Francis III, Duke of Brittany

Francis III Dauphin of Viennois Duke of Brittany Francis of France by Corneille de Lyon Duke of Brittany Reign 20 July 1524 – 10 August 1536 Predecessor Claude Successor Henry House House of Valois Father Francis I of France Mother Claude, Duchess of Brittany Born 28 February 1518(1518-02-28) Château d'Amboise Died 10 August 1536(1536-08-10) (aged 18) Château de Tournon Burial Saint Denis Basilica Religion Roman Catholicism

French Monarchy- Capetian Dynasty, House of Valois (Valois-Angoulême branch) Francis I Children    Francis, Dauphin of Viennois    Henry II    Magdalene, Queen of Scots    Charles of Valois    Margaret, Duchess of Savoy Henry II Children    Francis II    Elizabeth, Queen of Spain    Claude, Duchess of Lorraine    Louis, Duke of Orléans    Charles IX    Henry III    Margaret, Queen of Navarre    Francis, Duke of Anjou    Joan of Valois    Victoria of Valois Francis II Charles IX Henry III

Francis III of Brittany (Breton: Frañsez III; French: François III) (28 February 1518, Amboise – 10 August 1536) was Duke of Brittany and Dauphin of Viennois as the first son and heir of King Francis I of France and Queen Claude of France, Duchess of Brittany.

Life

Francis I said of his son at birth, "a beautiful dauphin who is the most beautiful and strong child one could imagine and who will be the easiest to bring up". His mother, Claude, Duchess of Brittany, said, "tell the King that he is even more beautiful than himself". The Dauphin was christened at Amboise on 25 April 1519. Leonardo da Vinci, who had been brought to Amboise by Francis I, designed the decorations.

One of the most researched aspects of the Dauphin's short life is the time he and his brother Henry (later Henry II of France) spent as hostages in Spain. The king had been badly defeated and captured at the Battle of Pavia (1525) and became a hostage of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, initially in the Alcázar in Madrid. In order to ensure his release, the king signed the Treaty of Madrid (1526). However, in order to ensure that Francis abode by the treaty, Charles demanded that the king's two older sons take his place as hostages. Francis agreed.

On 15 March 1526, the exchange took place at the border between Spain and France. The eight-year-old Dauphin and his younger brother Henry spent the next three years as captives of Charles V, a period that scarred them for life. The Dauphin's "somber, solitary tastes" and his preference for dressing in black (like a Spaniard) were attributed to the time he spent in captivity in Madrid. He also became bookish, preferring reading to soldiering.

Marriage arrangements

As first son and heir to a king of France the Dauphin was a marriage pawn for his father. He could not be wasted in marriage, as many felt his brother Henry had been with his marriage to Catherine de' Medici, and there were several betrothals to eligible princesses throughout the Dauphin's life. The first, when he was an infant, to the four-year-old Mary Tudor (later Mary I of England), daughter of Henry VIII of England and Catherine of Aragon; but this arrangement was abandoned around 1520.

He was known to have a mistress — Madame d'Estranges.

Death

The Dauphin Francis died at Château Tournon-sur-Rhône on 10 August 1536, at the age of eighteen. The circumstances of his death seemed suspicious, and it is believed by many that he was poisoned. However, there is ample evidence that he died of natural causes, possibly tuberculosis. The Dauphin had never fully recovered his health from the years spent in damp, dank cells in Madrid.

Francis as Dauphin of France

After playing a round of tennis at a jeu de paume court "pré[s] d'Ainay", the Dauphin asked for a cup of water, which was brought to him by his secretary, Count Montecuccoli. After drinking it, Francis collapsed and died several days later. Montecuccoli, who was brought to the court by Catherine de' Medici, was accused of being in the pay of Charles V, and when his quarters were searched a book on different types of poison was found. Catherine de' Medici was well known to have an interest in poisons and the occult. Under torture, Montecuccoli confessed to poisoning the Dauphin.

In an age before forensic science, poison was usually suspected whenever a young, healthy person died shortly after eating or drinking. There was no way to pinpoint and trace the substance after death; therefore, it was considered a quick, easy and non-traceable form of homicide. There have been several other suspected cases of political-murder-by-poison in the French royal family through the ages. It is suspected that the Dauphin's younger brother, Charles may have been poisoned.

Duchy of Brittany

Coat of Arms of François, Dauphin of France

In 1524, the Dauphin inherited the Duchy of Brittany on his mother's death, becoming Duke Francis III, although the Duchy was actually ruled by officials of the French crown. The Duchy was inherited upon the death of Francis by his brother, Henry; upon his succession to the French throne in 1547, the Duchy and the crown were effectively merged, the Breton estates having already tied the succession of the Duchy to the French crown, rather than to the line of succession of the Dukes of Brittany, by vote in 1532.

Portrayals in Fiction

Francis is a figure in the '56 film 'Diane' in which he (incorrectly) briefly becomes King as a grown man and is portrayed as, in the words of Pedro Amendariz' Francis I, 'the popinjay' (ignoring the historical fact that he became more sober in dress and studious in manner, following his captivity under the Spanish- an important fact completely overlooked in the film). The film does however, correctly account for his death (as an adult king, not a teenager as in history)- poisoning at the hand of an Italian courtier, who'd come with his brother's bride, Catherine de Medici.

Francis is also portrayed as a child, briefly betrothed to Princess Mary - in the Showtime series, 'The Tudors'.

References

Francis III, Duke of Brittany House of Valois, Orléans-Angoulême branch Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty Born: 28 February 1518 Died: 10 August 1536
French royalty
Preceded by Vacant (Francis, 14th Dauphin)	Dauphin of France as 'Francis, 15th Dauphin' 28 February 1518 – 10 August 1536	Succeeded by Henry, 16th Dauphin
Preceded by Charles IV, Duke of Alençon	Heir to the Throne as Heir apparent 28 February 1518 — 10 August 1536	Succeeded by Henry, Dauphin of France
French nobility
Preceded by Claude	Duke of Brittany 20 July 1524 – 10 August 1536	Succeeded by Henry
Preceded by Francis III of Viennois	Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Valentinois and of Diois as 'Francis IV of Viennois' 28 February 1518 – 10 August 1536	Succeeded by Henry I of Viennois