Louis XII

For these reasons, Louis XII, King of France, quickly occupied Milan and just as quickly lost it.

The work, painted between 1506-13 for King Louis XII of France, has a fascinating history.

It took Machiavelli on a long journey across France with King Louis XII, and to the court of Cesare Borgia, where he spent nerve-racking months trying to dissuade the violent youth from attacking Florence.

But it is believed the manuscript destined for Henry may have been intended for another royal couple - King Louis XII of France and his wife, Anne of Brittany.

With a new king, in the person of Louis XII., there came a new phase in the affairs of the Waldenses.