Francis I of France was a king.
Francis I -LRB- Francois Ier -RRB- -LRB- 12 September 1494 -- 31 March 1547 -RRB- was the first King of France from the Angouleme branch of the House of Valois , reigning from 1515 until his death .. King of France. List of French monarchs. House of Valois. House of Valois. He was the son of Charles , Count of Angouleme , and Louise of Savoy .. Louise of Savoy. Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his cousin and father-in-law Louis XII , who died without a male heir .. Louis XII. Louis XII of France. A prodigious patron of the arts , he initiated the French Renaissance by attracting many Italian artists to work on the Chateau de Chambord , including Leonardo da Vinci , who brought the Mona Lisa with him , which Francis had acquired .. patron of the arts. patron of the arts. French Renaissance. French Renaissance. Chateau de Chambord. Chateau de Chambord. Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci. Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa. Francis ' reign saw important cultural changes with the rise of absolute monarchy in France , the spread of humanism and Protestantism , and the beginning of French exploration of the New World .. absolute monarchy in France. absolute monarchy in France. humanism. humanism. Protestantism. Protestantism. New World. New World. Jacques Cartier and others claimed lands in the Americas for France and paved the way for the expansion of the first French colonial empire .. Jacques Cartier. Jacques Cartier. French colonial empire. French colonial empire. For his role in the development and promotion of a standardized French language , he became known as le Pere et Restaurateur des Lettres -LRB- the `` Father and Restorer of Letters '' -RRB- .. He was also known as Francois au Grand Nez -LRB- `` Francis of the Large Nose '' -RRB- , the Grand Colas , and the Roi-Chevalier -LRB- the `` Knight-King '' -RRB- for his personal involvement in the wars against his great rival the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain Charles V.. Holy Roman Emperor. Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V. Emperor Charles V. Following the policy of his predecessors , Francis continued the Italian Wars .. Italian Wars. Italian Wars. The succession of Charles V to the Burgundian Netherlands , the throne of Spain , and his subsequent election as Holy Roman Emperor , meant that France was geographically encircled by the Habsburg monarchy .. Holy Roman Emperor. Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V. Emperor Charles V. Habsburg monarchy. House of Habsburg. In his struggle against Imperial hegemony , he sought the support of Henry VIII of England at the Field of the Cloth of Gold .. Henry VIII of England. Henry VIII of England. Field of the Cloth of Gold. Field of the Cloth of Gold. When this was unsuccessful , he formed a Franco-Ottoman alliance with the Muslim sultan Suleiman the Magnificent , a controversial move for a Christian king at the time .. Franco-Ottoman alliance. Franco-Ottoman alliance. sultan. sultan. Suleiman the Magnificent. Suleiman the Magnificent