On New Year’s Day in 1515, King Louis XII of France died ~ much to the elation of Henry VIII’s little sister, Mary Tudor.
Henry had sent his sister to marry the overweight, old French king.
Obviously Mary was less than impressed about this, and asked that once he died she would be free to choose her next match….
King Louis himself had an interesting life.
He became king purely by accident.
Louis cousin, King Charles VIII died after hitting his head on a doorframe.
As Charles had no immediate heirs, Louis inherited the throne.
The first thing he did when he became King, was to annul his marriage to Joan of France.
Louis had no interest in Joan, their marriage was purely political.
He claimed it was because Joan was so deformed, that he couldn’t ‘do his business’ with her.
Joan had a curvature of the spine, and humiliated, she left and became a nun.
Louis then married his cousin Charles’ widow, Anne of Brittany.
Louis and Anne’s marriage produced 4 stillborn boys and 2 daughters.
Anne died in January 1514.
By October 1514Louis had married Mary Tudor ~ in a last ditch attempt to produce a male heir.
It didn’t work though, because legend has it that Louis went to town making love to his new beautiful young nubile bride ~ so much so that all the excitement killed him.
Their marriage had lasted 3 months.
As fun as it is, imaging a randy old king chasing his young bride around the bedroom, in reality, it was gout that did the old king in.
On 24th December 1514, Louis was reportedly suffering from a severe case of gout.
In the early hours of 1st January 1515, he received the final sacraments and died later that evening.
Louis was interred in Saint Denis Basillica.
Mary Tudor, now Dowager Queen of France, was forced to stay in France for a few months after Louis’ death, incase she was carrying the future King of France.
She wasn’t and the crown passed to Louis’ cousin and son-in-law King Francis I ~ who later went on the wrestle the life out of Henry VIII at the Field of Cloth of Gold…..
