Francis I of France
- "Some people—even Kings—will do anything for publicity."
- ―Ezio Auditore on Francis I, 1519.[src]
Francis I (French: François I; 1494 – 1547), born François de Valois et d' Angoulême and nicknamed Francis of the Large Nose, was the King of France from 1515 until his death.
Biography[edit | edit source]
In 1515, Francis succeeded his cousin Louis XII, who died without a male heir. That year, the young widow of Louis XII, Mary Tudor, resided at the Hôtel de Cluny. Fearing that she would give birth to a son who could take his place on the throne, Francis kept her under surveillance. He found her in a romantic relationship with the Duke of Suffolk, her military attaché. After being married, the two were sent to England.[1]
At the same time, he also constructed the Pont au Double in Paris that connects the Île de la Cité with the southern bank of the Seine to transport patients to the Hôtel-Dieu hospital on the Île de la Cité.[2] In the course of following years, the Saint-Jacques Tower was also built.[3]
During Leonardo da Vinci's later life, Francis offered him a mansion in Amboise to spend his final years. After da Vinci passed away in 1519, Francis falsely claimed to have been at his deathbed when he drew his last breath, while truthfully da Vinci's friends Ezio Auditore and Niccolò Machiavelli were the only ones present to witness his death. When Ezio heard of the rumor from Machiavelli, he stated that "some people—even Kings—will do anything for publicity".[4]
Beginning in 1546, Francis had the Louvre expanded and improved.[5]
Legacy[edit | edit source]
In 2012, Francis was included in a mnemonic set in Abstergo Industries' Project Legacy.[6]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy (mnemonic set only)
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Unity (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Echoes of History (mentioned only)