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.
Table of contents
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
A Bright, Clever Child
Born on 14 May 1553, Marguerite, or Margot, was the seventh child and third daughter of Henri II and Catherine de’ Medici. Raised with her sisters Claude and Elisabeth, she was bright and quick to learn. Margot excelled in languages, notably Latin and Italian. She was brought up Roman Catholic in the royal court during the years of political turmoil that followed Henri II’s untimely death. Margot embraced the Catholic party in the politico/religious wrangling that convulsed France from the mid-16th Century on. Considered a beauty, she developed a reputation for engaging in amorous adventures that besmirched her reputation for centuries. She also developed a taste for intrigue and politics.
A Disastrous Marriage
Because of her forced marriage by her mother [see more fiction about her here] to King Henry III de Navarre [later Henry IV of France] with its disastrous consequences, she has become one of the most famous—read scandalous—royal women in France. Five days after her marriage in Paris on 18 August 1572, Catholics murdered thousands of Hugunots in the infamous St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. The murders then spread throughout France, and led to the next War of Religion. The disaster also foreshadowed the many debacles that defined the marriage. Disgusted by her family’s perfidy, Marguerite refused to divorce Henry, but their marriage was a hollow shell. It held together for years for practical and political considerations.
A Captive Rebel
Finally, unable to endure her husband’s behaviour and politics, Margot left Henri in 1585 and joined the Catholic League. Fighting against both her husband and her brother, King Henry III, she captured the Aquitanian city of Agen. Then she strengthened its fortifications, and attacked cities in its vicinity. Retreating as royal forces approached the city, she and her entourage fled to her fortress of Carlat. About a year later, she left it for her castle at Ibois, and remained there until she was captured by royal troops.
King Henry III, outraged by her disloyalty, then imprisoned Margot with a few retainers at the castle of Usson. Even after Henry III was assassinated, her husband did not free her and she lived there until 1605. Understandably enough, she negotiated a generous settlement with Henry IV before agreeing to divorce. It was not her doing that the Pope delayed the divorce for several years.
Her Literary Legacy
Energetic and intelligent, Margot used her time at Usson restoring the castle, creating a circle of intellectuals to share her retirement, pursuing a wide correspondence, writing her memoirs, and studying. One of the earliest women to write memoirs, she provides us with a fascinating insight into 16th century court life during its most tumultuous era. Historians have also collected her wide correspondence, another fascinating source about the personalities and the period.
In her own words:
Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navarre De Valois, Written by Herself. New York: Merrill & Baker (1800).
Memoirs of Maruerite Queen of Navarre Complete on Project Gutenberg (free)
And if you read French:
Correspondance (1569-1614) (Textes De La Renaissance), by Marguerite de Valois, Jun 5, 2018
Lettres Inédites de Marguerite de Valois À Pomponne de Bellièvre by Marguerite de Valois, Feb. 28, 2018
More About the Scandalous Reine Margot of Navarre Fictionally:
Fiction turns historical characters into real people. Dozens of books exist to feed your curiosity about the cleverest and healthiest of King Henry II and Queen Catherine’s children. Here are some of my favourites:
Médici’s Daughter: A Novel of Marguerite de Valois, by Sophie Perinot, Thomas Dunne Books (2015).
Beautiful Princess Margot walks the knife-edge between the demands of her dangerous family, and the demands of her own conscience. The novel is a “coming-of-age” tale. In it, the princess learns to slay her own dragons.
Marguerite de Valois, Alexandre Dumas, Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. 1900. A rousing, fast-paced tale, it begins with the marriage of Margot and tarries on the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre and its aftermath. It is a rip-roaring adventure with a plethora of characters among whom Marguerite is by no means the most central. Catherine de Medici plays the role of great villainess and Marguerite is a heroine. Dumas was a great romantic writer, the book is old (1845) and long (approx. 650 p.) but I loved it. Also, it is free on Gutenberg here.
Hostage Queen, Reluctant Queen, and The Queen and the Courtesan (Marguerite de Valois, Books 1, 2 &3), by Frieda Lightfoot [Marion Carr], Noiram Press (2012). The trilogy covers the life of princess Marguerite de Valois, the most beautiful woman at Court. In the first, her family forces her to marry Henry of Navarre instead of her true love to bring peace. In the second, Gabrielle d Estrée catches the heart of King Henry IV of France. Here Margot features as the villainess who will only divorce him if he promises not to marry Gabrielle. In the last, Queen Margot, now a prisoner separated from King Henry IV once again opposes a royal mistress. Henriette d’Entragues isn’t satisfied as King Henry IV’s mistress. She wants a crown too. King Henry promises to marry her. Then he faces political necessity and a wife who refuses to divorce for woman she despises.
**Almost a Queen, Book One, Three Graces Trilogy, 2015 by Laura du Pre. Not directly about Margot, this novel features her as a major character. Her marriage is the backdrop for the French court intrigues on the eve of the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre. For more about the series, go to Three Graces Trilogy: Novels Of The French Religious Conflict.
Why THREE Marguerites De Valois?
Rather than repeat all that others have written, here are some biographies about Marguerite, la Reine Margot in English. Dozens exist. I recommend the first, by Nancy Goldstone.
The Rival Queens: Catherine de’ Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom. This is by Nancy Goldstone, Jun 23, 2015
The Myth of the Reine Margot: Toward the Elimination of a Legend (Studies in the Humanities), by Robert Sealy, Feb 1, 1995
Queen Margot: Wife of Henry of Navarre, by H. Noel Williams and Linda Ellis | Jun 11, 2015. This is an older book updated as a digital edition by Linda Ellis.
Read more about the scandalous Reine Margot and the two other Marguerites de Valois, in Why THREE Marguerites De Valois?