François I. Valitseja ning metseen - Gerd Treffer

Year 1515. FRANÇOIS I (1494-1547), one of the most brilliant rulers of Renaissance Europe, ascends the French throne to the jubilation of the people. His great passions were women, hunting, traveling and fine arts. Influenced by the Italian Renaissance, he made the French court the center of art and court culture, where Leonardo da Vinci, Benvenuto Cellini, father and son Clouet, etc. worked. The magnificent castle ensembles of Fontainebleau and Chambord built during his time were imitated throughout Europe. However, François I has not only gone down in history as an admired royal patron - after all, his powerful neighbors were the German Emperor Charles V, the Popes of Rome and the English King Henry VIII....