Charles was the son of
Charles I d'Amboise, governor of Champagne and
Bourgogne, and Catherine de Chauvigny. He was the nephew of Cardinal
Georges d'Amboise, prime minister of King
Louis XII of France. Charles acted as governor of
Paris, of the
Duchy of Milan, of the seignory of
Genoa, and of the province of
Normandie. In 1501 he was made French lieutenant general and then viceroy of
Lombardy, becoming a friend of
Leonardo da Vinci during his stay in Milan. Charles was
Grand Master of France from 1502 to 1504, when he became
Marshal of France. From 1508 to 1510 he was also
admiral of France and in 1507 suppressed a revolt in Genoa. At the
battle of Agnadello, 1509, Charles commanded the French vanguard. In 1510, he took command of the French forces fighting against
Pope Julius II in the
Romagna, for which he was excommunicated. He failed to prevent Julius from capturing
Bologna, and in 1511 also lost
Mirandola. A month later he failed to recapture
Modena. He died of an illness at
Correggio, seven hours before news reached him of the lifting of his excommunication. == See also ==