1515-1518: Birth of the heir and "Dual Regency"
Mary gave birth to a son in late July 1515 at the castle of Blois. He was named Charles in honour of Louis XII's father, although some malicious tongues suggest that it was in honour of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, who had accompanied the young English princess to her wedding and for whom she had had some affectionate feelings. Because of the circumstances of his birth, the young son of Louis XII was first known as Charles the Posthumous, Dieudonné or the Miraculous. As the heir of Louis XII, he is Charles IX of France. The infant king was christened at Easter 1516 in Rheims Cathedral. His godfathers were Francis of Angouleme and Henry VIII of England, while Anne of Beaujeu, Charles VIII's sister and former regent, was his godmother. His official christening was one of the major events of the decade as the christening of a new king was something exceptional. Many French lords, but also representatives of neighbouring kingdoms, attended.
The birth of Charles IX meant that François of Angouleme remained presumptive heir to the crown, which contributed to his and his mother's frustration. Francis became jure uxoris Francis III of Brittany and set about developing his links with the Breton lords.
Francis III of Brittany remained regent for the first few months after the birth of Charles IX, taking advantage of the dowager queen's weak influence, her lack of preparation for royal responsibilities and the fact that Louis XII had appointed him regent on his deathbed. In the months following the birth of the king, the regent continued to pursue the policy he had established since the death of Louis XII.
However, the birth of her son forced Mary to take an interest in her political responsibilities. She is encouraged to do so by her brother through his ambassador, Thomas Boleyn. She was helped to learn about her responsibilities by meeting Charles of Bourbon-Montpensier and his wife Suzanne of Bourbon, who brought her into contact with Anne of Beaujeu, Suzanne's mother. The exchanges with the latter allowed her to obtain political advice. These meetings, which took place in the last months of 1515, enabled her to build up a network of allies, all the more precious as the Bourbons were very vigilant with regard to the ambitions of the Valois-Angouleme clan. This development of influence was partly hindered by the return of his English ladies-in-waiting, notably Lady Guildford, as some members of the royal court did not look kindly on the arrival of Englishmen.
At the beginning of 1516, Mary confronted Francis III to obtain the regency of her son. Important discussions ensued, as the presumptive heir was unwilling to easily give up the position , considering himself legitimate for the position. Refusing to give in because of her independent character, the young dowager queen threatened to appeal to the General Estates to obtain the position of regent. The confrontation between the two main figures of the kingdom was described by contemporaries as the "Regents Dispute". As the solemn baptism of Charles IX approached, the dispute became much more heated, while Mary received the support of her brother, even if this support was rather symbolic. A compromise was reached between the two: Mary became regent after the baptism of her son. In return, Francis continued to play an important role in the regency and was confirmed as Duke of Valois, the title he had held as presumptive heir to Louis XII. In this compromise, the royal council as Francis had established it during his regency was maintained, allowing Antoine Duprat in particular to remain chancellor of the kingdom.
After the christening of Charles IX at Easter 1516, Mary officially became regent and recognised in this position by the Parliament of Paris in April 1516. In doing so, she also had responsibility for Renée de France, her daughter-in-law. Her first years as regent were difficult, as she had to deal with Francis, whose influence and charisma allowed him to have a leading role at court. This regency was nicknamed the "Dual Regency" by contemporaries and saw the development of rivalry between the two most important figures in the kingdom. Her minor position as regent forced Mary to develop her network of allies at court, seeking out all those who were defiant against the Valois-Angouleme House. She could count on the support of the Bourbons, who were wary of the influence and ambition of the Valois-Angouleme, especially of Louise of Savoy's claims to the duchy of Bourbonnais. Nevertheless, the position of the Bourbons was strenghtened with the birth of three children between 1516 and 1518: Peter, who died in infancy, Mary and Louis.
The dowager queen also developed an important correspondence with Anne of Beaujeu, whose advice and influence enabled her to develop the skills necessary for the regency. She was also able to draw on the support of her brother's representatives, even if this aroused the hostility of some members of the royal court who tended to join the Valois-Angouleme clan. Beyond the court, Mary developed relationships through her allies among lords, clerics and notables. The development of her influence and the strengthening of her position as regent contributed to fuel the rivalry with Francis III of Brittany. The opposition was aggravated by Mary of England's distrust of Louise of Savoy because of the latter's strong ambition.
In addition to her position as regent, which she had to consolidate, Mary was concerned for her son and wanted him to grow up, instructing the king's first physician, William Cop, to ensure his good health.
The rivalry between Mary and Francis was expressed in various fields, but mainly in the cultural life of the court, as both had a great appreciation of art. The dowager queen and the presumptive heir to the throne were to engage in a competition, each seeking to develop their influence through the patronage of important painters, sculptors, musicians and thinkers. Although the royal court benefited from Italian influence as a result of the Italian wars between 1494 and 1514, the rivalry between the dowager queen and the presumptive heir to the throne contributed to the prestige and dynamism of French culture by establishing specific characteristics in painting, architecture, music and sculpture. Marie's singing and dancing skills earned her the nickname of "Trouvere Queen". In addition to this, there are the inspirations used to develop their styles: Francis drew a lot of inspiration from Italian culture, while Mary developed a style that mixed English and French influences while taking advantage of the Italian influence. These styles and influences are reflected in the official portraits and the decoration of the palaces and castles occupied by the two people. Thus, Mary renovated and decorated the Louvre, Blois or Fontainebleau, which became her main residence, while Francis began to renovate the family castle of Cognac, but also the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany in Nantes, although in the latter case, this renovation was also aimed at gaining the support and loyalty of the Breton vassals.
The rivalry between Francis III of Brittany and Mary was however less strong in the financial field. Mary retained many of the decisions taken by Francis, particularly concerning the increase in taxes. She however abandoned the sale of lands as she did not want to further despoil the royal estate. Although she had to deal with the more protectionist views supported by Antoine Duprat and Francis, the dowager queen sought to assert herself and was inspired in particular by the policies of her father, Henry VII. She thus promoted support for trade and the application of the Morton's Fork: a charity tax that played on the fact that a person could afford benevolence both if they lived modestly because they were 'saving' and if they lived extravagantly and therefore had the financial means to show benevolence. The Morton's Fork approach is endorsed as a form of practical application of Christian charity to the Christian sovereign . Mary's support of trade was more difficult to implement, although the memory of Charles VII's policy was refered to justify the approach. On the one hand, Antoine Duprat favoured a protectionist policy and was supported by Francis. On the other hand, the dowager queen and the presumptive heir strongly disagreed on the main trading partner: Mary favoured trade with England and Flanders, while Francis defended trade with the Italian peninsula, as this would allow France to retain some influence in the region. Mary had to deal with the considerable influence of Francis III of Brittany, which led to a certain protectionism being maintained. Nevertheless, trade with neighbouring territories was gradually enhanced, not least because of the regent's growing influence in the following years. The development of trade policy led to the regency granting privileges to cities that would contribute to trade. This also led to the foundation of Le Havre in the autumn of 1517, as Harfleur was becoming increasingly silted up. The foundation of the new port also allowed the strategic use of the Seine estuary. The development of trade led to the development of the French merchant fleet, especially in the Channel, in order to trade with England.
The rivalry between the dowager queen and the presumptive heir to the crown was also expressed in the diplomatic field, although it was also complex in its expression.
Francis and Mary agreed that the alliance with Henry VIII of England should be maintained, as Charles IX's birth consolidating it. This was reflected in the choice of Henry VIII as godfather to the newborn child, but also in Mary's support for the policy of her brother and of Thomas Wolsey, namely the search for the establishment of perpetual peace between the different sovereigns of Christendom. These combined efforts culminated in the signing of the Treaty of London in September 1517. On this occasion, Henry VIII returned Tournai to the kingdom of France, although he had taken it during the war of the League of Cambrai in 1513.
On the other hand, the dowager queen and the presumptive heir to the crown were in deep disagreement over Scotland. Francis defended Albany's right to be regent because he had been chosen by his peers, and the need to honour the Auld Alliance. Mary is more cautious: while she recognises the importance of the Auld Alliance, she does not want to see the relationship with England being soured by the alliance, which might suggest that France and Scotland are trying to encircle her brother's kingdom. She is also more sensitive to her sister's claims as they are in similar situations. Her sister's situation makes her aware of the risks she runs if she allows her emotions to sway her when she should be looking after her son's interests. The Treaty of London of September 1517 partly solved the problem, while the Treaty of Calais signed in November 1517 established peaceful relations between the kingdoms of France, England and Scotland.
With regard to Italy, Mary will pursue a policy of conciliation in order to reassure the Italian states and the papacy after the years of wars in the Peninsula. While Francis was aware that a new war in Italy was not available in the short term, he supported the idea of maintaining influence over Milan and Genoa and finding an ally and partner with Venice. While his views on the subject were dominant in the first two years of the regency, they somewhat daded as Mary learned to emancipate her regency from his influence. By 1518, the regency had developed its relations with Genoa and found an ally and economic partner in Venice. Relations with the Duchy of Milan improved, especially with the recognition of Maximilian Sforza as legitimate duke in March 1516 with the Treaty of Carpentras which formalised the end of war of the League of Cambrai. The regency also developed relations with the duchy of Savoy, as Duke Charles III felt less threatened by the dowager queen than by the presumptive heir whose mother, Louise of Savoy, was a pretender to his title as his half-sister.
The relationship between the French regency and the papacy was more ambiguous. On the one hand, the end of the war of the League of Cambrai and the weakening of French influence in the peninsula allowed for an improvement in relations, confirmed by the treaty of Carpentras. But on the other hand, a dispute existed between the two powers with the decisions of the fifth Council of Lateran, completed in 1516. This council denounced the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges and demanded its abolition, reaffirming moreover the superiority of the pope over the council in religious matters. During the first years of the regency, the question of the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges was dodged, because of the strong opposition of the parliaments to its abrogation. The parliaments and the so-called Gallican clergy also demanded a better application of the Pragmatic Sanction. In order to secure her position and strengthen her influence, Mary agreed to a better application of the Pragmatic Sanction, which aroused the anger of Leo X. Negotiations however continued in order to find a compromise that would satisfy both parties.
The regency also renewed ties with the Swiss cantons, particularly those in the west, although these ties were mainly diplomatic and economic due to the absence of war and the important influence of the Cardinal and Prince-Bishop of Sion, Matthias Schiner, who remained rather hostile to the French.
With regard to relations with the Habsburgs, Mary applied the same policy as Francis III of Brittany, preferring to maintain good relations with Charles of Ghent and Maximilian I of Habsburg. This approach was reinforced by the death of Ferdinand II of Arago in January 1516, which saw Charles of Ghent becoming Charles I in March of the same year. In the same vein, the regent agreed to sign a treaty of alliance in 1516 with Charles and Maximilian, officially intended against the Turks. Finally, with the Treaty of London in 1517, Mary recognised the Spanish claim to Naples and their domination of Upper Navarre.
