Louise of Savoy
Mother of Francis I, Regent of France
Who was Louise of Savoy?
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. Louise of Savoy was born at Pont-d'Ain, the eldest daughter of Philip II, Duke of Savoy and his first wife, Margaret of Bourbon. Her brother, Philibert II, Duke of Savoy, succeeded her father as ruler of the duchy and head of the House of Savoy. He was, in turn, succeeded by their half-brother Charles III, Duke of Savoy. Because her mother died when she was only seven, she was brought up by Anne de Beaujeu, who was regent of France for her brother Charles VIII.
At Amboise she met Margaret of Austria (daughter of Maximilian and Mary of Burgundy), who was betrothed to the young king and with whom Louise would negotiate peace several decades later. She was politically active and served as the regent of France in 1515, in 1525–1526 and in 1529, during the absence of her son.
Historical significance
At age eleven, Louise married Charles of Orléans, Count of Angoulême, on 16 February 1488 in Paris, though she only began living with him when she was fifteen.