Editing Provence (section)

=== Good King René, the last ruler of Provence ===
The 15th century saw a series of wars between the kings of [[Crown of Aragon|Aragon]] and the counts of Provence. In 1423 the army of [[Alfonso V of Aragon|Alphonse of Aragon]] captured Marseille, and in 1443 they captured Naples, and forced its ruler, King [[René I of Naples]], to flee. He eventually settled in one of his remaining territories, Provence.

History and legend has given René the title "Good King René of Provence", though he only lived in Provence in the last ten years of his life, from 1470 to 1480, and his political policies of territorial expansion were costly and unsuccessful. Provence benefitted from population growth and economic expansion, and René was a generous patron of the arts, sponsoring painters [[Nicolas Froment]], [[Louis Bréa]], and other masters. He also completed one of the finest castles in Provence at [[Tarascon castle|Tarascon]], on the Rhône river.

When René died in 1480, his title passed to his nephew [[Charles IV, Duke of Anjou|Charles du Maine]]. One year later, in 1481, when Charles died, the title passed to [[Louis XI of France]]. Provence was legally incorporated into the French royal domain in 1486.

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File:Nicolas Froment 004.jpg|Detail of the ''Burning Bush'' [[triptych]] by [[Nicolas Froment]], showing [[René of Anjou|René]] and his wife [[Jeanne de Laval]]
File:Tarascon Le Chateau.jpg|The [[Château de Tarascon|Chateau of René]] in [[Tarascon]] (15th century)
</gallery>