France

Noble Rebellion

Every new king has to fight for his crown, and Louis was no exception. Louis had been autocratic down in the Dauphiné and when he became king he tried the same style. One of Louis' first tasks was to re-structure the bureaucracy, which was filled with his father's men. Louis put in his own men, many of whom were novi homines. He cut back on feudal rights, making enemies. He was so headstrong in his approach, and his plans were so ambitious in scope, that he managed to make just about everyone angry with him.

Late in 1464 a wide-ranging coterie of nobles formed a group supposedly to reform the realm: audio gif"Le Bien Public". Its leader was Louis' brother Charles, operating out of Brittany. They were egged on by the Duke of Burgundy, who promised support. This group led a rebellion which Louis was hard-pressed to put down, but which left him in a stronger position than ever before. One reason he was successful was that the towns of France stayed firm and voted him generous subsidies. The king never forgot their loyalty.

He did not so much triumph over the rebels as he fought them to a stalemate, and it would be another decade before Louis sat comfortably on his throne. His brother Charles died in 1472, which helped greatly. But the other great danger was Burgundy, at that proved too difficult even for "king spider."