Louis XII

Louis XII
Louis XII in 1514
King of France (more...)
Reign	7 April 1498 – 1 January 1515
Coronation	27 May 1498
Predecessor	Charles VIII
Successor	Francis I
Duke of Milan
Reign	6 September 1499 – 16 June 1512
Predecessor	Ludovico Sforza
Successor	Massimiliano Sforza
King of Naples
Reign	2 August 1501 – 31 January 1504
Predecessor	Frederick
Successor	Ferdinand III
Born	27 June 1462 Château de Blois
Died	1 January 1515(1515-01-01) (aged 52) Hôtel des Tournelles
Burial	4 January 1515 Saint Denis Basilica
Spouse	Joan of France ​ ​ (m. 1476; ann. 1498)​ Anne, Duchess of Brittany ​ ​ (m. 1499; died 1514)​ Mary Tudor ​ (m. 1514)​
Issue more...	Claude, Queen of France Renée, Duchess of Ferrara Michel, Archbishop of Bourges (ill.)
House	Valois-Orléans
Father	Charles, Duke of Orléans
Mother	Marie of Cleves
Signature

Louis XII of France (June 27, 1462 – January 1, 1515) was the son of Charles, Duke of Orleans and Mary of Cleves. He was born on June 27, 1462 in the Chateau de Blois, France.

Louis's first wife was Jeanne of France, who was the daughter of Louis XI of France. At the time, Louis was not expected to become King of France. The King, Charles VIII, was a young man and could still have had children, but Charles had an accident and died suddenly. Charles was Jeanne's brother. Louis was Charles's cousin and next in line to the throne. When he became king, he had to end his marriage to Jeanne, partly because she was disabled and could not have children.

Louis's second wife was Anne of Brittany, who was the daughter of Francis II, Duke of Brittany. Anne had been married to King Charles VIII until his death, but all of their children had died. As a result of her marriage to Charles, the dukedom of Brittany had become part of the kingdom of France. Louis wanted to keep Brittany, but in order to do so he had to marry Anne. After her marriage to Louis, Anne had two daughters, who were called Claude and Renee.

In France, women were not allowed to rule the country, so Louis still wanted a son to become king after him. After Anne died, Louis married for a third time. His last wife was Mary Tudor, the sister of Henry VIII of England. She was many years younger than he was. Louis only lived for three months after their marriage. Because Louis had no sons, the throne went to Francis, the husband of his daughter Claude.