# Louis XI becomes king (1461)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1461-louis-xi-becomes-king
Location: France
Categories: ruler-change

Louis pursued centralization and challenged the power of great princes. Within the broader Late Medieval France period, The Valois kingdom endured the Hundred Years’ War, plague, civil conflict and English occupation before recovering under Charles VII and Louis XI. Military and fiscal reforms strengthened the crown by the late fifteenth century. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Louis XI (King of France). Louis XI becomes king mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Louis XI becomes king mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy.

Ruler at the time: [Louis XI](https://history-france.com/rulers/louis-xi)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Louis XI becomes king](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Louis+XI+becomes+king&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Louis XI becomes king](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Louis+XI+becomes+king)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of French history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_French_history)