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***THE DAUGHTER OF THE SPIDER KING.***

I was born in Genappe, Burgundy, the daughter of King Louis XI and Queen Charlotte de Savoie, in the year of 1461. The exact date remains unknown but scholars believe I was born in the summer time. Back in 1461, my father was the Dauphin -Crown Prince- of France, for my grandfather King Charles VII was still alive. My parents lived in exile and under the protection of the Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy since my father and my grand father were on bad terms. Nonetheless, on August of that year Charles VII died and my father was crowned King of France under the name of Louis XI. From then on I'd be known as Princess "Anne of France". This painting represents my parents :

I was raised by my mother, Queen Charlotte, who made sure I developed a passion for books. I read everything from religious works to Poetry and History. We lived in the fortress of Amboise, located in the Loire Valley. My father was often absent: He was constantly conquering new territories for the French Crown. He expanded the Royal domains the same way a spider expands its arms, hence his nickname. I inherited his cunning, ruthlessness, and unscrupulous ambition as well as his long nose, but my fair hair and milky skin made me a beautiful young lady. I proved to be a precocious little girl. I also developed an early interest in the political world.

My mother gave birth to my poor deformed sister Jeanne in 1463, but it was only on June 30 1470 that she gave birth to a male heir, my brother Charles. Edward IV of England was named his god father and he came to Amboise for his baptism. When I came of age at merely 12 -under Middle Ages standards- many suitors asked for my hand in marriage, including Charles the Bold and Edward IV of England. My father decided to marry me to Pierre de Bourbon, Lord of Beaujeu and younger brother of Jean, Duke of Bourbon. He also married my deformed sister Jeanne to my cousin -and heir to the throne after my brother- Louis of Orleans, as a way to destroy the Orleans lineage. No one thought that Jeanne could breed. Father hated the Orleans because they had betrayed him in the past by raising arms against him.

So in 1474, I married Pierre.He was 35 and I was merely 12. I didn't complain once since as a child I already had a precocious sense of duty. I was titled as "Lady of Beaujeu" and from the start our marriage seemed to be a success: Our egos were such that together we made a great personality. We were both ambitious and well blessed with common sense. This miniature represents the banquet offered for my wedding :

As a married couple, we lived between Amboise and Beaujeu. I did my best to be a perfectly virtuous and devout wife for Pierre. Our marriage took time to be consummated due to my young age. I gave birth to a little boy whom I named Charles in 1476, but he died too soon. I was broken-hearted. Always looking to improve my status in society, I would eventually help my husband Pierre during the negotiations regarding his brother Jean's inheritance: the Bourbonnais Dukedom became ours. In 1477, Charles the Bold was killed by French Royal troops and my father began the conquest of Burgundy. Little by little, he taught me all about politics as well as the importance of reaffirming Royal authority and expanding the Royal domains. By 1482 Marie of Burgundy, Charles the Bold's heiress, died from a fall. She was just a few years older than I. My father signed the treaty of Arras with Marie's widower, Maximilian of Austria, which virtually stipulated the incorporation of the powerful Dukedom of Burgundy to France.

Marguerite, the little daughter of Marie de Bourgogne and Maximilian of Austria, was betrothed to my brother Charles. She was to be raised at the French Court with me in charge of her education. Everyone was very fond of her. She was nicknamed "La Petite Reine", or "The little Queen". By 1483, my father's health declined and he expressed his desire to name me Regent of France in the eventuality of his death. My brother Charles VIII was only 13 and he had a fragile health himself.

***THE FIGHT FOR POWER***

Father died on August 1483. Many nobles took advantage of this to rebel against Royal authority foolishly thinking the times of ruthless Monarchic rule were over. My cousin and brother in law, Louis of Orleans, lead other magnates like the Duke Francois II of Bretagne, the King of Navarre Alain d'Albret, and Philippe de Commynes to oppose me as Regent of France. They wanted to monopolize the Royal Council. Louis went as far as suggesting my mother Charlotte as Regent instead of myself. But mother died on December of that same year. I cunningly assembled the General States in the city of Tours in 1484. This painting represents the type of Castles in the 15 century where these kind of events were held:

I negotiated my Regency while granting the position of head of the Royal Council to Louis of Orleans so he'd leave me at peace for some time. In fact, I was named Regent along with my husband Pierre de Beaujeu in order settle down my chauvinistic opponents. Yet, I was the one who had the upper hand in our marriage, and in the Regency of France as well. After Charles VIII's Coronation, I was in total control of the administration of the Kingdom. Little by little, Pierre gave me full authority to make decisions regarding the government of France. I managed to administrate the Kingdom quite effectively. I even restored the finances that were in bad shape after father's death. Ever a very cautious woman, I kept a close eye on my enemies such as Louis of Orleans. I tried to politically isolate him but my network of spies discovered that he had secretly signed a marriage contract with the Duke Francois II of Bretagne that would marry him to the Duke's heiress, Anne.

The bastard wanted to divorce my sister Jeanne! If Orleans and Bretagne united against me I 'd be in serious trouble. Nevertheless, Francois II's favorite, Pierre de Landais, won the antipathy of many powerful Breton nobles who were jealous of Landais's power. Needless to say, I formed alliances with the Breton nobles, notably with the powerful Francois de Rohan. Indeed, Duke Francois II was becoming senile and so he placed the government of Bretagne in hands of Landais. Getting rid of Landais meant undermining Bretagne's stability. Thus, I orchestrated a palace coup with the help of Breton nobles like Rieux, Orange and the Lady of Laval in order to destroy the Ducal favorite.

***THE "CRAZY WAR" AND THE CONQUEST OF BRETAGNE***

In 1485, Pierre Landais was arrested and executed. With Landais out of the way, my main enemies were a senile Duke and his seven year old daughter. Meanwhile, I ordered the arrest of Louis of Orleans who was still hiding in Bretagne. By the end of 1485, I invaded his domains and his city of Orleans. With his lands destroyed by my army, the rebel Prince was forced to come back to Court under strict supervision. During that time, Francois II of Bretagne became allies with Maximilian of Austria who threatened to invade France from the East. I negotiated the peace of Bourges with Maximilian just to gain some time. By 1487, the ever rebellious Orleans was able to escape to Nantes in Bretagne as a sign of rebellion against my authority. This miniature represents my enemy entering Nantes as a "hero":

As a matter of fact, Louis of Orleans soon became deeply disliked by Breton nobles due to his arrogance and pride. His debauchery and scandalous sexual behavior didn't help his case much. In addition to this, allies of the Duke Francois II didn't want Anne de Bretagne to marry him since the little girl had other suitors. Suitors included Juan of Aragon, Maximilian of Austria, and Henry Tudor. Breton magnates lead by Francois de Rohan and Francoise de Dinan, Lady of Laval, decided to betray their Duke by signing the treaty of Chateaubriant which pretty much gave me green light to conquer Bretagne. This time Francois II and Louis of Orleans would pay for rebelling against me!

I immediately took lead of the French Army with Captain La Tremoille from Laval in 1488. The Royal troops outnumbered the Breton Army which consisted mainly of mercenaries from Spain and England. The large majority of Breton lords were fighting on my side.The senile Francois II waited for more help from Spain, England and Austria; help that never came. And so Bretagne fell, city by city until Louis of Orleans was captured along with his friend the prince of Orange after the decisive battle of Saint Aubin du Cormier . I sent them both to my dungeons at the Castle of Bourges, where Louis grew prematurely old due to the terrible conditions of his captivity. I used him as example for people who dared to challenge my authority. After my smashing triumph at the battle of Saint Aubin du Cormier, France was practically in charge of two thirds of Breton territory. This painting represents my conquest of Bretagne:

By 1490, Francois II died making his eldest daughter Anne the new Duchess of Bretagne. As a last attempt to safeguard her independence, the little girl married Maximilian of Austria by proxy. This violated the treaty of Verger, in which Anne de Bretagne could only marry whomever the King of France chose for her. Consequently, I pushed towards a marriage between my brother Charles VIII and Anne de Bretagne. The little Duchess took refuge at the city of Rennes since at the same time she was fighting a civil war against the Breton Lord Rieux who controlled the city of Nantes. Taking advantage of the war between Anne and the ambitious Rieux, I quickly besieged Rennes leaving the little Duchess no choice but to marry my brother. I also had to send Marguerite of Austria, Charles VIII's fiancee, back to her father Maximilian. The latter's marriage to Anne was annulled. Can you imagine the double humiliation for Austria?!The Emperor and his daughter rejected....

And so Anne de Bretagne married Charles VIII of France during a secret ceremony at the Chateau de Langeais: I wasn't at all worried about the proud and arrogant little Breton Queen for her mere role was to breed. I treated her with all the honors due to her rank but everyone knew I was in charge of politics still. She was a very devoted wife and to my surprise she became an accomplished Queen. Yet, all the jewels and silk gowns my brother gave her distracted her from ever wanting to claim her Dukedom again. And so my brother became the ruling Duke of Bretagne. Anne gave birth to the Dauphin Charles Orland in 1492, we were all overjoyed since the direct line of the Valois dynasty had an heir. Another reason of joy, on a more personal level, was the birth of my daughter Suzanne in 1491. With an heiress, the wealthy Dukedome of Bourbonnais -in Central France- was secured for me.

***THE CONQUEST OF ITALY***

My brother Charles VIII was always fascinated with stories of Chivalry and Knighthood. He was a dreamer who dreamed of conquering far away lands, so when the enemies of the Aragon dynasty of Naples offered him the thrones of Jerusalem and Naples, he accepted without thinking twice. I was more of the realistic type, so a war against Italy was not one of my priorities. In an attempt to emulate our ancestor Saint Louis, Charles was already in Lyon by 1495 -South East France- preparing an army to cross the Alps Southwards and conquer Lombardy. Of course, I was named Regent during Charles's absence for Queen Anne de Bretagne was judged to be too young. She came to Moulins -capital of my Dukedom of Bourbon- where I once again ruled France. This is a picture of my pavilion at the Bourbon Ducal Palace in Moulins:

Moulins became the unofficial capital of France under my rule. My brother managed to conquer the Kingdom of Naples quite easily and fairly rapidly. He gave Pope Alexander VI and other Italian lords a very hard time. Furthermore, the anti-French league composed by Henry VII of England, Isabel of Castile, Maximilian of Asutria and Pope Alexander VI Borgia, proved to be no match for the French Army. Evidently, by the end of 1495, Charles VIII returned from Italy all victorious. Sumptuous festivities took place in order to celebrate his conquests which included lavish masked balls, plays, jousts and tournaments. Our celebrations were tarnished with the death of the Dauphin the same year, victim of the measles. My enemy Louis of Orleans became heir to the throne.

I got rather close to Anne de Bretagne during those years. Her numerous miscarriages and my brother's constant debauchery made me feel protective over her. After a match of Jeu de Paume -Tennis- Charles VIII suddenly died in 1498 making Anne de Bretagne Queen Dowager. She resumed the administration of Bretagne and in order to remain Queen, she married Louis of Orleans who became King of France under the name of Louis XII. Louis had divorced my poor sister Jeanne who became a nun and was canonized 400 years later. I wisely decided to stay in Moulins and to retire from French political life. My Bourbonnais Dukedom was the last great fief of France to remain independent which means I had quite a lot of work to do since, as Duchess of Bourbon, I was in charge of the proper political organization of my lands.

***GLORY IN RETIREMENT, ANNE THE TEACHER***

My personal domains were quite vast. They extended from Guyana to Burgundy. They were comparable to a small kingdom within the Kingdom of France. I devoted myself to their administration. I improved the roads to encourage trade, I restored and embellished cities, castles, and fortresses, I founded hospitals and convents. I also took writers, poets, painters, architects, under my patronage. I had a fascination for gardens and fish ponds. Lorenzo the Magnificent sent many me exotic animals as gifts, including a giraffe. In order words, I held a Court of Royal proportions as Duchess of Bourbon. I remained an independent sovereign inside the Kingdom of France. Here is my personal medal:

My husband Pierre died in 1503 making me the wealthiest and most prestigious widow in France .I refused to remarry since I wanted to devote myself to the care of my Dukedom for it was by daughter's inheritance. By that time, I wrote the "Teachings for my daughter Susanne de Bourbon" book, which was a guide for noble ladies concerning manners and life in general. Soon many young ladies were sent to me for their education, including the young Queen of France Mary Tudor in 1514. I married my daughter Susanne to her cousin Charles de Bourbon in order to maintain the unity and independence of my Dukedom. As I approached old age, I saw many contemporary people die before me like my sister Jeanne in 1505, Anne de Bretagne in 1514, my enemy Louis XII in 1515 and my dear daughter Susanne in 1521.

Times changed with the new king Francis I. After my death, my son in law Charles betrayed the military incompetent Francis I who humiliated him constantly with his social climbing mother Louise de Savoie. Francis I was jealous of Charle's military accomplishments as well as jealous of his charms. He even refused to pay Charles his salary as an important member of the French Army. Charles of Bourbon understandably joined forces with the Emperor Charles V, Francis I's worst enemy. He even fought against Francis I in the battle of Pavia which gave Louise de Savoie and Francois I an excuse to incorporate the Bourbounnais Dukedom to the French Crown as punishment for "treason". But I was too old and sick to fight them. I died in 1522 before Louise de Savoie took the Bourbonnais Dukedom from me. Thank God I didn't get to see that abomination. God punished Francis I and Louise with the humiliating disaster of Pavia!

***MY LEGACY***

Ironically, the enlargement of the French Royal domains policy eventually affected my own private domains. Like my sister in law Anne de Bretagne, I too was a victim of the Valois's expansionism. Needless to say, I defended my Ducal independence to the end. As the daughter of Louis XI, I continued his politics of expanding the Royal domains and undermining the power of feudal lords. I was regent of France for ten years and under my reign I managed to crush rebellions, conquer Bretagne, restore the finances, and reaffirm Royal authority to a higher level. France was the wealthiest, largest, and most powerful Kingdom in Western Europe thanks to me. I also worked for the prestige of the house of Bourbon which would rule France from Henry IV to Louis Philippe. It is also the current ruling family of Spain. I was nicknamed "Madame la Grande" -Lady Great- by my subjects. This statue represents me in all my majesty: