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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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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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
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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 , I posted historical content about the women I was fictionalizing.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 I have lots about my fiction, the blog posts with historical content about the women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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This interview with Laura du Pre, author of the Three Graces Trilogy is a treat. YOu’ll discover the French Wars of Religion were full of intrigue, family rivalry and bloodshed. And, read the book review here. This is the first video in my series, Conversations with Renaissance Fiction Writers. Laura talks about her interest in
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“She scarcely appeared to be sensitive to the glare of her happiness. Henri was shocked by this prodigious indifference.” Written by the contemporary historian Fontanieu Louise de Lorraine-Vaudemont, Queen of France was the wife of King Henry III. He married her because she reminded him of his first love. She was shy and retiring which
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The Three Graces Trilogy offers something unusual: novels of the French religious conflict with noblewomen as heroines. The three de Clèves sisters find themselves on differing sides, so each brings a unique perspective. Thus Laura du Pre offers her readers an experience of the religious wars in a personal, female way. The Three Graces Trilogy: Engaging
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