The first woman whose life is described in the book is Louise de Savoy, mother of Francis I. Louise of Savoy (11 September 1476 – 22 September 1531) was a French noble and regent, Duchess suo jure of Auvergne and Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours and the mother of King Francis I and Marguerite of Navarre.
As her mother died, she was brought up by Anne de Beaujeu, who was regent of France for her brother Charles VIII. Anne of France (or Anne de Beaujeu; 3 April 1461 – 14 November 1522) was a French princess and regent, the eldest daughter of Louis XI by Charlotte of Savoy. Anne was the sister of Charles VIII, for whom she acted as regent during his minority from 1483 until 1491. During the regency she was one of the most powerful women of late fifteenth-century Europe, and was referred to as "Madame la Grande"
Another charge of Anne de Beaujeu was Margaret of Austria, who was engaged to Charles VIII until he repudiated her. Margaret of Austria (10 January 1480 – 1 December 1530) was Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands from 1507 to 1515 and again from 1519 until her death in 1530. She was the first of many female regents in the Netherlands.
Louise de Savoy was married to Charles, Count of Angouleme. Charles of Orléans (1459 – 1 January 1496) was the Count of Angoulême from 1467 until his death.
Louise discovered that her husband had two mistresses, Antoinette de Polignac and Jeanne Comte, and she had friendly relationships with them.
Antoinette de Polignac (born around 1470) was a noblewoman and the prominent mistress of Charles, Count of Angoulême. She served as a lady-in-waiting to his wife, Louise of Savoy, and acted as châtelaine of the Château de Cognac. Together, Charles and Antoinette had two daughters: Jeanne d'Angoulême and Madeleine d'Angoulême.
Louise had two children, Margaret and Francis.
Charles VIII died in 1498 as the result of an accident. While on his way to watch a game, he struck his head on the lintel of a door. While returning from the game, he fell into a sudden coma and died nine hours later.
Charles was succeeded by Louis, Duke of Orleans. Louis XII (27 June 1462 – 1 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans, was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504.
Louis was married to Joan of Frnce who couldn't have children, so he had an annulment. Joan of France (23 April 1464 – 4 February 1505) was briefly Queen of France as wife of King Louis XII, in between the death of her brother, King Charles VIII, and the annulment of her marriage.
Louis XII then married Anne of Brittany, Charles VIII's widow. Anne of Brittany (25/26 January 1477 – 9 January 1514) was suo jure Duchess of Brittany from 1488 until her death, and Queen of France from 1491 to 1498 and again from 1499 to her death. She was the only woman to have been queen consort of France twice.
The king sent Louise and her children to the Castle of Amboise. The Château d'Amboise is a château in Amboise, in the Indre-et-Loire department of the Loire Valley in France. Confiscated by the monarchy in the 15th century, it became a favoured royal residence and was extensively rebuilt.
Louis XII and Anne of Brittany only had a daughter as she suffered from miscarriages. As Francis was the heir, Louis XII had him and his daughter, Princess Claude, married. Claude of France (13 October 1499 – 26 July 1524) was s Queen of France as the wife of Francis I.
Anne of Britanny died and Louis XII married Mary Tudor, who was eighteen at the time, and Francis feared that she may give the king a male heir. Mary Tudor (18 March 1496 – 25 June 1533) was an English princess who was briefly Queen of France as the third wife of King Louis XII. Louis was more than 30 years her senior.
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