Francis I (French: François I er; Middle French: Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy.He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis XII, who died without a son.. A prodigious patron of the arts, he promoted the emergent …