Francis I: The Maker of Modern France

I was given a copy of this book by Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review.

Today's Nonfiction post is on Francis I: The Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda. It is 384 pages long and is Harper Collins. The cover is a portrait of Francis I. The intended reader is someone who is interested in French history. There is foul language, talk of sex, and discussion of violence. Much of the text is taken from first hand historical documents. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The bestselling author of Catherine de Medici returns to sixteenth-century Europe in this evocative and entertaining biography that recreates a remarkable era of French history and brings to life a great monarch—Francis I—who turned France into a great nation.
Catherine de Medici’s father-in-law, King Francis of France, was the perfect Renaissance knight, the movement’s exemplar and its Gallic interpreter. An aesthete, diplomat par excellence, and contemporary of Machiavelli, Francis was the founder of modern France, whose sheer force of will and personality molded his kingdom into the first European superpower. Arguably the man who introduced the Renaissance to France, Francis was also the prototype Frenchman—a national identity was modeled on his character. So great was his stamp, that few countries even now are quite so robustly patriotic as is France. Yet as Leonie Frieda reveals, Francis did not always live up to his ideal; a man of grand passions and vision, he was also a flawed husband, father, lover, and king.
With access to private archives that have never been used in a study of Francis I, Frieda explores the life of a man who was the most human of the monarchs of the period—and yet, remains the most elusive.

Review- A well written piece about a little known king. Frieda is an excellent writer, she takes some very old documents and information about Frances I and makes it interesting and readable. We follow Frances I from the moment his mother has a vision about her son becoming king of France all the way to his death and what his son Henri II does just after his death. Frieda makes an excellent case for Frances I being the king that made or at least helped the Renaissance happen in France as quickly as it did by having a great interest in the arts and supporting artists. But she also talks about his great failings like making war with his neighbors when finding a peaceful solution would have been better for everyone. If you are looking for something a little different about the in-between time of the middle ages and the Renaissance, then you should give this book a look.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars.