Francis I became king of France in 1515 and soon cultivated an image as a warrior, patron and Renaissance prince. His reign encouraged contact with Italian art and learning. The French court became a powerful centre for architecture, poetry, translation and elite performance.

Francis's patronage helped prepare the environment in which the Pléiade and French Renaissance lyric flourished. Royal ambition, Italian models and courtly display gave poets new incentives to refine the French language.