Charles VIII and the Italian Obsession

Charles VIII (r. 1483-1498) inherited a consolidated kingdom and immediately squandered its resources pursuing chimeric Italian claims. His minority under his sister Anne de Beaujeu's regency saw capable governance and successful resistance to aristocratic reaction. However, Charles's personal rule launched the Italian Wars that would dominate French foreign policy for sixty years, draining resources while achieving little permanent gain.

The invasion of Italy (1494) demonstrated both French military power and political naivety. Charles's army, featuring superior artillery and Swiss mercenaries, swept through Italy with stunning ease. The conquest of Naples took mere months, suggesting French military superiority over divided Italian states. Yet the speed of conquest masked political fragility. A coalition including the Pope, Emperor, Spain, and Venice quickly formed against French dominance. Charles's hurried retreat, barely escaping entrapment at Fornovo (1495), showed the ephemeral nature of his conquests.

The Italian adventure's cultural impact proved more lasting than its political achievements. French nobles encountered Renaissance art, architecture, and court culture that dazzled them with its sophistication. The returning army brought Italian artists, humanists, and ideas that would transform French cultural life. The châteaux of the Loire Valley, blending French Gothic with Italian Renaissance elements, embodied this cultural synthesis.

Charles's domestic policies showed continuity with his father's centralizing tendencies. Royal officials extended their authority, often provoking local resistance. The Estates General, convoked in 1484, demonstrated both representative traditions and royal ability to manage them. Provincial estates retained importance but increasingly served as mechanisms for negotiating taxation rather than limiting royal power. These developments strengthened monarchical institutions even as foreign adventures wasted their resources.