In the tapestry of the French Renaissance, the figure of Anne Malet de Graville stands out as an literary icon of renaissance intellect and literary creativity. Born into the prestigious Norman Malet de Graville family around 1490, Anne’s literary contribution to this a period of the flourishing literary world of her time is now receiving
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On 27 March 1615, the notorious Reine Margot, Queen of Navarre, much vilified first wife of the great King Henry IV of France, died. At the time of her death, she was the last member of the royal Valois line that had ruled in France since 1328. A Bright, Clever Child Born on 14 May
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The 16th century in France saw big changes in intellectual life, culture, religion, and politics, for both women and men. Italian influences brought new ideas in humanism, arts, architecture, and literature. Like men, women writers and thinkers began to explore ideas about the dignity and potential of the individual, reflecting the influence of humanism. At
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According to Caroline zum Kolk, “In the long history of the household of the queen of France, the sixteenth century marked a peak: never before or since was its staff so numerous, or was it so deeply involved in life at court.” To give a sense of the size and complexity of the French queens’
The Queens of France’s Households’ in 16th Century Read More »
The Renaissance marriage of Germaine [Germana] de Foix is a perfect example that for centuries, royal women were pawns in power and politics.
Power and Politics in Germaine de Foix’s Marriage Read More »
A review of Rozsa Gaston’s Margaret of Austria Introducing Margaret of Austria’s eventful life On to the story itself. After three unfortunate marriages in France, Spain & Savoy, Margaret of Austria comes into her own after 1504, when she is again widowed. Refusing to marry again despite intense pressure from her father, Emperor Maximilian I,
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From the 12th to the 19th centuries, the people of France and England really believed their king’s touch could heal them of scrofula. Why did they believe it? Were they ignorant superstitious simpletons who knew no better? I do not think so. Before you toss up your hands and write me off as a crank,
Could The King’s Touch Really Heal Scrofula? Read More »
What do Countess Louise, Astrology, and January 1 have in common? Readers of the Journal de Louise de Savoye, duchesse d’Angoulesme, d’Anjou et de Valois will know the answer. For the rest of you, let me explain. Estimated reading time: 4 minutes Three crucial events In the 20 years between 1496 to 1515, three crucial
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What clothing did French Renaissance Noblewomen wear? As a writer, I ask myself this question each time I need to describe a woman. I focus on noblewomen because courts set the fashion. People of every class copied the one above it as closely as their finances allowed. Styles varied from one country to another and from
Clothing French Renaissance Noblewomen Read More »
I began this website with facts not fiction about the women of 16th Century France. It was too limiting. , I posted historical content about the women I was fictionalizing. It was too limiting. Now my site is more eclectic. I have lots about my fiction, the blog posts with historical content about the women
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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes Few settings cast a spell like the French court. The French Renaissance court, even for those who know little about it, exercises a charm that is hard to resist. Writing about how I created it as a setting is the subject of my blog post Getting to Setting in The
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As I was researching my new novel I reflected on the importance of male heirs for Brittany and France. I had been reading an article that electrified me in the book Noblesse de Bretagne du Moyen Age à Nos Jours. Failures in the male line One article in particular challenges several standard interpretations of Breton
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