/ Statue of René of Anjou, count of Provence, in Aix-en-ProvenceAfter the crises of the fourteenth century, many villages needed new inhabitants and land had to be brought back into cultivation. Lords encouraged settlers from the Alps. Waldensian families established themselves particularly in the Luberon.
René of Anjou inherited the county of Provence on the death of his brother Louis III. His Italian ambitions met with setbacks, but he maintained a brilliant court and supported the arts. Aix-en-Provence remembers him as the “good King René”.
On René's death in 1480, his nephew Charles III succeeded him as count. Charles in turn died in 1481, having named Louis XI as his heir. Provence then came under the French king's authority. Charles VIII confirmed the union through letters patent in 1486, ratified by the Estates of Provence in 1487, respecting the county's privileges.
Sources and further reading: Presses universitaires de Provence: union with the French crown.