**7. Conclusions**

santé, Wikimedia Commons, Open Licence.

Contrary to the canonical depiction of Louis XI as a paranoid, pious politician with little interest in the arts, this entry has demonstrated the many ways the king exploited imagery to further his political aims as well as to fulfil his devotional fervour. Louis successfully used his own image, across many media, to reinforce the legitimacy of his kingship and in particular his sacred right to rule. He commissioned ex-voto images of himself and of his family members for churches throughout the kingdom, especially in recently acquired territories—a clever strategy intended to disseminate royal images of the king's authority where he could guarantee his subjects would see them. The distribution of personal imagery extended to depictions of his sacred coronation. Given Louis' need to consolidate his kingdom's beleaguered financial status, through territorial acquisitions and frugality at court, his patronage choices and the royal iconography he employed successfully achieved his ambitions. The stained-glass windows of his coronation at Evreux cathedral, the widespread donation of precious liturgical objects in churches throughout the land, his careful curation of the cult of Saint Michael, and the iconographic innovations of his tomb all worked to portray the king as a powerful figure in control of a growing nation.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Acknowledgments:** Thanks to the staff at the Bibliothèque Universitaire Centrale de l'Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Toulouse.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The author declares no conflict of interest.
