was happy to see the English War of the Roses continue and occassionaly offered assistance to the Lancastrians. This was probably an unintended result of the Yorks' alliance with Burgundy. Meanwhile Louis established close relations with his father-in-law James I of Scotland.
By the time of his death France was finally united under the Crown, England still divided among warring factions and threatened by the French-Scottish alliance. Louis had finaly surpassed his father. His son Charles VIII would soon attempt to surpass him by attempting to annex Italy.
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 | Redoedo (39)
04/04/2004 | The economic and social prosperity of Charles VII's reign continued into Louis XI's reign. Louis XI focused primarily on restoring the power of the monarchy, as it had been substantially weakened as a result of the Hundred Years' War. Louis left the monarchy stronger than he found it, but otherwise made no real lasting contributions to French society.
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