Charles VIII of France

Charles VIII of France (30 June 1470 — 7 April 1498) was the King of France from 1483 to 1498. He was the son of Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy. He was born on June 30, 1470 in the Chateau d'Amboise, France.

Charles became King at age 13. Because Charles was a minor, his older sister Anne acted as his regent until he was 21 years old. 

In 1488, Anne, Duchess of Brittany was chosen to be Charles's wife. Anne, who was a wealthy, independent ruler had already agreed to marry Maximilian, the heir to the Austrian throne. To prevent the marriage, France invaded Brittany and forced Anne to change her mind. Charles and Anne were married in December 1491.

As a king he was both militarily successful and diplomatically clever, and between 1494 and 1498 he completed an invasion of Italy without much opposition. 

Although the young king was active and healthy, his children with Anne were not, and all died in infancy. So, when Charles died in an accident in April 1498, his cousin Louis succeeded him as Louis XII.

Death

Charles VIII died on 7 April 1498 as the result of an accident. While on his way to watch a game of jeu de paume (real tennis) in Amboise he struck his head on the lintel of a door.Heiner Gillmeister, Tennis: A Cultural History (London: Leicester University Press, 1998) p. 21. () At first, the king didn't seem to be affected. He joined in the game and seemed to act entirely normally. Suddenly, he collapsed and lost consciousness in front of everyone. The people with him did not feel comfortable moving the king to his apartments. Only much later was a doctor called to his bedside. Charles never regained consciousness. He died that evening at the age of 27.https://www.chateau-amboise.com/en/the-strange-death-of-charles-viii-at-amboise/

Issue

Charles married Anne of Brittany. They had 6 children:
 Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France (11 October 1492 – 16 December 1495), died of the measles when Orlando was three years old. Buried at Tours Cathedral.
 Francis (August 1493), was premature and stillborn. Buried at Notre-Dame de Cléry.
 Stillborn daughter (March 1495)
 Charles, Dauphin of France (8 September 1496 – 2 October 1496). Buried at Tours Cathedral.
 Francis, Dauphin of France (July 1497). He died several hours after his birth. Buried at Tours Cathedral.
 Anne of France (20 March 1498). She died on the day of her birth at Château de Plessis-lez-Tours. Buried at Tours Cathedral.

Notes

References

Category:Kings of France
Category:1470 births
Category:1498 deaths
Category:Deaths from head injury