Representing the Life and Legacy of Renée de France

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.

Auteur
Kelly Digby Peebles is Associate Professor of French and Director of Language and International Health at Clemson University, USA.
Gabriella Scarlatta is Professor of French and Italian and Associate Dean in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters at The University of Michigan-Dearborn, USA.

Texte du rabat

This book considers the life and legacy of Renée de France (151075), 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.

Contenu

1. Introduction: Renée de France's Life and Legacy.- 2. Anne de Bretagne, Claude de France and the Roots of Renée's Persona.- 3. The Primer of Renée de France.- 4. Back to the Basics: Re-reading the 'Ferrarese Imbroglio' of 1536.- 5. The Duchess and the Poet: Re-Reading Variants of Two Poems Written in Exile by Clément Marot to Renée de France in Relation to On-Going Diplomatic Negotiations (1535 to 1538).- 6. 'C'est mon stile qui change': Clément Marot's Lyrical Turn in Renée de France's pays italique.- 7. Between Literature and Religion: Renata di Francia's Literary Network.- 8. Renata di Francia at the Theater: Some Hypotheses.- 9. A Challenging Wife: Renée de France and Simulated Celibacy.- 10. Under the Rubble: Renée de France and Fragments of Art from Her Italian Years.- 11. Renée de France as Dowager Duchess and Epistolary Diplomat.- 12. The Gardens of the Château de Montargis as an Expression of Renée de France's Identity.- 13. Epilogue: Future Directions for Studying the Life and Legacy of Renée de France.