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the attainment of any purpose, however desirable, she refused to comply. The duke expired in her arms, in October 1457, after having reigned seven years. Arthur, his successor, wanted to deprive her of her dowry, and caused her many unpleasant embarrassments. To ensure her a protector, her father was anxious to engage her in a second marriage with the prince of Savoy; and the king, Lewis XI., and the queen of France, took the most lively interest in the affair; but neither their solicitations, nor those of her father, could overcome the resolution she had formed, of living in perpetual widowhood; and at length, to put an end not only to their entreaties, but to their well-meant though ineffectual constraint, she retired into a convent, near Vannes, and took the habit of a Carmelite. She died in 1485.

ANNE of BEAUJEAU, daughter of Lewis XI., of France, was born in the year 1462, and was, at a very early age, remarkable for extent of sagacity, and an aspiring turn of mind. By the command of her father, she was united to Peter of Bourbon, the youngest brother to the duke of Bourbon; a prince of moderate talents, and pusillanimous mind, by whom she was left sole mistress of his household, and entire manager of his affairs. On the death of Lewis, he appointed his son-inlaw lieutenant-general of the kingdom, knowing that the weight of government would be entirely placed in his daughter's hands, as his son Charles VIII., was a youth of very moderate abilities, and was not quite fourteen years of age. By acts of popular justice, and the sacrifice of the late ministers, who had wantonly abused the trust which had been placed in their hands. Anne conciliated the favour of the people, and restored the nation to tranquillity and peace. The duke of Orleans, however, opposed her authority, but she boldly checked his presumptious plans and designs; and at length obliged him to seek shelter in Brittany, under the protection of Francis II. After great varieties of fortune, alternate battles, and negociations, through the enterprising spirit of Anne, Brittany was annexed to the crown of France, by a marriage which she concluded between the young duchess, who had succeeded to the dominions of her father, and that tool of her superior sagacity, Charles VIII. By the death of John duke of Bourbon, her husband's eldest brother, who died without issue, she became duchess of Bourbon, and obtained an acquisition of power. Soon afterwards, Charles VIII. died, and was succeeded by the duke of Orleans, which excited an alarm in the breast of Anne. The new king, however, displayed no manner of resentment against the duchess, but suffered her to retain the place in council which she had held in Charles's life. Her husband died in the year 1503, and nineteen years afterwards, Anne was buried by his side. Placed in a situation which called

for both talents and exertion, Anne of Beaujeau was calculated to shine; but she does not appear to have possessed any of that feminine softness for which her sex are so generally admired.

CHARLES VIII., king of France, son of Lewis XI., and Charlotte of Savoy, was born at Amboise in 1470. His father neglected his education, and brought him up among persons of low condition, so that when he came to the throne in 1483, he afforded small hopes of filling it with dignity. He was also weak in constitution and deformed in person, yet his eyes had a peculiar vivacity. He fell first under the tutelage of his sister, Anne of Beaujeau, a woman of merit and abilities, who conducted with wisdom the stormy affairs of a minority. The States-General held in 1484, made various salutary regulations. The ambition of the duke of Orleans, afterwards Lewis XII., caused a civil and foreign war, in which the malcontent party was aided by the dukes of Brittany and Orange, Maximilian of Austria, and the duke of Lorraine. The young king marched with his troops against the insurgents, invaded Brittany, and his general, la Tremoille, in 1488, gained the decisive battle of St. Aubin, in which the dukes of Orleans and Orange were made prisoners, and the rebellion was terminated. The king's counsellors, sensible of the great importance of uniting Brittany to his crown, now began to negociate a match between him and Anne, the heiress of that state; and notwithstanding her aversion to the proposal, and her previous contract to Maximilian of Austria, the union was effected in 1491, chiefly by the influence of the duke of Orleans, whom Charles had set at liberty. This event occasioned a war with Maximilian, aided by Henry VII., of England, but it was soon concluded by a peace with Henry, and a truce with Maximilian. Charles determined on an expedition to Naples, upon which kingdom he had claims as heir to the house of Anjou. In 1494, contrary to the representations of his mother and wisest counsellors, he marched for the conquest of Naples, with few troops and less money. Such, however, was the martial superiority of the French over the Italians, that his progress was unresisted. Florence opened her gates to him. Rome followed the example, while the pope, Alexander VI., took refuge in the castle of St. Angelo. In the space of six weeks, Charles traversed Italy, entered Naples in triumph, and in a fortnight more became master of the whole kingdom, the port of Brindisi excepted. The tyrant Alphonso of Arragon fled in dismay; and the success of Charles was, so far, beyond his expectations. He then gave himself up to festivities, and abandoned the care of affairs to incapable favourites, while a league was forming against him of all the powers in Italy, joined by the emperor, and the king of Spain. It became necessary for him to return, and leaving only 4000 men in Naples to protect his conquest, he proceeded northwards with an army of

7 or 8000 men, while one of 30,000 was assembled to oppose him. He encountered them in the valley of Fornuovo, and defeated this numerous host, with the loss of no more than eighty men. He marched on, forced Lodovic Sforza duke of Milan, to purchase a peace, and crossed the mountains; losing however his kingdom of Naples almost as quickly as he had gained it. His health now began to decline, and he appeared sensible of the false steps he had taken. He had laid several plans for the reformation of the state, and the alleviation of the public burdens, when in April 1498, he was attacked with an apoplectic stroke, which soon carried him off, in the twenty-eighth year of his age, and fifteenth of his reign. He left no issue, and in him the direct line of Philip of Valois came to an end. His character was summed up with much simple brevity by Philip de Comines. "He was, in truth, a little man, and of no great capacity, but so good tempered, that it was not possible to see a better creature.' The surnames of the Courteous and the Affable confirm this eulogy.

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ANNE of BRITTANY, daughter of Francis II., duke of Brittany, was born at Nantz, January 26, 1476, and educated by her father with peculiar attention, in consequence of considering her heir to his domains. Though a lady of the name of Savarl was appointed governess to the young princess, the duke superintended all the studies himself, and the facility with which she received his instruction, afforded the highest gratification to his mind. When scarcely five years of age, Anne was promised in marriage to Edward prince of Wales, eldest son of Edward IV.; but by the tragical death of that prince, the contract was of course dissolved. From the repu

tation of her beauty and accomplishments, as she advanced towards maturity, the duke received several splendid offers for her hand; and amongst the number of her suitors was the duke of Orleans, who, in consequence of having excited the resentment of Anne of Beaujeau, had been obliged to quit France. To accomplish his desire of uniting himself to this amiable princess, he determined to implore the pope to grant him a divorce from his wife Joan, the daughter of Lewis XI. Francis being engaged in a war with the French, gave the duke of Orleans a command, who proved unsuccessful in the employment he had undertaken, and was made prisoner of war. In a few months after this event, by the death of her father, Anne was left in a perilous and unprotected state; for the orphan heiress of this spacious dominion had then scarcely reached her fourteenth year. Maximilian, king of the Romans, whose daughter Margaret was betrothed to Charles VIII., king of France, made proposals of marriage to Anne of Brittany, and offered to assist her against the French. Though the duke of Orleans had made a strong impression upon the heart

of this young princess, yet as there seemed insurmountable barriers to the accomplishment of their desires, she accepted the proposals made by Maximilian, and they were married by proxy in 1490. In the mean time, Anne of Beaujeau, despairing of uniting Brittany to the French dominions, proposed a marriage between the young princess and Charles, who had felt no particular partiality to his betrothed wife; and though the wedding had only been delayed until Margaret was old enough to have it celebrated, by the sagacious plans of Anne of Beaujeau, the engagement was dissolved, and Anne of Brittany, not finding herself able to cope with her French adversaries, united their interests by giving Charles her reluctant hand. With a marriage formed upon mere interest, there appeared little probability that happiness would succeed; yet as the king possessed an amiable temper, and great pliancy of mind, Anne certainly enjoyed a greater portion of conjugal felicity, that in such circumstances there was reason to expect. Maximilian found himself doubly injured; his daughter had been returned to him unmarried, and her betrothed husband was united to his intended wife; of course, he became a decided enemy to the French monarch, and took every opportunity of harassing him. The king of France at length found his health declining, and retired with his queen to a favourite retreat, for the purpose of placing his affairs in order, and making necessary preparations for the awful summons he expected to receive. Upon the death of Charles VIII., the queen was for some days inconsolable; she soon afterwards quitted France, and retired to her hereditary dominions. The duke of Orleans having been raised to the throne by the death of his relation, who expired without issue, obtained a dispensation from the pope to repudiate his wife, under a pretence that the deformity of her person prevented the possibility of her giving him an heir. His affection for his former favourite burst forth with redoubled ardour, the moment he knew she was disengaged; and he determined to leave no means untried to reanimate a passion which he knew had once taken possession of her heart. Dormant tenderness pleaded strongly in the new monarch's favour, and the queen after a time listened to his proposals with sensations of delight. They were accordingly united, and tasted that refinement of domestic happiness which is seldom enjoyed by persons in so elevated a state. The respectful affection which Lewis had so long cherished, suffered no diminution from possession; for the queen, by the sweetness of her manners, obtained an entire ascendancy over his heart; by her example she encouraged virtue, discountenanced licentiousness, was the pride of her husband, and the delight of the court. The queens of France owed to Anne many of their prerogatives; among which, may be named that of giving audience to ambas

sadors, and having a guard of a hundred gentlemen at their command; she was likewise the first French queen who made use of black for mourning, which she wore upon the death of Charles. This amiable princess expired in consequence of improper treatment in child-bed, in her thirty-eighth year. In the anecdotes of the queens of France, the following account is given of her, with which it may not be inapplicable to conclude this sketch of her life. "The complexion of Anne of Brittany was remarkable for its exquisite whiteness, animated by the most attractive bloom. Her face was rather a long oval; her forehead high and ample, in which modesty and majesty were happily combined; her nose well formed, her mouth beautiful, and expression was painted in every turn of her eyes. Her stature was of the middle height; her air noble; she expressed herself with eloquence; and her manners were refined. Her temper was at once generous and benevolent; her heart kind, open, and sincere. Her piety was fervent; yet her religious principles had not the advantage of investigation, in consequence of which, she was rather blindly attached to her cause. Upon the death of this amiable princess, Lewis XII. was inconsolable, for he was attached to her with a degree of ardour which few men feel; but she doubtless richly deserved all his tenderness, and amply returned the affection which occupied his heart." GIANGIACOPO TRIVULZIO, an eminent general, was born about 1447, of a noble Milanese family. His attachment to the party of the Guelphs, caused him to be banished from his country, when he entered into the service of Ferdinand I. king of Arragon. When the kingdom of Naples was invaded by Charles VIII. in 1495, Trivulzio, who had been entrusted with the defence of Capua, finding the superiority of the French arms, delivered up the city, and entered into the service of Charles, a treachery that admits of no other excuse than that it was often practised by the Italian mercenary leaders. He commanded the vanguard at the battle of Fornuovo, for his services in which he obtained the order of St. Michael, and the rank of lieutenant-general of the French army in Lombardy. He took Alexandria de la Paglia, defeated the troops of Lodovico, and when Lewis XII. entered Italy in 1499, he followed that prince to the conquest of Milan. He was made governor of that city, and honoured with the staff of marshal of France. He accompanied Lewis when he made his solemn entry into Genoa in 1504; and acquired much glory at the battle of Aignadel in 1509. He is charged with having been the cause of the defeat of the French before Novara; but he repaired that fault by his essential services in the passage of the Alps by Francis I., in 1515, and by his great exertions at the battle of Marignano in that year. Of this engagement he said, "that the twenty actions in which he had before been present, were mere children's play to it, which was truly a battle of giants."

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