Editing History of France (section)

=== Consolidation (15th and 16th centuries) ===
[[File:Weyden Karl der Kuehne.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|[[Charles the Bold]], the last Valois [[Duke of Burgundy]]. His death at the [[Battle of Nancy]] (1477) marked the division of his lands between the kings of France and Habsburg dynasty.]]
With the death in 1477 of [[Charles the Bold]], France and the Habsburgs began a long process of dividing his rich Burgundian lands, leading to numerous wars. In 1532, Brittany was [[Union between Brittany and France|incorporated]] into the Kingdom of France.

France engaged in the long [[Italian Wars]] (1494–1559), which marked the beginning of early modern France. [[Francis I of France|Francis I]] faced powerful foes, and he was captured at [[Battle of Pavia|Pavia]]. The French monarchy then sought for allies and found one in the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The [[Barbarossa (Ottoman admiral)|Ottoman Admiral Barbarossa]] captured Nice in 1543 and handed it down to Francis I.

During the 16th century, the Spanish and Austrian [[Habsburgs]] were the dominant power in Europe. The many domains of [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] encircled France. The [[Tercio|Spanish Tercio]] was used with great success against French knights. Finally, on 7 January 1558, the [[Francis, Duke of Guise|Duke of Guise]] seized Calais from the English.

Economic historians call the era from about 1475 to 1630 the "beautiful 16th century" because of the return of peace, prosperity and optimism across the nation, and the steady growth of population. In 1559, [[Henri II of France|Henry II of France]] signed (with the approval of [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor]]) [[Italian War of 1551–1559#Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559)|two treaties (''Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis'')]]: one with [[Elizabeth I of England]] and one with [[Philip II of Spain]]. This ended long-lasting conflicts between France, England and Spain.