2. Charles VII (King of France)
Charles VII of France was known to the French as Charles the Victorious after he succeeded in defeating the English and ending the 100 Years’ War, with the aid of legendary Joan of Arc. During his 38 year reign, he also reformed administration, distanced France from papal intervention, established the University of Poitiers and overall gave the French a sense of state unity they almost never had.
His last years were marked by some rebelling vassals, including his son and heir, although nothing strong enough to destabilize the state. He fell ill in 1458 and what was expected to be a short suffering turned out as on of the longest death scenes in history. It started with a mild sore on his leg which shortly became an infection, slowly spreading through his whole body. Charles remained bedridden, coping with pain, fever and episodes of delirium. In the summer of 1461, the infection spread to his mouth, leading to an abscess so large that the king couldn’t even swallow food or water anymore. He succumbed in suffering on July the 22nd 1461, starved and thirsty to death. After a long reign, highlighted by overcoming one of France’s greatest challenges in history, he went out miserably, in pain and humiliated by his son, who wouldn’t even care to see him in his last years.
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