sferring the title of "Very Christian King" from Louis the Twelfth
of France to Henry the Eighth of England.[62]

[Sidenote: Concordat of Leo X. and Francis I.]

Thirsting for military distinction, Francis the First had no sooner
obtained the throne than he entered upon the career of arms in northern
Italy, and the signal victory of Marignano, won less than ten months
after his accession (September 13, 1515), closed his first campaign.
This success was productive of more lasting results than merely the
temporary possession of the Milanese. It led to a reconciliation with
the Pope, and to a stately interview in the city of Bologna. All that
was magnificent and captivating to the senses had been studied to dazzle
the eyes of a young and imaginative prince; for Leo the Tenth, patron of
the arts and of artists, was an adept in scenic effects. Certainly never
did pomp and ceremony more easily effect the object for which they were
employed. The interview of Bologna paved the way for a concordat, in
which the rights of the Gallican Church were sacrificed, and the spoils
divided between king and pontiff.[63] Three cardinals took part in the
elaboration of the details of the instrument--two on the pontifical, the
third on the royal side. The last was the notorious Cardinal Duprat,
elevated by Francis to the office of chancellor--a minister of religion
who was soon to introduce venality into every department of government.
The source of the concordat determined tolerably well its character.

Appreciating the strength of the opposition its pretensions had always
encountered in France, the papal court had resolved to renounce a
portion of its claims in favor of the king, in order to retain the rest
more securely. Under the pretext that the right of election vested in
the chapters had been abused, partly by the choice of illiterate and
improper men, partly through the practice of simony, the selection of
archbishops and bishops was taken from them and confided to the king. He
was empowered to choose a doctor or licentiate of theology or law, not
less than twenty-seven years of age, within six months after the see
became vacant. The name of the candidate was to be submitted to the Pope
for approval, and, if this first nomination was rejected, a second was
to be made by the king. Similar regulations were made respecting abbeys
and monastic institutions in general, a few exceptions being allowed in
favor of those patrons and bodies to