Francis I (The Maker of Modern France) - Leonie Frieda

''A captivating biography ... This rollicking story is packed with anecdotes'' The Times''I can''t suppose that there has been a better English biography of Francis, or indeed is likely to be one'' Catholic HeraldFrancis I was inconstant, amorous, hot-headed and flawed. Arguably he was also the most significant king that France ever had. A contemporary of Henry VIII of England, Francis saw himself as the first Renaissance king. A courageous and heroic warrior, he was also a keen aesthete, an accomplished diplomat and an energetic ruler who turned his country into a force to be reckoned with. Bestselling historian Leonie Frieda''s comprehensive and sympathetic account explores the life of the most human of all Renaissance monarchs - and the most enigmatic.