Rambouillet Ile-de-France France

The Florentine Luigi Alamanni, court poet to King Francis, writes his most important work in 1546: La coltivazione (“On Cultivation”), a didactic poem about rustic life.

His also writes a comedy, La Flora; a tragedy, Antigone; and many epigrams.

Alamanni is credited with introducing the epigram into Italian poetry.

French persecution of Protestants has increased during the past decade under King Francis.

The royal court has divided into factions under the influence of Francis' favorites and his mistress, the duchesse d'Etampes.

War with the Holy Roman Empire, together with arts patronage, has so strained the royal resources that François has had to adopt devices such as the sale of government offices and the prosecution of his own financiers.

The sixty-year-old king dies at Rambouillet on March 31, 1547, the twenty-eighth birthday of his son, who succeeds him as Henry II.

Henry, married for fourteen years to Catherine de’ Medici, whom he neglects, is dominated by his mistress, the beautiful, intelligent, and cultured Diane de Poitiers.

When Francis I was still alive, Diane had to compete at the court with Anne de Pisseleu, the king's favorite.

She had had the latter exiled on her lands upon Francis I's death.

Anne, duc de Montmorency, the constable of France, returns to favor at the accession of Henry and is restored to authority.

The French court soon becomes a center of rivalry between the families of Montmorency and Guise, and Henry’s administration expands the practice of selling government offices.