Michelle de Saubonne, Madame de Soubise (1485–1549) was a French courtier who served as

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

Anne of Brittany Anne of Brittany (; 25/26 January 1477 – 9 January 1514) was reigning Duchess of Brittany from 1488 until her death, and Queen of France from 1491 to 1498 and from 1499 to her death. She is the only woman to have been queen consort of France ...

, as the

Governess of the Children of France The Governess of the Children of France (sometimes the Governess of the Royal Children) was office at the royal French court during pre-Revolutionary France and the Bourbon Restoration. She was charged with the education of the children and grandchi ...

beginning in 1499, and as the governess for the children of

Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara Ercole II d'Este (5 April 1508 – 3 October 1559) was Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1534 to 1559. He was the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia. Biography Through his mother, Ercole was a grandson of Pope Alexande ...

. She and Anne became best friends and, as she was dying, she asked Michelle de Saubon to be a mother and guardian for her daughter Renée, Duchess of Ferrara, from 1528 to 1536. Like her mother, Renée had a close relationship with Michelle, both of whom had become Protestants. Renée's husband, Ercole II, was a Catholic and he resented having many French Protestants, also known as

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss politica ...

in his court and diverting his wife's attention away from Catholicism. Michelle de Saubonne was an intelligent woman of influence in the court. Because of that and the conflict between the Protestants and Catholic peoples that reigned, she was dismissed from her court duties twice, the first in 1515 when

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...

had her ousted. She was again dismissed of her duties by Ercole II in 1836. He ultimately removed all of the French people in his court in Ferrara. Michelle's influence in her and Renée's children's lives was significant, they were raised to be Protestants and they and fought against the Catholics for religious freedom. Their children were among the intelligent elite of the day.

Early life and education

Michelle de Saubonne, the daughter of nobleman Denis de Saubonne, Lord of Fresnes-Coudray, was born in 1485. Her father was gentleman of the chamber and bailiff of Chartres and councilor to the king. Michelle de Saubonne was among the educated elite, having studied the arts and literature. She was among the most brilliant and appreciated people at

's court.

Marriage and children

In 1507 or 1508, she married Jean IV of Parthenay, Lord of Soubise, becoming Madame de Soubise. She was Parthenay's second wife. He died five years after their marriage.

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

, Renee, Charlotte, and Jean V of Parthenay, were children of Michelle de Saubonne. Through her son, Jean, she is the grandmother of mathematician

Catherine de Parthenay Catherine de Parthenay (22 March 1554 – 26 October 1631) was a French noblewoman and mathematician. She studied with mathematician François Viète and was considered one of the most brilliant women of the era. She married Charles de Quel ...

. Saubonne ensured that her children received a good classical education, including the study of music, theology, and the Greek and Latin languages, as well as mastery of poetic songs.

Royal and ducal courts

Anne of Brittany

BNF - Latin 9474 - Jean Bourdichon - Grandes Heures d'Anne de Bretagne - f

In January 1499, following the death of Françoise de Dinan (Anne of Brittany's governess), Michelle de Saubonne served

as a lady-in-waiting, managing her jewels and clothing. In 1505, she was chosen to serve as a companion of Anne of Brittany and took care of the queen's jewels and linens. She shared the role of queen's secretary with Hélène de Laval. She was instrumental in bringing

Jean Marot Jean Marot (Mathieu, near Caen, 1463 – c. 1526) was a French poet of the late 15th and early 16 century and the father of the French Renaissance poet Clément Marot. He is often grouped with the "Grands Rhétoriqueurs". Jean Marot seems to ha ...

to the French court, whose poems were admired by the queen. She also introduced the queen to other writers of that time, including

Jean Lemaire de Belges Jean Lemaire de Belges (c. 1473c. 1525) was a Walloon poet and historian, and pamphleteer who, writing in French, was the last and one of the best of the school of poetic 'rhétoriqueurs' (“rhetoricians”) and the chief forerunner, both in style ...

. In 1510, she was appointed by

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...

to the post of

. As a royal governess, she was in charge of the education of the king and queen's youngest daughter,

Renée of France Renée of France (25 October 1510 – 12 June 1574), was List of Ferrarese consorts, Duchess of Ferrara from 31 October 1534 until 3 October 1559 by marriage to Ercole II d'Este, grandson of Pope Alexander VI. She was the younger surviving ch ...

. She was banished from court in 1515 by

for opposing the annexation of

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

to the French crown and for her support for Anne of Brittany over

Louise of Savoy Louise of Savoy (11 September 1476 – 22 September 1531) was a French noble and regent, Duchess ''suo jure'' of Auvergne and Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours, and the mother of King Francis I. She was politically active and served as the regent of Fra ...

. She left the court with her four children and lived at her home Château du Parc-Soubise.

Renée de France

Michelle de Saubonne was the governess to the royal couple's daughter, Renée, Duchess of Ferrara, from 1528 to 1536. By the time that Renée was four years old, her parents had died. Since Michelle and Anne were best friends, Renee's governess became her mother figure and guardian, as Anne said before she died, "I give her to you and want you to be her mother, restoring to her the friendship you have given me." She was responsible, too, for her education. Renée married

, who was born into Este and Borgia families. He developed the inclination to see evil motives in the people around him. When arrangements were made for her marriage, Renée stipulated that she would be bringing Michelle de Saubonne and her three daughters with her to Ferrara. Michelle was appointed as governess for the two daughters and son of the Duke of Ferrara. Michelle and Renée's daughters became distinguished for their intelligence and influence. The city of Ferrara was an intellectual and artistic center, just second in Italy to Florence. Scholarly, religious, and artistic luminaries were welcome at court. For instance, the duchess welcomed

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

and

to Ferrara and the most influential people radiated around Michelle, who was said by

Guillaume Budé Guillaume Budé (; Latinized as Guilielmus Budaeus; 1468 – 1540) was a French scholar and humanist. He was involved in the founding of Collegium Trilingue, which later became the Collège de France. Budé was also the first keeper of the ...

to be a woman of wisdom and important connections. Renée's court became a learning center for talented humanists, and she was a reputed patron of the arts and philanthropist. Renée became a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

and Michelle translated psalms for her. Ercole disapproved of the French people's influence at his court. He removed many people in the court of Ferrara that he thought were dangerous or against the Catholic Church, but it was not easy to remove his wife's close companions. The Duke of Ferrara went on a long trip to Rome in 1535, providing a peaceful and productive work-period at the court. For instance, Marot's works became freer and bolder during this time. Ercole returned to Ferrara in 1536. Convinced that Michelle influenced Renée to distance herself from Catholicism, Ercole ordered the evacuation of Michelle and her daughters. Marot wrote the epistles ''Epitres, XL'' and ''Epitres, XLI'' for Michelle and her daughter Renee, respectively to mark their loss from the court. He also wrote the song: The duchess sequestered herself in her suite of apartments to avoid Ercole and the possibility of being poisoned. Ultimately, he removed all of duchess's French companions. Beginning in 1540, Renée refused to go to confession or attend mass. In 1548, Ercole II imprisoned his wife.

Poitou

From Ferrara, Michelle and her children settled on their property in

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

. She educated her children, including teaching them about Protestantism. Her descendants were torchbearers for the Huguenots during the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estim ...

. She lived in

Saintonge Saintonge may refer to: *County of Saintonge, a historical province of France on the Atlantic coast *Saintonge (region), a region of France corresponding to the historical province Places *Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge, a commune in the Charente-Mari ...

. She died in 1549 in Saintonge.

Legacy

Nancy L. Roelker, author of ''The Appeal of Calvinism to French Noblewomen in the Sixteenth Century'', stated,

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saubonne, Michelle de 1485 births 1549 deaths 15th-century French women 15th-century French people 16th-century French women French ladies-in-waiting French maids of honour Governesses to the Children of France Huguenots Medieval French nobility