This book considers the life and legacy of Renée de France (1510–75), the youngest daughter of King Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne, exploring her cultural, spiritual, and political influence and her evolving roles and actions as fille de France, Duchess of Ferrara, and Dowager Duchess at Montargis. Drawing on a variety of often overlooked sources – poetry, theater, fine arts, landscape architecture, letters, and ambassadorial reports – contributions highlight Renée’s wide-ranging influence in sixteenth-century Europe, from the Italian Wars to the French Wars of Religion. These essays consider her cultural patronage and politico-religious advocacy, demonstrating that she expanded upon intellectual and moral values shared with her sister, Claude de France; her cousins, Marguerite de Navarre and Jeanne d’Albret; and her godmother and mother, Anne de France and Anne de Bretagne, thereby solidifying her place in a long line of powerful French royal women.

Table des matières

Introduction: Renée de France’s Life and Legacy. Pages 1-19
Peebles, Kelly Digby (et al.)

Anne de Bretagne, Claude de France, and the Roots of Renée’s. Pages 21-67
Wilson-Chevalier, Kathleen

The Primer of Renée de France. Pages 69-95
Wieck, Roger S.

Back to Basics: Rereading the “Ferrarese Imbroglio” of 1536 in Light of Primary Sources. Pages 97-126
Wursten, Dick

The Duchess and the Poet: Rereading Variants of Two Poems Written in Exile by Clément Marot to Renée de France in Relation to Ongoing Diplomatic Negotiations (1535–1538). Pages 127-165
Berthon, Guillaume

“C’est mon stile qui change”: Clément Marot’s Lyrical Turn in Renée de France’s. Pages 167-190
Hudson, Robert J.

Between Literature and Religion: Renata di Francia’s Literary Network. Pages 191-218
Scarlatta, Gabriella

Renata di Francia and the Theater: Some Hypotheses. Pages 219-246
Pieri, Marzia

A Challenging Wife: Renée de France and Simulated Celibacy. Pages 247-283
Belligni, Eleonora

Under the Rubble: Renée de France and Fragments of Art from Her Italian Years. Pages 285-332
Wilson-Chevalier, Kathleen

Renée de France as Dowager Duchess and Epistolary Diplomat. Pages 333-358
Peebles, Kelly Digby

The Gardens of the Château de Montargis as an Expression of Renée de France’s Identity (1560-1575). Pages 359-379
Cvetkovic, Cyril

Epilogue: Future Directions for Studying the Life and Legacy of Renée de France. Pages 381-384
Peebles, Kelly Digby (et al.)