Charles VIII of France

Charles VIII, called the Affable, ruled France from 1483 until his death in 1498. He came to the throne at thirteen, with his elder sister Anne and her husband Peter of Bourbon governing as regents until 1491, a period that saw the Mad War, a revolt of the great lords that the royal government won. In 1491 he married Anne of Brittany, which brought the duchy of Brittany into a personal union with the crown. His lasting military significance lies in the invasion of Italy that began in September 1494 to secure his rights to the Neapolitan throne. He led about 25,000 men, among them 8,000 Swiss mercenaries, and used one of Europe's first siege trains of artillery to take Naples in February 1495 without a pitched battle. A league of Italian and foreign powers formed against him, and at Fornovo in July 1495 it failed to stop his army from marching home, but the gains in Naples were soon lost. He died at Amboise in 1498.