Charles VIII of France
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Charles VIII, called the Affable, was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13. His elder sister Anne acted as regent jointly with her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon until 1491, when the young king turned 21 years of age. During Anne's regency, the great lords rebelled against royal centralisation efforts in a conflict known as the Mad War (1485–1488), which resulted in a victory for the royal government.
16th-century portrait
Marriage to Anne of Brittany at the Château de Langeais.
French troops under Charles VIII entering Florence, 17 November 1494, by Francesco Granacci
Monument to the children of Charles VIII, Tours Cathedral
The union of the Duchy of Brittany with the Crown of France was the culmination of a political process begun at the end of the 15th century in the wake of the Mad War. It resulted in the Edict of Union of 13 August 1532 and the incorporation of the duchy into the Crown lands of France, a critical step in the formation of modern-day France.
Letters patent confirming the Dauphin Francis, son of Francis I of France, as Duke of Brittany and proclaiming the perpetual union of the Duchy of Brittany with the Crown of France. Act given in Nantes in August 1532.