How did Francis I unify France in the sixteenth century?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. Francis I created a uniform French mentality through several culturally binding methods. He was a great patron of the arts and made his mark on the Renaissance through the direction of a specifically French form of culture. By enforcing the use of the Parisian dialect throughout France, he created a common language that was the means of government administration and bureaucracy, as defined by official correspondence and law. Francis had the threefold support of a regular source of income, the taille; a large standing army; and an efficient state administration. Finally, he secured the right from Pope Leo X, through a concordat in 1516, to nominate candidates for high offices in the church, giving him significant input on clerical matters and further enhancing his authority, in exchange for his recognition of the pope as the supreme authority of the Catholic Church. The effects of political centralization as well as a cultural unification created a sense of national identity that diminished earlier local customs and traditions and focused on the big picture of France.