Marguerite de Navarre was a pivotal figure in the French Renaissance. As the sister of King Francis I and Queen of Navarre, Marguerite was not only a powerful woman in a male-dominated society but also a prolific writer and an advocate for religious reform.
Discover how her early humanist education shaped her critical views on religion and society. We’ll explore her most famous work, the Heptameron, a collection of stories that offers deep insights into human relationships, gender dynamics, and class structures of the time.
Learn about Marguerite’s complex relationship with the Catholic Church, her support of reformers, and her delicate balancing act between tradition and innovation. We’ll also discuss her potential influence on Anne Boleyn, highlighting the connections between these two influential women.
Join us as we uncover Marguerite’s legacy—a blend of literary genius, political acumen, and unwavering commitment to intellectual and spiritual growth—that left an indelible mark on history.
This is episode 253, and it is on Marguerite of Navarre, who, of course is a remarkable figure of the French Renaissance, who also had a huge impact on the Reformation and on Anne Boleyn. We are going to expand our horizons a little bit. I know it’s the Renaissance English History Podcast, and you might think, well, why are you talking about someone who’s French? But of course, it’s all linked together, and Marguerite of Navarre was a very influential woman in both England and France and the rest of Europe, so we will talk about her.
Marguerite was a remarkable figure in the French Renaissance. She was the sister of King Francis I. She was the Queen of Navarre through her marriage to Henry II of Navarre. She wielded considerable influence in both political and intellectual circles. Marguerite was not just a royal figure; she was a prolific writer, a patron of the arts, and an advocate for religious reform.
Her most famous literary work, the Heptameron, remains a masterpiece of Renaissance literature, reflecting her keen understanding of human nature, morality, and society. Her position as a woman of power gave her unique access to Reformist ideas, particularly as the Reformation began to spread across Europe.
She maintained a delicate balance between supporting reform while remaining within the Catholic fold and navigating the very dangerous waters of religious upheaval. Her influence extended beyond France, impacting figures like Anne Boleyn, who had spent time at the French court. In this episode, we will explore Marguerite’s contributions to literature, her role in religious reform, and her legacy as a powerful woman in a male-dominated world.
Early Life
Marguerite de Navarre was born in 1492 to Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy, just two years before her brother, the future Francis I would ascend to the French throne. From an early age, Marguerite was immersed in an environment that emphasized education and intellect. Her mother, Louise, ensured that both her children were well-educated, which was particularly rare for a girl in that era.
Marguerite received the same humanist education as her brother, which included reading classical works by Plato and Aristotle, as well as more contemporary Italian writers like Dante and Boccaccio. The focus of this education was on intellectual development, critical thinking, and exposure to diverse ideas from across Europe.
The family’s intellectual center was in Cognac, where Marguerite had access to an extensive library. This library became a foundation for her humanist education, which fostered her interest in literature, philosophy, and religion. The Renaissance’s emphasis on individual thought and return to classical sources deeply influenced Marguerite’s worldview. Her exposure to these works, combined with her experiences at court, shaped her critical views of the Catholic Church, setting the stage for her later involvement in religious reform movements.
So, one of the things about the family’s center in Cognac was, it was heavily influenced by the Italian Renaissance. This atmosphere undoubtedly shaped Marguerite’s intellectual curiosity and her later contributions to literature and religion. She and her brother Francis were inseparable. They shared tutors, and they fostered a love of learning that would define much of their later lives.
Her Marriages
At the age of 17, in 1509, Marguerite was married to Charles IV, Duke of Alençon. Louis XII arranged the marriage for political reasons. It was not a very happy union. Charles was kind, but he was intellectually limited and very much ill-suited to Marguerite’s vibrant and inquisitive nature. The marriage produced no children.
In 1525, Charles died, and Marguerite’s position at court became even more significant. Her brother had ascended to the throne as Francis I in 1515, and Marguerite emerged as a key figure in the French court, where her salon became a gathering place for the most prominent intellectuals and reformers of the day.
In 1527, Marguerite remarried, this time to Henry II of Navarre. This marriage was more fruitful. It produced two children, although only one survived, Jeanne d’Albret, born in 1528. Jeanne would go on to become the Queen of Navarre and the mother of Henry IV of France, 1st Bourbon king, establishing Marguerite as the ancestress of the Bourbon dynasty.
Marguerite’s second marriage also brought her a significant role in the politics of Navarre where she balanced her duties as queen with her ongoing influence at the French court. So Navarre, at that time, was actually a separate country. It was on the Iberian Peninsula, bordered by Aragon. And it’s that part that now is sort of part of Basque Country in northern Spain, which is a beautiful, beautiful place.
When we lived in Spain, one of my favorite vacations, we went up to Basque Country a couple of times. It’s gorgeous. I love it. I would totally live there. It’s amazing. Anyway, Navarre was in that bit right at the corner where the Iberian Peninsula kind of goes off. There’s like a 90-degree angle. Spain juts out and Navarre was right in that corner.
It actually went back and forth between being annexed by Spain. The French portion, which was on the Northern slope of the Pyrenees, was a separate kingdom until 1589, when it was eventually incorporated into France. But that is a little side story.
A Diplomat and Political Advisor
The point is, that Marguerite was the Queen of Navarre, and she had to balance that role with also being involved in the French court. One of her most remarkable achievements that she’s very well known for came in 1525, when her brother, Francis, died, Marguerite was imprisoned in Spain after being captured at the Battle of Pavia.
Marguerite rode through the harsh winter conditions in the Pyrenees to negotiate for her brother’s release, which showed she had a lot of political savvy. She was very determined. She was actually unable to secure his immediate freedom, but she managed to nurse him back to health.
He had been very ill, and she had prevented a devastating treaty from being signed with the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. This episode solidified her reputation as both a diplomat and a trusted political advisor. But personally, what she is well known for is her literary output.
The Heptameron
She has actually been called the first modern woman by Samuel Putnam who was a scholar and translator of Romance languages, and she was just a titan in the French Renaissance, as a patron and as a writer herself. Her legacy is most strongly tied to her work, the Heptameron, which is a collection of 72 short stories framed within a narrative structure similar to Boccaccio’s The Decameron.
In the Heptameron, a group of aristocrats, five men, and five women, find themselves stranded in a monastery in the Pyrenees after floods and natural disasters prevent them from traveling. To pass the time, they tell stories that explore a wide range of themes, including love and betrayal, justice and morality.
While Marguerite adopted Boccaccio’s structural framework, her stories delve deeper into complex human relationships, especially the tensions between men and women and between different social classes. One of the most striking aspects of the Heptameron is its exploration of gender and gender dynamics.
Several of the stories depict the struggle between male and female perspectives, often showing women as victims of male dominance or deceit. While others present women as resourceful and virtuous, capable of navigating a world that favors men. The discussions that follow each story, where the aristocrats debate the lessons and morals, reveal Marguerite’s nuanced views on gender, virtue, and power.
These discussions also reflect the class divisions of time as the noble storytellers grapple with issues of justice and fairness throughout the world, across different social strata. Marguerite’s work stands out in the French Renaissance for its combination of entertainment, moral inquiry, and subtle social critique.
While the stories are often bawdy, humorous, or filled with dramatic tension, they also serve as a reflection on the human condition, the roles people play in society, and the moral consequences of their actions.
Unlike many works of the time, the Heptameron doesn’t offer easy moral conclusions. Instead, it challenges readers to engage with the complexity of the situations, leaving many of the discussions open-ended. This complexity is one reason why the Heptameron has endured as a literary jewel of the Renaissance.
Other Literary Contributions
Beyond the Heptameron, Marguerite’s literary contribution extended to devotional works, poetry, and translations. Her early translations included commentary by Martin Luther on the Lord’s Prayer, reflecting her interest in religious reform.
This would have been a really big deal, translating anything related to Martin Luther in France, which was extremely Catholic. But her devotional writings often centered on personal spirituality and the search for divine grace, making her a rare voice in a field dominated by men.
She wrote The Mirror of the Sinful Soul, which is a deeply introspective work that explores the relationship between the soul and God. And it later influenced figures like Elizabeth I who translated it into English. Marguerite’s ability to use literature as both a form of personal expression and a vehicle for social commentary was remarkable for a woman in her time.
While most women of her status focused on traditional roles, Marguerite used her pen to explore the broader themes of power, faith, and human interaction. Her works were not only a reflection of her own religious and philosophical beliefs, but also a critique of the society that she inhabited. Through her writing, Marguerite carved out a space of authority in a male-dominated world, establishing herself as one of the most important female intellectuals of her time.
Her Religious Position and Influence
Just like her literary career was, her role in religious life was complex and multifaceted. While she remained loyal to the Catholic Church, nominally at least, her interest in reform and association with movements that sought to address corruption within the church placed her in a bit of a precarious position.
Marguerite’s religious views reflected the broader intellectual trends of Renaissance humanism, which encouraged a return to classical sources and a more direct engagement with the Bible. Like many humanists of her time, Marguerite believed in the need to purify and reform the church, though she stopped short of advocating for a full break with Catholicism as many Protestants did.
One of Marguerite’s earliest influences would have been the growing discontent with the corruption in the Catholic Church. By the early 16th century, there was widespread dissatisfaction with the moral and financial abuses of the clergy that had already begun to take root across Europe.
Marguerite, educated in humanist thought, well read in both classical and contemporary theological texts, was deeply affected by these criticisms. Her writings often reflect her concerns about the ethical decay within the church and her desire for a return to spiritual purity.
She was particularly interested in the movement to return to the original teachings of the Gospels, an idea that resonated with reformers across Europe. Now she was also associated with a group called the evangelicals. They were a group in France that sought to reform the church from within. And that further complicated her religious position.
The evangelicals were sometimes described as Proto-Protestants. They were focused on the Bible as the central authority in religious life, promoting the religious study of scripture and move away from the excesses of the Catholic hierarchy.
While the evangelicals shared some beliefs with the Protestant Reformation, particularly regarding the importance of scripture and the need for reform, they did not advocate for a full schism with the Catholic Church.
Marguerite was seen as a key figure in this movement, providing protection and patronage to reformers who might otherwise have faced persecution. Marguerite’s position at court allowed her to shield reformers from the harsh penalties that often accompanied criticism of the church.
She used this influence to protect intellectuals, writers, and theologians who were challenging the status quo. Her brother Francis, though a devout Catholic, did give Marguerite some latitude to support these thinkers, at least in the earlier stages of the Reformation.
But then, as tensions between the Catholics and the Protestants escalated, Marguerite found herself in an increasingly precarious position, attempting to balance her desire for reform with her loyalty to the Catholic faith and her royal duties. One of Marguerite’s most significant acts of defiance was her translation of Martin Luther’s Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer.
Luther was by that time excommunicated by the Catholic Church, and had become a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation. Translating his work into French was a bold move, one that signaled Marguerite’s deep engagement with Reformist ideas, while also testing the boundaries of acceptable dissent within Catholic France.
Though Marguerite never publicly renounced the Catholic Church, her translation of Luther’s work was seen as a provocative act, aligning her with the more radical reformers while allowing her to maintain a degree of plausible deniability. The significance of Marguerite’s religious position was in her ability to navigate the fine line between reform and tradition.
She was not a Protestant, but neither was she a staunch defender of Catholic orthodoxy. Her writings, especially her devotional works, reveal a deep personal faith and a commitment to religious reform. Yet she remained within the fold of the Catholic Church,
hoping to see it reformed from within rather than destroyed. This balancing act became increasingly difficult as the Reformation progressed and the lines between Catholicism and Protestantism hardened.
Margaret’s religious stance not only shaped her personal life, but also her influence at court among the intellectual elite, her patronage of reformers, her writings on spiritual matters, and her protection of those advocating for change made her a key figure in the religious debates of her time.
She was a bridge between the conservative forces of Catholicism and the burgeoning reformist movement, using her position of power to foster dialogue and protect those who might otherwise have been silenced.
French Court and Anne Boleyn
Marguerite’s ability to maintain her religious independence while continuing to influence court politics and intellectual life, shows her skill as a diplomat and a thinker in an age of deep religious upheaval.
A very famous English queen, Anne Boleyn, spent a significant portion of her early life in France, first as lady-in-waiting to Queen Claude, and then at the court of Francis I later. It was during this time that she would have encountered the intellectual and religious culture of the French Renaissance, which was shaped by figures like Marguerite of Navarre.
Marguerite’s influence on the French court, particularly through her support of humanist ideas and reform, had an impact on the young Anne Boleyn. Now there’s no direct evidence of a personal relationship between the two women, and Anne was just there as a lady-in-waiting, who knows what the relationship would have been.
But it is clear that Anne’s exposure to Marguerite’s intellectual circle would have left a lasting impression. Both Marguerite and Anne were advocates for religious reform, but they operated in very different contexts and approached the issue in different ways.
Marguerite remained within the Catholic Church, pushing for internal reform, while avoiding a full break with the papacy. Her association with the evangelicals and her support of the Bible translation reflect her desire to see a more spiritually authentic church, though she did not cross the line into Protestantism.
In contrast, Anne Boleyn’s influence on Henry VIII and the English Reformation led to a complete schism with Rome and the establishment of the Church of England. While Marguerite hoped to change the Church from within, Anne was instrumental in England’s dramatic and irreversible break with Catholicism.
The connections between the two women through their court experience, shared intellectual circles, and support for reform, reflect this broader European movement of religious and intellectual change. Whatever their relationship was, it’s clear that Marguerite did have a very big impact on Anne. Anne had written to Marguerite in 1535 saying that her greatest wish next to having a son, was “to see you again”. So Anne very much looked up to Marguerite.
Now one other fun fact on the overlap between Anne and Marguerite is that in Shakespeare‘s play Henry VIII in Act 3 Scene 2, Shakespeare actually writes that it was Marguerite that Cardinal Wolsey had been planning on having Henry marry while he was trying to break with Katherine of Aragon.
So who knows how true Shakespeare’s story is, right? I don’t know that we want to take that completely, but it seems like there were at least rumors or the idea that if Henry was going to break with Katherine of Aragon, he might marry Marguerite. Of course, he didn’t. Marguerite became a widow in 1525. and didn’t get remarried until a couple of years later.
She would have been single and available during much of this time. So who knows what the thought process was, but of course, by just a couple of years later, she had remarried. So that idea was gone, but it’s interesting to think that there was some thought that maybe Henry would have married Marguerite when he would marry Anne Boleyn instead, of course.
Her Brother Francis I
In addition to her literary and religious contributions. Marguerite of Navarre played a significant political role alongside her brother Francis. She was a trusted advisor and diplomat. She often stepped into negotiations during moments of crisis.
We talked about her political acumen when she was negotiating for her brother, Francis’ release from his prison in Madrid, and also then making sure that he did not sign a disastrous treaty with Spain. But her political influence extended beyond her relationship with her brother.
As the wife of Henry II, King of Navarre, she found herself navigating the complex political landscape between France and Navarre. Her husband had lost a portion of his kingdom to Spain, like I said in 1515, when it was annexed.
And her diplomatic skills were essential in managing the tension between Navarre’s desire for autonomy and Francis’s attempt to consolidate power. Her loyalty to her brother sometimes conflicted with her obligations to her husband, yet she managed to maintain this delicate balance between the competing interests.
Conclusion
Marguerite’s legacy is one of profound influence on French literature, religious reform, and Renaissance thought. The Heptameron is a literary masterpiece. I urge you to check it out and read it. It offers a window into the complexities of human relationships, morality, and class dynamics.
Her role as a supporter of religious reform, never fully aligning with Protestantism, positioned her as a pivotal figure in the broader European Reformation, and debate over whether she was a Catholic loyalist or Protestant sympathizer continues to this day, but her advocacy for change within the church is undeniable.
Her influence extended to future generations, particularly through her daughter, Jeanne, who became a prominent Protestant leader and played a key role in the French wars of religion.
Today, Marguerite is recognized as a powerful intellectual, political, and religious figure in Renaissance history and her contributions to literature and her complex role in the religious and political landscape of the 16th century solidified her place as one of the most influential women of her time. So that is Marguerite of Navarre in a nutshell.
Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, the original Tudor history podcast, started in 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop.
She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 30 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history (how exciting when she got to interview Alison for the first time!). In addition to history, she is passionate about travel, and has lived in 3 countries and 4 states (not counting her perpetual state of confusion), and her family (who help her host her YouTube channel occasionally).
