Editing Francis I of France (section)

===Image and reputation===
[[File:Grand culverin of Francis I 140mm 307cm Algiers recovered in 1830.jpg|thumb|[[Calibres de France|Grand culverin]] of Francis I, with his emblem and motto. A gift to his Ottoman allies recovered in [[Algiers]] in 1830. [[Musée de l'Armée]].]]

Francis I has a poor reputation in France—his 500th anniversary was little noted in 1994. Popular and scholarly historical memory ignores his building of so many chateaux, his art collection, and his patronage of scholars and artists. He is seen as a playboy who disgraced France by allowing himself to be defeated and taken prisoner at Pavia. The historian [[Jules Michelet]] set the negative image.<ref>Knecht, Robert J. (2000). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/24412871 "'Born between two women...' Jules Michelet and Francis I." ''Renaissance Studies'' 14#3: 329–343.] ''JSTOR''.</ref>

Francis's personal emblem was the [[salamander (legendary creature)|salamander]] and his Latin motto was {{lang|la|Nutrisco et extinguo}} ("I nourish [the good] and extinguish [the bad]").{{Sfnp|Richardson|2015}} His long nose earned him the nickname {{lang|fr|François du Grand Nez}} ('Francis of the Big Nose'), and he was also colloquially known as the {{lang|fr|Grand Colas}} or {{lang|fr|Bonhomme Colas}}. For his personal involvement in battles, he was known as {{lang|fr|le Roi-Chevalier}} ('the Knight-King') or {{lang|fr|le Roi-Guerrier}} ('the Warrior-King').<ref>[[Éditions Larousse|Larousse]] [https://archive.today/20130213110523/http://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/article/Laroussefr_-_Article/11020086]</ref>

British historian Glenn Richardson considers Francis a success:
:He was a king who ruled as well as reigned. He knew the importance of war and a high international profile in staking his claim to be a great warrior-king of France. In battle, he was brave, if impetuous, which led equally to triumph and disaster. Domestically, Francis exercised the spirit and letter of the royal prerogative to its fullest extent. He bargained hard over taxation and other issues with interest groups, often by appearing not to bargain at all. He enhanced royal power and concentrated decision-making in a tight personal executive but used a wide range of offices, gifts and his own personal charisma to build up an elective personal affinity among the ranks of the nobility upon whom his reign depended&nbsp;.... Under Francis, the court of France was at the height of its prestige and international influence during the 16th century. Although opinion has varied considerably over the centuries since his death, his cultural legacy to France, to its Renaissance, was immense and ought to secure his reputation as among the greatest of its kings.{{Sfnp|Richardson|2015|p=45}}