What do you think?
Rate this book
Memoirs of Marguerite De Valois, Queen of Navarre Complete
HardPress Classic Books Series
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1892
27 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Marguerite de Valois
28 books7 followersBorn Marguerite de Valois at the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye and nicknamed Margot by her brothers, she was the daughter of Henry II and Catherine de' Medici. Three of her brothers became kings of France: Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III. Her sister, Élisabeth de Valois, became the third wife of King Philip II of Spain.
Marguerite was forced to marry Henry de Bourbon, the son of Jeanne d'Albret, the Protestant Queen of Navarre, in a marriage that was designed to reunite family ties and create harmony between Catholics and Huguenots. Although Henry's mother opposed the marriage, many of her nobles supported it, and the marriage was arranged. Jeanne d'Albret died under suspicious circumstances before the marriage could take place; some suspected that a pair of gloves sent to Jeanne as a wedding gift from Catherine de' Medici had been poisoned.
On 18 August 1572, the 19-year-old Marguerite married Henri de Bourbon, who had become King of Navarre upon the death of his mother.
Just six days after the wedding, on Saint Bartholomew's Day, a massacre of Huguenots was conducted by Parisian mobs.
Marguerite has been credited with saving the lives of several prominent Protestants (including her husband) during the massacre, by keeping them in her rooms and refusing to admit the assassins, which included her lover, Henri de Guise. For her pains, she was confined to the Louvre by her mother. Henry of Navarre, too, was placed under house arrest and had to feign conversion to Catholicism.
After more than three years of confinement at court, Henry escaped Paris in 1576, leaving his wife behind. Finally granted permission to return to her husband in Navarre, for the next three and a half years Marguerite and her husband lived in Pau. Both openly kept other lovers, and they quarrelled frequently.
After an illness in 1582, Queen Marguerite returned to the court of her brother, Henry III, in Paris. But Henry III was soon scandalized by her reputation and forced her to leave the court. After long negotiations, she was allowed to return to her husband's court in Navarre, but she received an icy reception. Determined to overcome her difficulties, Queen Marguerite masterminded a coup d'état and seized power over Agen, one of her appanages. After several months of fortifying the city, the citizens of Agen revolted and Queen Marguerite fled to the castle of Carlat. In 1586, she was imprisoned by her brother Henri III in the castle of Usson, in Auvergne, where she spent eighteen years.
In 1589, her husband succeeded to the throne of France as Henry IV, though he was not accepted by most of the Catholic population until he converted to that faith four years later. Henry continued to keep mistresses, most notably Gabrielle d'Estrées from 1591 to 1599, who bore him four children. Negotiations to dissolve the marriage were entered in 1592 and concluded in 1599 with an agreement that allowed her to maintain the title of queen. She settled her household on the Left Bank of the Seine, in the Hostel de la Reyne Margueritte.
During this time, Marguerite wrote her memoirs consisting of a succession of stories relating to the affairs of her brothers Charles IX and Henri III with her former husband Henry IV. The memoirs were published posthumously in 1628 and scandalised the population. Marguerite took many lovers both during her marriage, and after divorcing. Most notable were Joseph Boniface de La Môle, Jacques de Harlay, Seigneur de Chanvallon and Louis de Bussy d'Amboise.
Reconciled to her former husband and his second wife, Marie de Medici, Queen Marguerite returned to Paris and established herself as a mentor of the arts and benefactress of the poor. She often helped plan events at court and nurtured the children of Henry IV and Marie. Marguerite died in her private residence, the Hôtel de la Reine Marguerite in Paris, on 27 May 1615, and was buried in the Chapel of the Valois.
Alexandre Dumas, père's novel Queen Margot ("La Rei
Marguerite was forced to marry Henry de Bourbon, the son of Jeanne d'Albret, the Protestant Queen of Navarre, in a marriage that was designed to reunite family ties and create harmony between Catholics and Huguenots. Although Henry's mother opposed the marriage, many of her nobles supported it, and the marriage was arranged. Jeanne d'Albret died under suspicious circumstances before the marriage could take place; some suspected that a pair of gloves sent to Jeanne as a wedding gift from Catherine de' Medici had been poisoned.
On 18 August 1572, the 19-year-old Marguerite married Henri de Bourbon, who had become King of Navarre upon the death of his mother.
Just six days after the wedding, on Saint Bartholomew's Day, a massacre of Huguenots was conducted by Parisian mobs.
Marguerite has been credited with saving the lives of several prominent Protestants (including her husband) during the massacre, by keeping them in her rooms and refusing to admit the assassins, which included her lover, Henri de Guise. For her pains, she was confined to the Louvre by her mother. Henry of Navarre, too, was placed under house arrest and had to feign conversion to Catholicism.
After more than three years of confinement at court, Henry escaped Paris in 1576, leaving his wife behind. Finally granted permission to return to her husband in Navarre, for the next three and a half years Marguerite and her husband lived in Pau. Both openly kept other lovers, and they quarrelled frequently.
After an illness in 1582, Queen Marguerite returned to the court of her brother, Henry III, in Paris. But Henry III was soon scandalized by her reputation and forced her to leave the court. After long negotiations, she was allowed to return to her husband's court in Navarre, but she received an icy reception. Determined to overcome her difficulties, Queen Marguerite masterminded a coup d'état and seized power over Agen, one of her appanages. After several months of fortifying the city, the citizens of Agen revolted and Queen Marguerite fled to the castle of Carlat. In 1586, she was imprisoned by her brother Henri III in the castle of Usson, in Auvergne, where she spent eighteen years.
In 1589, her husband succeeded to the throne of France as Henry IV, though he was not accepted by most of the Catholic population until he converted to that faith four years later. Henry continued to keep mistresses, most notably Gabrielle d'Estrées from 1591 to 1599, who bore him four children. Negotiations to dissolve the marriage were entered in 1592 and concluded in 1599 with an agreement that allowed her to maintain the title of queen. She settled her household on the Left Bank of the Seine, in the Hostel de la Reyne Margueritte.
During this time, Marguerite wrote her memoirs consisting of a succession of stories relating to the affairs of her brothers Charles IX and Henri III with her former husband Henry IV. The memoirs were published posthumously in 1628 and scandalised the population. Marguerite took many lovers both during her marriage, and after divorcing. Most notable were Joseph Boniface de La Môle, Jacques de Harlay, Seigneur de Chanvallon and Louis de Bussy d'Amboise.
Reconciled to her former husband and his second wife, Marie de Medici, Queen Marguerite returned to Paris and established herself as a mentor of the arts and benefactress of the poor. She often helped plan events at court and nurtured the children of Henry IV and Marie. Marguerite died in her private residence, the Hôtel de la Reine Marguerite in Paris, on 27 May 1615, and was buried in the Chapel of the Valois.
Alexandre Dumas, père's novel Queen Margot ("La Rei
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 7, 2025
What a person remembers is her or his truth.
This is true of the memoirs of Marguerite de Valois (1553 – 1615), the youngest daughter of Henri II of France and Catherine de Medici. She was the first wife of Henri IV, king of France and Navarre. Many probably know Marguerite from Alexandre Dumas' novel Queen Margot. The real Marguerite has little in common with her fictional counterpart, "la reine Margot." Marguerite is one of those historical figures whose real life and personality are surrounded by myths and legends. Some of those stories have been successfully debunked, while over others a question mark remains. It is hardly possible to separate fact from fiction in some cases, but it is clear that the legend is never the same as the real person.
While we may never know what Marguerite was "in reality," she certainly has the right to present her version of events.
As usual with memoirs, many observations should be taken with a grain of salt unless they can be independently corroborated. And independent verification, as we know, can be a very tricky task when it comes to the 16th century. Nevertheless, Marguerite is a valuable witness to the tumultuous history of 16th-century France. Most of her life coincided with the bloody religious wars that ravaged the French kingdom.
She knew how to write. After several centuries, her writing style is still very readable, with elegant lines tossed here and there, even though phrases like "the King my brother", "the King my husband", and "the Queen my mother" litter her text.
That said, I do not consider her memoirs to be anything special. For example, Charlotte Arbaleste Duplessis-Mornay's recollections are equally well-written and also offer the perspective of an educated woman.
Marguerite's writing reveals the good education she received as a French princess. However, along with her education and intelligence, there is a certain vanity that transpires through her narrative. It seems that Marguerite likes to talk about clothes and appearances.
Even when she was on a mission in Flanders to promote her younger brother's interests, she found an opportunity to mention clothes.
Of course, she was the princess and the queen, and an emphasis on dress is somewhat understandable, given the cultural codes of the time, where clothing played a large part in how one was perceived. That's why queens and princesses were often described as gorgeous and beautiful, while servant girls were just pretty. Still, I can't help but think that Marguerite sometimes sounds a bit vain.
The queen provides a lovely description of the court of Nerac (a power seat of her husband), where Protestants and Catholics peacefully coexisted.
"Our residence, for the most part of the time I have mentioned, was at Nerac, where our Court was so brilliant that we had no cause to regret our absence from the Court of France. We had with us the Princesse de Navarre, my husband's sister, since married to the Duc de Bar; there were besides a number of ladies belonging to myself. The King my husband was attended by a numerous body of lords and gentlemen, all as gallant persons as I have seen in any Court; and we had only to lament that they were Huguenots. This difference of religion, however, caused no dispute among us; the King my husband and the Princess his sister heard a sermon, whilst I and my servants heard mass.<...> The rest of the day was passed in innocent amusements; and in the afternoon, or at night, we commonly had a ball."
Marguerite’s account of the massacre of St. Bartholomew is important because it is one of the rare testimonies of someone who witnessed this terrible event inside the royal palace. But we should remember that she was writing long after the fact.
Like most memoirists, Marguerite de Valois was anxious to present herself and her actions in a favorable light and to defend herself against certain accusations.
A careful reading of the memoirs shows that Marguerite, although in her own words wishing them well, revealed to her mother the plans of her husband and younger brother François as these two young men planned their escape from Paris, thus betraying them.
Her narrative ends in the early 1580s, thus leaving out her involvement in the plots against both her brother (Henri III) and her husband, when she sought collaboration with the Catholic League and the Spanish. Even if we accept that circumstances (including her failure to provide her husband with an heir) and the political situation in France pushed her in this direction, these were her choices. In the end, she can be considered fortunate to have survived all the chaos, considering the laws and norms of that age.
Marguerite's eventual reconciliation with her ex-husband, now king Henri IV of France, after their demarriage speaks well of both of them. Marguerite also developed a friendly relationship with the dauphin Louis, the future Louis XIII.
This is true of the memoirs of Marguerite de Valois (1553 – 1615), the youngest daughter of Henri II of France and Catherine de Medici. She was the first wife of Henri IV, king of France and Navarre. Many probably know Marguerite from Alexandre Dumas' novel Queen Margot. The real Marguerite has little in common with her fictional counterpart, "la reine Margot." Marguerite is one of those historical figures whose real life and personality are surrounded by myths and legends. Some of those stories have been successfully debunked, while over others a question mark remains. It is hardly possible to separate fact from fiction in some cases, but it is clear that the legend is never the same as the real person.
While we may never know what Marguerite was "in reality," she certainly has the right to present her version of events.
As usual with memoirs, many observations should be taken with a grain of salt unless they can be independently corroborated. And independent verification, as we know, can be a very tricky task when it comes to the 16th century. Nevertheless, Marguerite is a valuable witness to the tumultuous history of 16th-century France. Most of her life coincided with the bloody religious wars that ravaged the French kingdom.
She knew how to write. After several centuries, her writing style is still very readable, with elegant lines tossed here and there, even though phrases like "the King my brother", "the King my husband", and "the Queen my mother" litter her text.
That said, I do not consider her memoirs to be anything special. For example, Charlotte Arbaleste Duplessis-Mornay's recollections are equally well-written and also offer the perspective of an educated woman.
Marguerite's writing reveals the good education she received as a French princess. However, along with her education and intelligence, there is a certain vanity that transpires through her narrative. It seems that Marguerite likes to talk about clothes and appearances.
Even when she was on a mission in Flanders to promote her younger brother's interests, she found an opportunity to mention clothes.
Of course, she was the princess and the queen, and an emphasis on dress is somewhat understandable, given the cultural codes of the time, where clothing played a large part in how one was perceived. That's why queens and princesses were often described as gorgeous and beautiful, while servant girls were just pretty. Still, I can't help but think that Marguerite sometimes sounds a bit vain.
The queen provides a lovely description of the court of Nerac (a power seat of her husband), where Protestants and Catholics peacefully coexisted.
"Our residence, for the most part of the time I have mentioned, was at Nerac, where our Court was so brilliant that we had no cause to regret our absence from the Court of France. We had with us the Princesse de Navarre, my husband's sister, since married to the Duc de Bar; there were besides a number of ladies belonging to myself. The King my husband was attended by a numerous body of lords and gentlemen, all as gallant persons as I have seen in any Court; and we had only to lament that they were Huguenots. This difference of religion, however, caused no dispute among us; the King my husband and the Princess his sister heard a sermon, whilst I and my servants heard mass.<...> The rest of the day was passed in innocent amusements; and in the afternoon, or at night, we commonly had a ball."
Marguerite’s account of the massacre of St. Bartholomew is important because it is one of the rare testimonies of someone who witnessed this terrible event inside the royal palace. But we should remember that she was writing long after the fact.
Like most memoirists, Marguerite de Valois was anxious to present herself and her actions in a favorable light and to defend herself against certain accusations.
A careful reading of the memoirs shows that Marguerite, although in her own words wishing them well, revealed to her mother the plans of her husband and younger brother François as these two young men planned their escape from Paris, thus betraying them.
Her narrative ends in the early 1580s, thus leaving out her involvement in the plots against both her brother (Henri III) and her husband, when she sought collaboration with the Catholic League and the Spanish. Even if we accept that circumstances (including her failure to provide her husband with an heir) and the political situation in France pushed her in this direction, these were her choices. In the end, she can be considered fortunate to have survived all the chaos, considering the laws and norms of that age.
Marguerite's eventual reconciliation with her ex-husband, now king Henri IV of France, after their demarriage speaks well of both of them. Marguerite also developed a friendly relationship with the dauphin Louis, the future Louis XIII.
Read
October 21, 2025Long ago, I was reading la reine margot, mysteriously I found myself in a bookshop (perhaps this happens to you too) and I found this book there. I had no idea that it existed, and really how amazing it is to have a memoir from the sixteenth century from close to the centre of political power, still less that it would be in print. These memoirs, first published posthumously in 1628, and possibly never completed may have inspired the Dumas enterprises production, you might be so vain as to think that a book with a person's name on the cover might actually be about them; but no! In the Dumas, Marguerite is the novel's still centre, it is really about the men who surround her. So what does she say in her own words?
For me this was a very dense book, I think I will need to read it once or twice more to get a better sense of it.
In this edition it comes with a tiny text on women, Discours sur l'excellence des femmrs of 1614, perhaps you have heard the joke that god created man, then said; ' no, I can do better than that', and so he created woman ? This is essentially M. de Valois' argument. It was written in response to a pamphlet by a priest to whom this discourse is addressed. I was interested to see that she sidesteps and ignores the entire rich literature going back to the Greeks on the supposed superiority of the male body and their idea that the female body was simply a defective male one. Maybe she was just responding to the original argument. Still I wondered reading the text of her memoirs if this was her rhetorical technique - to forcefully avoid confronting difficult topics, in the sixteenth century one did not simply say that Aristotle was wrong.
Still, I wonder if she was using the same avoidance technique in her memoirs. Allegedly they were also written in response to someone elses writings, in this case to a poem. If so writing and not completing a memoir seems like an overreaction.
It is very detailed in some places for instance her mission to Flanders, yet sparse at other points. Refering to the Queen her mother, the king her husband , and the king her brother serves to keep the reader at an appropriately respectful distance - we never get close to these people or get a sense of their personalities - this is no kiss and tell.
I felt this memoir had fewer references to religion than I expected given this was the sixteenth and in tbe middle of the wars between catholics and protestants. This was an age when you stayed safe by avoiding mentioning certain subjects. There is no sense of why, for example her husband, became a huguenot and she didn't. On one occasion she tells us about the special arrangements made in Bearn so that she could attend mass every morning, which was quite devote for a lay person in the sixteenth century, Philip II of Spain probably did, but then he had a monastery attached to his palce and a collection of thousands of relics.
One incident I found telling was during the mission to Flanders; Marguerite is interested in finding out what kind of support there was for her brother, the duke of Alencon, to take over as head of state in Flanders, at that moment in rebellion against it's sovereign lord ( and Maguerite's former brother-in-law ) Philip II. To do this she talks politics with the noble women first, who then introduce her to their husbands.
For me this was a very dense book, I think I will need to read it once or twice more to get a better sense of it.
In this edition it comes with a tiny text on women, Discours sur l'excellence des femmrs of 1614, perhaps you have heard the joke that god created man, then said; ' no, I can do better than that', and so he created woman ? This is essentially M. de Valois' argument. It was written in response to a pamphlet by a priest to whom this discourse is addressed. I was interested to see that she sidesteps and ignores the entire rich literature going back to the Greeks on the supposed superiority of the male body and their idea that the female body was simply a defective male one. Maybe she was just responding to the original argument. Still I wondered reading the text of her memoirs if this was her rhetorical technique - to forcefully avoid confronting difficult topics, in the sixteenth century one did not simply say that Aristotle was wrong.
Still, I wonder if she was using the same avoidance technique in her memoirs. Allegedly they were also written in response to someone elses writings, in this case to a poem. If so writing and not completing a memoir seems like an overreaction.
It is very detailed in some places for instance her mission to Flanders, yet sparse at other points. Refering to the Queen her mother, the king her husband , and the king her brother serves to keep the reader at an appropriately respectful distance - we never get close to these people or get a sense of their personalities - this is no kiss and tell.
I felt this memoir had fewer references to religion than I expected given this was the sixteenth and in tbe middle of the wars between catholics and protestants. This was an age when you stayed safe by avoiding mentioning certain subjects. There is no sense of why, for example her husband, became a huguenot and she didn't. On one occasion she tells us about the special arrangements made in Bearn so that she could attend mass every morning, which was quite devote for a lay person in the sixteenth century, Philip II of Spain probably did, but then he had a monastery attached to his palce and a collection of thousands of relics.
One incident I found telling was during the mission to Flanders; Marguerite is interested in finding out what kind of support there was for her brother, the duke of Alencon, to take over as head of state in Flanders, at that moment in rebellion against it's sovereign lord ( and Maguerite's former brother-in-law ) Philip II. To do this she talks politics with the noble women first, who then introduce her to their husbands.
March 10, 2016
These memories tell us about the king's court life during religious wars through the eyes of Princess Marguerite de Valois (known for Alexandre Dumas's historical fiction "La reine Margot"). With a sensitive and marvelous writing, Marguerite de Valois tell us about her issues with her mother queen and her brothers who all became kings of France and her role to maintain the health of the throne. The beginning is quite shocking when the authoress depicts the atmosphere around her marriage and the massacre of Saint-Barthélemy. Advice: Before reading this book, it is recommended to read books about the period.
April 14, 2021
An absolutely fascinating history by the world’s first female autobiographer. I am especially struck with the grace of her prose, and her ability to express complex relational interactions, especially given the level of intrigue at court in the 16th C. I only wish more history had been written by women, as it is vastly more interesting to understand relationships behind the events than merely events themselves.
January 23, 2024
4/5 étoiles
Un portrait fascinant d'une femme au pouvoir, tentant de retrouver son agentivité en racontant sa propre version de l'histoire
Tentative de justification des politiques des Valois pendant les guerres de Religion
Écho avec Histoire de la princesse de Montpensier
Un portrait fascinant d'une femme au pouvoir, tentant de retrouver son agentivité en racontant sa propre version de l'histoire
Tentative de justification des politiques des Valois pendant les guerres de Religion
Écho avec Histoire de la princesse de Montpensier
September 5, 2023
Margot #3
Élianne Viennot opens her essay with “Marguerite de Valois was born in 1553 and died in 1615. She was the first true memoirist in modern time…” and what a memoir she wrote.
Marguerite was the daughter of Henri II, king of France and sister to the kings Francis II, Charles IX and Henri III. She married Henri of Navarre, who would become Henri IV, king of France although by this time, she would have her marriage annulled and live as Queen Mother, just as her mother Queen Catherine de Medici. Marguerite lived through the turbulent time of the Religious Wars. In short she was an “eye witness” to the political machinations of the time. More importantly she shines a light from a woman’s point of view within the highest ranks of the royal court.
The memoir spans from 1559 when she was six to 1581 to when she was 28. Sadly her original copy was lost, plus there are three lacunas revealing much was missing. It’s believed she wrote the manuscript ending it around 1582. The memoir was published posthumously in 1628. It would inspire Alexandre Dumas to write his famous novel La Reine Margot (1845).
Despite the missing sections, Marguerite covers some major incidents of the period including the Saint Bartholomew Day Massacre, her turbulent escape from her time in Belgium, the complex issues with her brother Le duc François d’Alençon, and ending with her somewhat “peaceful” period when she is reunited with Henri of a Navarre in Gascogne (which inspired Shakespeare to write Love’s Labour’s Lost and performed for Queen Elizabeth I).
Aided by Viennot’s excellent essay and her notes throughout, one gets a great sense of Marguerite and her times. She was very well read and makes numerous historical allusions. She is a fervent Catholic, going to church every day, complaining that when she entered Protestant Pau, she needed to attend church, which angered the town’s councillors.
She had a strong and loyal love for her brothers, king Henri III and François duc d’Alençon despite the fact they were often opposed to each other in the religious wars. She often stood behind François even though he was on the side of the Huguenots, to the point of almost getting herself in serious trouble.
Although she didn’t have a “daughterly” relationship for her mother Catherine, she knew how dangerous she could be and yet, knew how important she was to win her over to her side. Likewise, her brother king Henri III could be imposing but she played her cards well and always managed not to “lose her head.”
As for her own husband, Henri of Navarre, she admired him, helped him and yet fully aware of his powers and ambitions. He was a Huguenot and she a Catholic. It was bound to cause problems. By the end of the memoir, when she was in Gascogne, she realized that she was no match for Henri’s mistress Foseusse. She finally saw what her husband was truly like. Which comes to Marguerite. She was known to have many love affairs, some ending very badly. On her relationships, she leaves out her feelings and only mentions them in reference to there events. Why?
This made me realize something about memoirs. Why are they made? To make the person writing them look good, one must safely assume. Marguerite does come off really well. She appeared to be the only one in the royal family opposed to the Saint Bartholomew Massacre on the grounds of religion. Namely devout faith. She often asks for peace, seeks for wars to end and yet her own family were constantly in the thick of things, stirring up the pot.
We do get different perspective. How accurate can be debated but one needs to read this angle before drawing conclusions. Without a doubt it still remains an important part of history.
At the end of the memoir, Viennot adds a letter from Marguerite to Father Loryot on the theme of gender equality. It was 1614 and she brings an answer to that age old debate, “a discourse on the excellence of women.” She never kept quiet until the end.
Élianne Viennot opens her essay with “Marguerite de Valois was born in 1553 and died in 1615. She was the first true memoirist in modern time…” and what a memoir she wrote.
Marguerite was the daughter of Henri II, king of France and sister to the kings Francis II, Charles IX and Henri III. She married Henri of Navarre, who would become Henri IV, king of France although by this time, she would have her marriage annulled and live as Queen Mother, just as her mother Queen Catherine de Medici. Marguerite lived through the turbulent time of the Religious Wars. In short she was an “eye witness” to the political machinations of the time. More importantly she shines a light from a woman’s point of view within the highest ranks of the royal court.
The memoir spans from 1559 when she was six to 1581 to when she was 28. Sadly her original copy was lost, plus there are three lacunas revealing much was missing. It’s believed she wrote the manuscript ending it around 1582. The memoir was published posthumously in 1628. It would inspire Alexandre Dumas to write his famous novel La Reine Margot (1845).
Despite the missing sections, Marguerite covers some major incidents of the period including the Saint Bartholomew Day Massacre, her turbulent escape from her time in Belgium, the complex issues with her brother Le duc François d’Alençon, and ending with her somewhat “peaceful” period when she is reunited with Henri of a Navarre in Gascogne (which inspired Shakespeare to write Love’s Labour’s Lost and performed for Queen Elizabeth I).
Aided by Viennot’s excellent essay and her notes throughout, one gets a great sense of Marguerite and her times. She was very well read and makes numerous historical allusions. She is a fervent Catholic, going to church every day, complaining that when she entered Protestant Pau, she needed to attend church, which angered the town’s councillors.
She had a strong and loyal love for her brothers, king Henri III and François duc d’Alençon despite the fact they were often opposed to each other in the religious wars. She often stood behind François even though he was on the side of the Huguenots, to the point of almost getting herself in serious trouble.
Although she didn’t have a “daughterly” relationship for her mother Catherine, she knew how dangerous she could be and yet, knew how important she was to win her over to her side. Likewise, her brother king Henri III could be imposing but she played her cards well and always managed not to “lose her head.”
As for her own husband, Henri of Navarre, she admired him, helped him and yet fully aware of his powers and ambitions. He was a Huguenot and she a Catholic. It was bound to cause problems. By the end of the memoir, when she was in Gascogne, she realized that she was no match for Henri’s mistress Foseusse. She finally saw what her husband was truly like. Which comes to Marguerite. She was known to have many love affairs, some ending very badly. On her relationships, she leaves out her feelings and only mentions them in reference to there events. Why?
This made me realize something about memoirs. Why are they made? To make the person writing them look good, one must safely assume. Marguerite does come off really well. She appeared to be the only one in the royal family opposed to the Saint Bartholomew Massacre on the grounds of religion. Namely devout faith. She often asks for peace, seeks for wars to end and yet her own family were constantly in the thick of things, stirring up the pot.
We do get different perspective. How accurate can be debated but one needs to read this angle before drawing conclusions. Without a doubt it still remains an important part of history.
At the end of the memoir, Viennot adds a letter from Marguerite to Father Loryot on the theme of gender equality. It was 1614 and she brings an answer to that age old debate, “a discourse on the excellence of women.” She never kept quiet until the end.
December 19, 2019
HER!!!! SHE!!!!!! Sucks that whoever wrote the Valois history portion of the book was a massive misogynist, but even that didn’t obscure the clarity of Marguerite‘s words.
The personnage of Marguerite that emerges from her own writing is entirely different from Dumas’ character. Her faith is extremely important to her, as is her family and especially her youngest brother. While everybody else decried her mother, Catherine de Medici, Marguerite paints a sympathetic picture of her. She has friends, and allies, and writes about her pain just like so many women continue to do.
Of course there’s bias here. Of course Marguerite de Valois was not an angelic, always-right queen. But that doesn’t preclude Marguerite’s eagle-insight into herself and her situation. Like so many women do in her memoirs, she minimizes experiences of wartime trauma and instead emphasizes the domestic troubles and traumas she experienced. What these memoirs left me with was the question — what if it’d somehow been possible for Marguerite to inherit the throne? What kind of queen would she have been?
From my reading of her work, I’d say a strikingly intelligent and shrewd one. It’s no wonder that so many people were completely terrified of her.
The personnage of Marguerite that emerges from her own writing is entirely different from Dumas’ character. Her faith is extremely important to her, as is her family and especially her youngest brother. While everybody else decried her mother, Catherine de Medici, Marguerite paints a sympathetic picture of her. She has friends, and allies, and writes about her pain just like so many women continue to do.
Of course there’s bias here. Of course Marguerite de Valois was not an angelic, always-right queen. But that doesn’t preclude Marguerite’s eagle-insight into herself and her situation. Like so many women do in her memoirs, she minimizes experiences of wartime trauma and instead emphasizes the domestic troubles and traumas she experienced. What these memoirs left me with was the question — what if it’d somehow been possible for Marguerite to inherit the throne? What kind of queen would she have been?
From my reading of her work, I’d say a strikingly intelligent and shrewd one. It’s no wonder that so many people were completely terrified of her.
August 21, 2013
It ended so abruptly, wanted to know what happened after all of that... Then all of a sudden gives you a history of the House of Valois.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews