The death of his wife in 1521 provoked the final breach between Charles and Francis. Suzanne had left all her estates to Charles, but the king's mother, Louise of Savoy, claimed them as the heir in proximity in blood due to their previous entailments. She proposed to settle the question by marrying Charles; he refused the proposal because Louise was over forty-five years of age and fourteen years older than him. On behalf of his mother, Francis confiscated a portion of the Bourbon estates before the lawsuit had even been opened. Seeing no hope of prevailing, Charles made a secret agreement to betray his king and offer his services to Emperor Charles V. The emperor, the constable, and King Henry VIII of England devised a grand plan to partition France. This however came to nothing because the plot was discovered; Charles was stripped of his offices and proclaimed a traitor. He fled into Italy in 1523 and entered the imperial service.