Editing Francis I of France (section)

==Early life and Accession==
Francis of Orléans was born on 12 September 1494 at the Château de Cognac in the town of [[Cognac, France|Cognac]],{{Sfnp|Knecht|1982|p=1–2}} which at that time lay in the province of [[County of Saintonge|Saintonge]], a part of the [[Duchy of Aquitaine]]. Today the town lies in the [[Departments of France|department]] of [[Charente]].

Francis was the only son of [[Charles, Count of Angoulême|Charles of Orléans, Count of Angoulême]], and [[Louise of Savoy]], and a great-great-grandson of King [[Charles V of France]].<ref>{{cite book |author-link=Robert Knecht |last=Knecht |first=Robert |title=The Valois |publisher=Hambledon Continuum |date=2004 |page=112}}</ref> His family was not expected to inherit the throne, as his third cousin King [[Charles VIII of France|Charles VIII]] was still young at the time of his birth, as was his father's cousin the [[Louis XII of France|Duke of Orléans]], later King Louis&nbsp;XII. However, Charles VIII died childless in 1498 and was succeeded by Louis&nbsp;XII, who himself had no male heir.{{Sfnp|Knecht|1982|p=3}} The [[Salic Law]] prevented women from inheriting the throne. Therefore, the four-year-old Francis (who was already [[Count of Angoulême]] after the death of his own father two years earlier) became the [[heir presumptive]] to the throne of France in 1498 and was vested with the title of [[Duke of Valois]].{{Sfnp|Knecht|1982|p=3}}

In 1505, Louis&nbsp;XII, having fallen ill, ordered his daughter [[Claude of France|Claude]] and Francis to be married immediately, but only through an assembly of nobles were the two engaged.{{Sfnp|Knecht|1982|pp=8, 9}} Claude was heir presumptive to the [[Duchy of Brittany]] through her mother, [[Anne of Brittany]]. Following Anne's death, the marriage took place on 18 May 1514.{{Sfnp|Knecht|1982|p=11}} On 1 January 1515, Louis died, and Francis inherited the throne. He was crowned King of France in the [[Cathedral of Reims]] on 25 January 1515, with Claude as his [[Queen consort of France|queen consort]].{{Sfnp|Knecht|1982|p=16}}