Marguerite de Valois

Edith Benkov (University of San Diego)

Ed. by Robert J. Hudson, Brigham Young University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.02: French Writing and Culture in the Renaissance, 1400-1600.
Vol. editors: Robert J. Hudson (Brigham Young University), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), Phillip John Usher (New York University), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

Born 14 May 1553
Died 27 Mar 1615

Places

Active in France

Cultural Identities

Feminist

Activities

Primary

Humanist
Memoirist

Resources

de Valois' Works

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Most commonly known as

La Reine Margot

(Queen Margot), a debt owed to Alexander Dumas’ 1845 eponymous novel, Marguerite de Valois was the daughter of Henri II and Catherine de’ Medici, and the sister of three successive kings: François II, Charles IX and Henri III. Her childhood was spent at the royal residence in Saint Germain-en-Laye, which would be the site of the not far from the Royal Convent of Poissy where the failed attempt at reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants was held in 1561. Even as a very young girl, she would be courted for her influence as evidenced, for example, in works dedicated by the poet Anne de Marquets, a nun housed in Poissy, to her. In addition to being known for her beauty, Marguerite was also admired for her culture, with an education that…

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1491 words

Citation: Benkov, Edith. "Marguerite de Valois". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 August 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14124, accessed 22 November 2024.]