1712 Lettres du Roy Louis XII, et Du Cardinal George d'Amboise. Avec Plusieurs Autres Lettres, Memoires & Instructions Ecrites Depuis 1504. Jusques & Compris 1514

Description

Illustrated, Leather Binding

In French, with some letters in Latin. In an armorial binding with 'Honi Soit Mal y Pense' to the boards'. Illustrated with a frontispiece to each volume. Volume I with one plate. Volume III with one plate. A collection of letters written by King Louis XII, the Cardinal Georges d'Amboise, and a variety of other eminent figures in the sixteenth century, including King Henry VIII. All the letters were written between 1504 and 1514, thus being the last ten years of Louis XII's reign, as he died in 1515, and the accession of Henry VIII to the throne and his first first years as King of England. The letters offer a microscopic look into this period of history, with letters of prominent figures showing the political and social issues prevalent at the times. Louis XII didn't follow his predecessors habit of imposing an absolute monarchy in France, and he did not encroach on the power of the local governments, nor on the privileges of the nobility. He was a notably popular King, being called the 'Father of the People'. Louis reduced taxes, and his short reign was known for his period of civil peace within the country. Georges d'Amboise was a Roman Catholic cardinal, and belonged to the noted noble Amboise house, a family that possessed considerable influence and power.