The reign of Louis XII (1498-1515) has been much neglected by historians. Bernard Chevalier has recently described it as belonging to a "no man's land where neither the medievalists nor the modernists dare to penetrate." Overshadowed by the spectacular rule of his successor Francis I, Louis XII has been oddly passed over.

While not in the front rank of French monarchs, Louis XII, "The Father of the People," remains an interesting and appealing figure. The events of his reign were highly significant to the future of the French state: from the unremittingly brutal Italian campaigns to Henry VIII's invasion, from Louis's disputes with the Papacy to his marriages' political complications.

France's church, legal system, and cultural life (most markedly the introduction of the Renaissance) were all subject to significant change, and many of the achievements commonly associated with Francis I were in fact rooted in those of his predecessor. This is a lucid and highly readable account of a fascinating period in French history and is essential to a clear understanding of sixteenth-century France.