He went hunting with his father and took part in the campaigns and negotiations that saw the end of the Hundred Years' War.
But he had a terrible relationship with his father and his father's relationship with Agnès Sorel was a bone of contention. The Dauphin Louis actively plotted against the king's authority. He joined the major feudal rulers (Alençon, Anjou, Bourbon) in their battles against Charles VII. During the Praguerie revolt (1440), the Loches captain and royal garrison turned against the King. The King had to send in troops to reclaim his stronghold. Louis had become a threat and the King exiled him to Dauphiné (1447).
When he was crowned King (1460), Louis XI continued Charles VII’s work turning the Loches fortress into a state prison. He also completed the site's reinforcement by building the Martelet Tower and barbican. His (controversial) reputation for being cruel to his enemies is associated with the symbol of iron cages ("the king's little girls" were in fact the shackles around the prisoners' necks), which popular imagery has often placed in the Loches keep.