Marguerite de Navarre (1492-1549)

### Occupation

Writer, philosopher, diplomat, and Queen of Navarre by her second marriage to King Henry II of Navarre.

### Family

Father: Charles de Valois, Comte d'Angoulême
Mother: Louise of Savoy

Siblings: King Francis I of France

Children: Jeanne, born in 1528;son who died early;Jeanne d'Albret;

### Religion

Was born into a Roman Catholic family, but she became a convert to Protestantism.

### Best Known For

Her literary works, particularly the Heptameron, which was published posthumously and unfinished at her death but regarded as one of the most significant works of the Renaissance.

## About

Marguerite de Navarre (1492-1549) was a French princess, Duchess of Alençon and Berry, and Queen of Navarre by her second marriage to King Henry II of Navarre. She was born on April 11, 1492, in Angoulême, France, and died on December 21, 1549, in Odos, Gascony, France. Marguerite was the sister of King Francis I of France and the mother of Jeanne d’Albret and grandmother of Henry IV of France. She was a writer, philosopher, diplomat, and a proponent of the Reformation. Marguerite was tutored by scholars from a young age, and she encouraged evangelical writers’ works and began to write religious poetry and contemplative pieces. Marguerite was a patron of humanists and reformers, and as an author in her own right. She extended her protection both to men of artistic and scholarly genius and to advocates of doctrinal and disciplinary reform within the church. Marguerite was engaged to Henri II d’Albret, King of Navarre, in 1526, and they were married in 1527. She became a convert of Protestantism and made it the official religion in her kingdom of Navarre. Marguerite was a literary person who, while fostering new ideas, was at the very centre of the cultural and spiritual life of her time. She played a major political role at the king’s court. Marguerite de Navarre was not the only educated woman to write and publish verse during the first half of the sixteenth century, but she was the first woman of the French nobility who carefully compiled from her complete works a selection of poems, prayers, religious meditations, songs, biblical and allegorical tales, and letters. Her most famous work is the Heptaméron, a collection of seventy-two short stories. Marguerite died at the age of 57 in Odos, Gascony, France.

## Early Life and Education

Marguerite de Navarre was born on April 11, 1492, in Angoulême, France, and was raised in Cognac. She was the daughter of Charles de Valois, Comte d'Angoulême, and Louise de Savoie. Marguerite received extensive tutoring in the classics from her mother and was tutored by scholars from a young age, even after her brother Francois was born in 1494. It was thought that the sister of a future king should be able to converse on many topics. Scholar Marcel Tetel comments that Marguerite was “a precocious child, a gifted student, and a voracious reader”. Marguerite's mother became her spiritual mentor for the next three years, and during this time, she encouraged evangelical writers' works and began to write religious poetry and contemplative pieces.

## Career

Marguerite de Navarre (1492-1549) was a writer, philosopher, diplomat, and Queen of Navarre by her second marriage to King Henry II of Navarre. She was also a proponent of the Reformation, mediating between Protestants and Catholics in France. Marguerite was a patron of humanists and reformers and an author in her own right, and she extended her protection to men of artistic and scholarly genius and advocates of doctrinal and disciplinary reform within the church. Marguerite's most significant work was the Heptameron, published posthumously and unfinished at her death, which is regarded as one of the most significant works of the Renaissance. She corresponded with some of the greatest Reformers of her time. Marguerite was tutored by scholars from a young age, and she was able to converse on many topics. She married twice, first to Charles, Duke of Alençon, and then to Henri d'Albret, King of Navarre, with whom she welcomed her only surviving child, Jeanne.

## Relationships

Marguerite de Navarre was the sister of King Francois I of France, mother of Jeanne d’Albret, and grandmother of Henry IV of France. She was married twice, first to Charles d'Alençon in 1509, who died in 1525, and then to Henry II of Navarre in 1526. Marguerite was a proponent of the Reformation and became a convert to Protestantism. She was a patron of the arts and extended her protection to men of artistic and scholarly genius and advocates of doctrinal and disciplinary reform within the church. Marguerite's relationships with her family members are not extensively documented, but she was known to have been tutored by scholars from a young age, and her brother Francois I either encouraged or arranged her marriage to Henry II of Navarre.

## Controversies

There are a few controversies surrounding Marguerite de Navarre. One of them is her support for the Reformation, which was a controversial movement in the 16th century. Another controversy is her involvement in the Querelle des femmes, a debate about the nature and role of women in society that lasted throughout the 16th century and beyond. Additionally, there are debates about the dating of some of her works, such as the Prologue, which some scholars believe was written earlier than previously thought. Finally, there is some controversy surrounding Marguerite's relationship with Marie Dentière, a French Protestant who wrote the Epistle to Marguerite of Navarre, which criticized the Protestant clergy who had expelled Calvin and Farel and asked for Marguerite's support in increasing scriptural literacy and access among women.

## Litigation

Marguerite de Navarre (1492-1549) was a writer, philosopher, diplomat, and Queen of Navarre, sister of King Francois I (Francis I of France, r. 1515-1547), mother of Jeanne d’Albret (l. 1528-1572) and grandmother of Henry IV of France (l. 1553-1610). She was also a proponent of the Reformation. Marguerite was involved in a legal dispute over her book “Miroir de l'âme pécheresse” (Mirror of the Sinful Soul), which was published in 1531 and was condemned by the Sorbonne theologians as heresy. A monk said Marguerite should be sewn into a sack and thrown into the Seine. Students at the Collège de Navarre satirized her in a play as “a Fury from Hell”. Her brother, King Francois I, forced the charges to be dropped, however, and obtained a papal bull authorizing the book's publication.