Louise de Savoie. The King's Mother, Alter Rex

Louise de Savoie occupies a singular place at the French royal court : neither queen nor queen-mother, but mother of the King, she nonetheless played a prominent role in the political and cultural affairs of France. Daughter of Philippe de Bresse, duc de Savoie, she was raised at the court of her aunt, Anne de France, and married in 1488 at age 11 to Charles d’Angoulême, head of a cadet branch of the royal house of Valois. At Cognac where the couple resided, she gave birth to her illustrious children, Marguerite in 1492, and François in 1494. After the sudden death of her husband in 1496, she was herself still too young to be appointed their official guardian. Obliged to share that responsibility with Louis d’Orléans who became king in 1498, the young widow nonetheless asserted her authority in their education. How she succeeded in establishing her place at court, while her son, at first a distant heir to the throne, rose to be king in 1515, can be viewed through her astute patronage of arts and letters. Keenly aware of the power of books and images, Louise multiplied commissions that would reinforce her own position and that of her family and entourage, striving to align herself with illustrious women, past and present. Identified with "Dame Prudence" as she overcame obstacles and rivals, Louise de Savoie’s tenacious devotion to her children culminated in power that was fully recognized in the appointment of "Madame" as Regent of France.