14. Shortly afterwards
Louis XII. died of exhaustion, as many had foreseen, and the hopes of
the Duchess of Angouleme were realised. She knew the full extent of her
empire over her son, now Francis I., and felt both able and ready to
exercise a like authority over the affairs of his kingdom.

The accession of Francis gave a more important position to Margaret and
her husband. The latter was already one of the leading personages of the
state, and new favours increased his power. He did not address the King
as "Your Majesty," says Odolant Desnos, but styled him "Monseigneur"
or "My Lord," and all the acts which he issued respecting his duchy of
Alencon began with the preamble, "Charles, by the grace of God."
Francis had scarcely become King than he turned his eyes upon Italy, and
appointing his mother as Regent, he set out with a large army, a
portion of which was commanded by the Duke of Alencon. At the battle
of Marignano the troops of the latter formed the rearguard, and, on
perceiving that the Swiss were preparing to surround the bulk of the
French army, Charles marched against them, overthrew them, and by his
skilful manouvres decided the issue of the second day's fight. (1) The
conquest of the duchy of Milan was the result of this victory, and peace
supervening, the Duke of Alencon returned to France.

1 Odolant Desnos's _Memoires historiques sur Alencon_, vol.
ii. p. 238.

It was at this period that Margaret began to keep a Court, which,
according to Odolant Desnos, rivalled that of her brother. We know
that in 1517 she and her husband entertained the King with a series of
magnificent fetes at their Chateau of Alencon, which then combined both
a palace and a fortress. But little of the chateau now remains, as,
after the damage done to it during the religious wars between 1561
and 1572, it was partially demolished by Henry IV. when he and Biron
captured it in 1590. Still the lofty keep built by Henry I. of England
subsisted intact till in 1715 it was damaged by fire, and finally in
1787 razed to the ground.

The old pile was yet in all its splendour in 1517, when Francis I. was
entertained there with jousts and tournaments. At these gay gatherings
Margaret appeared apparelled in keeping with her brother's love of
display; for, like all princesses, she clothed herself on important
occasions in sumptuous garments. But in every-day life she was
very simple, despising the vulgar plan of impressing the cr