At the ascent of Francis in 1515, he saw combat as the commander of the rear-guard at the famous battle of Marignano at which the Swiss army was annihilated, restoring French control over Milan.

In the coming years he participated in various court festivities and ceremonies, most notably the famous Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520 at which the English and French sovereigns met.

[15] The explorer of the New World Giovanni da Verrazzano (whose 1524 expedition to the North American coast received a royal commission) named many features he encountered after members of the French nobility.

The popolari (common people) succeeded in extracting concessions from the French governor of the city as to the share of authority granted the local nobility in urban government.

Louis XII was unhappy about the course of events in Genoa, and planned first to levy a fine on them before resolving to launch a military expedition against the city.

[33] By 1515, Alençon led one of the three remaining 'princely branches' in the kingdom (alongside the Bourbon-Vendôme and Bourbon-Montpensier), that of Valois-Orléans and Valois-Angoulême having united with the crown in the figures of Louis XII and Francis I respectively.

Francis was keen to shower favour on both his mother Louise and his sister Marguerite, far more so than that he offered to his most powerful vassal the duc de Bourbon.

[53] According to the writer Guillaume de Marillac, while the French army was in Grenoble, it was learned that 40,000 Swiss had descended into Italy and were endeavouring to block the passes into the peninsula.

It was also learned that the condotierri (a type of Italian contract mercenary) Prosper Colonna with several hundred men-at-arms, and several thousand Spanish soldiers intended to block the Piedmontese passes.

Arriving in the plains beyond the mountains, King Francis moved quickly east while undertaking negotiations with the Swiss, which initially looked to prove successful.

[57] The historian Le Fur places the rear guard under Alençon at Santa Brigida and states that with the supplementary force under the seigneur de Montpoupon, he could boast around 8,000 men.

[61] In the lull, Francis spun off several letters, including one to the allied Venetian commander Alviano, urging him to make from Lodi with all the speed he could manage.

The two sovereigns met, forging many agreements, chief among which was the establishment of the Concordat of Bologna which rewrote the position of the French church in relation to the Papacy.

[77] In January 1520, Francis requested of cardinal Wolsey to arrange a meeting between the English and French king's, which was to be held near Guînes in north-east France.

The English cardinal Wolsey and the amiral de Bonnivet had been present alongside their respective kings, before departing to allow them to speak privately with one another.

[81] For the occasion of this grand summit, Francis and the English king Henry engaged in Pas d'Armes (a martial game in which knights would hold a place, and those who wished to pass by it would have to fight).

After the meeting broke up, the English king travelled to Gravelines where he met with the Holy Roman Emperor, and both agreed to hold a conference in Calais, and in the intervening period not to enter into separate treaties with France.

[83] In early 1521, the duc de Bouillon and the king of Navarre began local military actions against the new Holy Roman Emperor Charles V with Francis' tacit approval.

Bouillon declared war on the Emperor and invaded Luxembourg, and the king of Navarre set about attempting to reconquer portions of his kingdom in the south.

[87] As concerned the defence of Mézières and Mouzon, Alençon informed the king on 18 August that all was being done to put the cities in a state of readiness to resist attack, but that they wished to do more, for want of funds.

Two compagnies d'ordonnance (that of the duc de Lorraine, and that of the sieur d'Orval) for a total of 200 men-at-arms and 2,000 foot soldiers supplemented the cities defences.

[88] On 27 September 1521, the beleaguered French war effort received a boost when Nassau's army was forced to lift their siege of the city.

Nevertheless embittered, the duc de Bourbon is supposed to have spread the rumour that the mediocre conclusion of the campaign was a product of the king's foolish favourites.

[100] In a letter to the queen mother Louise in late October from the French camp before Valenciennes, the vicomte de Thouars praised the conduct of Alençon.

[106] On 10 March 1524, Francis, aware of the difficulties his forces were experiencing in Italy, arranged for a procession in the capital to seek god's favour for the expedition's triumph.

[115] Keen to avoid a battle between the French and the Imperials, the Pope proposed to Francis a compromise deal by which his second son, the duc d'Orléans, would receive Milan, the dispossessed Sforza would be financially compensated and the Emperor would be assured his share of Naples.

[120] Around this time, the Imperial commanders de Lannoy, Bourbon and the marquis of Pescara departed from Lodi at the head of 20,000 infantry, 7,000 men-at-arms and 500 light horse.

[128] Alençon survived the combat of Pavia without being made captive, the "only important French nobleman" to enjoy this privilege according to Knecht, and he retreated out of Italy back to Lyon.

[3] During his life, the prince had been convinced by the queen mother Louise and the chancellor Duprat, to establish as his heir Francis' son the duc d'Orléans (future king Henry II), to the detriment of his own sister Françoise.

[137] Alençon was outlived by his wife, Marguerite, who during her remaining lifetime maintained the majority of the various seigneuries her late husband had held, including the duché d'Alençon.