Charles VIII (June 30, 1470-April 7, 1498) was the last king of the Valois Dynasty in France (reigned from 1483 to 1498). He was a militarist and the only son of Louis XI, the "Spider King". He was born in the Château of Ambois.

Charles VIII showed unprecedented ambition. His attempt to control Italy drew France into the half-century-long Italian War. But his military venture failed after early victories. In 1494, Charles VIII entered Italy as heir to the throne. On February 22, 1495, he captured Naples and was crowned King of the Kingdom of Naples. His actions were jointly opposed by Pope Sixtus IV, Venice, Milan, the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Ferdinand of Aragon. At the Battle of Tyro, the French army was defeated and Charles VIII was forced to withdraw from Italy at the end of the same year. He later formulated plans to conquer Italy, but he was unable to do so due to his untimely death.

In his "The Prince" and "A History of Florence", Machiavelli regarded Charles VIII as a disaster that brought a series of invasions to Italy.