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Marguerite de Valois : la Reine Margot
French
Fille du roi Henri II et de Catherine de Médicis, sœur de Charles IX et d'Henri III, femme d'Henri IV, le pedigree royal de Marguerite de Valois (1553-1615) est impressionnant. Une telle parenté aurait pu étouffer la personnalité d'un être faible. La jeune Marguerite, douée d'une grande intelligence politique, montre un appétit d'ogre pour les affaires de ce monde et s'impose comme femme politique, érudite, mécène, polémiste, féministe et enfin mémorialiste, dont l'œuvre fut sans cesse rééditée... S'appuyant sur les écrits de Marguerite et les études les plus neuves sur la Saint-Barthélemy ou l'accession au pouvoir d'Henri IV, Eliane Viennot confronte dans cette biographie très moderne la grande reine oubliée par l'Histoire à Margot, son double imaginé par Alexandre Dumas et passé à la postérité sous les traits d'une princesse dévergondée. Membre de l'Institut universitaire de France (IUF), Eliane Viennot est professeure de littérature de la Renaissance à l'université de Saint-Etienne et présidente de la Société pour l'étude des femmes de l'Ancien Régime (SIEFAR).
Fille du roi Henri II et de Catherine de Médicis, sœur de Charles IX et d'Henri III, femme d'Henri IV, le pedigree royal de Marguerite de Valois (1553-1615) est impressionnant. Une telle parenté aurait pu étouffer la personnalité d'un être faible. La jeune Marguerite, douée d'une grande intelligence politique, montre un appétit d'ogre pour les affaires de ce monde et s'impose comme femme politique, érudite, mécène, polémiste, féministe et enfin mémorialiste, dont l'œuvre fut sans cesse rééditée... S'appuyant sur les écrits de Marguerite et les études les plus neuves sur la Saint-Barthélemy ou l'accession au pouvoir d'Henri IV, Eliane Viennot confronte dans cette biographie très moderne la grande reine oubliée par l'Histoire à Margot, son double imaginé par Alexandre Dumas et passé à la postérité sous les traits d'une princesse dévergondée. Membre de l'Institut universitaire de France (IUF), Eliane Viennot est professeure de littérature de la Renaissance à l'université de Saint-Etienne et présidente de la Société pour l'étude des femmes de l'Ancien Régime (SIEFAR).
- GenresNonfictionHistoryFrance
664 pages, Pocket Book
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 2, 2022
Le livre est écrit par une érudite de la vie de la Reine Margot. Je l’ai trouvé passionnant et plein de détails sur la vie de cette grande reine de la Renaissance qui diffère tant des histoires romancées d’Alexandre Dumas et autres.
December 24, 2025
2.5 stars
This was relatively good, but rather one-sided in its interpretations. There was palpable sympathy for the main character and her Valois family. Marguerite herself is in a way idealised and some of her mistakes are glossed over.
She may have been intelligent and refined, but the fact is that Marguerite committed treason against both her brother, Henri III of France, and her husband, Henri III of Navarre (the future Henri IV of France). And I’m not defending her brother or her husband here, just stating the facts.
She asked for help from Philip II of Spain, who was an enemy of the French state.
Eventually, Marguerite was lucky to survive after all she had done. We know that treason could be punished by death in the 16th century.
Nothing proves that Marguerite was an able politician in her own right, as Viennot suggests. On the contrary, some of her actions point to the lack of political thinking.
But a big plus of this book is that the author shows how our view of this queen has been distorted by pamphlets, satire and literature, and how often we accept rumour as fact. Marguerite most likely was not the dissolute and frivolous queen of the pamphlets.
And just saying, the mention of the young duc de Guise’s blue eyes as something making him attractive looks a bit ridiculous. By the way, Henri de Navarre also had blue eyes.
Despite some flaws, if you want to read only one biography of Marguerite, I’d recommend choosing this one.
This was relatively good, but rather one-sided in its interpretations. There was palpable sympathy for the main character and her Valois family. Marguerite herself is in a way idealised and some of her mistakes are glossed over.
She may have been intelligent and refined, but the fact is that Marguerite committed treason against both her brother, Henri III of France, and her husband, Henri III of Navarre (the future Henri IV of France). And I’m not defending her brother or her husband here, just stating the facts.
She asked for help from Philip II of Spain, who was an enemy of the French state.
Eventually, Marguerite was lucky to survive after all she had done. We know that treason could be punished by death in the 16th century.
Nothing proves that Marguerite was an able politician in her own right, as Viennot suggests. On the contrary, some of her actions point to the lack of political thinking.
But a big plus of this book is that the author shows how our view of this queen has been distorted by pamphlets, satire and literature, and how often we accept rumour as fact. Marguerite most likely was not the dissolute and frivolous queen of the pamphlets.
And just saying, the mention of the young duc de Guise’s blue eyes as something making him attractive looks a bit ridiculous. By the way, Henri de Navarre also had blue eyes.
Despite some flaws, if you want to read only one biography of Marguerite, I’d recommend choosing this one.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews