The court of France in the sixteenth century has often been seen merely as a focus of political intrigue and conflict, but it was also a cultural centre in which the visual arts, music, literature and sport flourished. This book traces for the first time in English its evolution from a nomadic institution to a more sedentary one in the course of a century that began gloriously for France and ended in the horrors of civil war.Robert J. Knecht, a renowned expert on Renaissance France, explores the political and cultural importance of the French court through seven reigns from Charles VIII to Henry III, including the tumultuous regency of Catherine de Medici. Against a sharp precis of political events, he details the structure, daily activities and festivals of the court. Sumptuously illustrated throughout, this is a highly readable and enthralling account of an opulent and dynamic institution in which image and representation were key.