Agrippa d'Aubigné
Encyclopedia
Théodore-Agrippa d'Aubigné (February 8, 1552 – April 29, 1630) was a French
poet
, soldier
, propagandist and chronicler. His epic poem Les Tragiques (1616) is widely regarded as his masterpiece.
in the present day Charente-Maritime
, the son of Jean d'Aubigné, who was implicated in the Huguenot
Amboise conspiracy
to kidnap the King (1560). Aubigné studied in Paris
, Orléans
, Geneva
and Lyon
before joining the Huguenot cause of Henry of Navarre
(Henry IV) as both soldier and counsellor. Henry's accession to the throne of France
entailed an, at least nominal, conversion to the Roman Catholic Church
and Aubigné left his service to tend to his own Poitou
estates, even though his Huguenot confederates welcomed Henry's religious tolerance. When Marie de' Medici
became regent following Henry's assassination in 1610, she embraced the Counter-Reformation
and Aubigné's isolation made him an easy target. He was proscribed in 1620 and fled to Geneva where he lived for the rest of his life.
His daughter Louise Arthemise d'Aubigné, Madame de Vilette, was born in 1584 at Mursay to Suzanne de Lusignan de Lezay; at an early age on the 22 of October 1610 she married Benjamin Valois de Vilette in Maillezais.
His son Constant d'Aubigné
led a scandalous life of adventure. Constant was twice married. His first wife, Anne Marchant, left a son Theodore. His second wife, Jeanne de Cardilhac, was the mother of Mme. de Maintenon (who, by many interesting turn of life events, married the King of France, Louis XIV) and Chevalier D'Aubigné. The d'Aubigné line was continued through Ann Marchant's son, Theodore (1613–1670).
His great grand daughter Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné
married into the House of Noailles. From Françoise Charlotte and her husband, Adrien Maurice de Noailles, Agrippa is an ancestor of include the present duc de Noailles
, who has three children. Others include Adrienne de Noailles
, wife of the famous marquis de Lafayette; the Duke of Brabant, Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este and Prince Laurent of Belgium.
. Divided into seven books, a number symbolic of the author's ultimate, apocalyptic intent, the Tragiques incorporates literary influence from classical sources, such as tragedy
and satire
, palpable in the first three books ("Les Misères," "Les Princes" and "La Chambre Dorée" respectively), before resorting to influence from genres like ecclesiastical history, martyrology and apocalypse
in the creation of the remaining books ("," "" "" and "").
In the first of two liminal paratexts, the introduction "Aux Lecteurs," Aubigné endorses the account (also found in his autobiographical ), that the inception of the Tragiques came to him as an ecstatic vision during a near-death experience. In the second, "L'Auteur À Son Livre," Aubigné adopts the metaphor of father as author to name the text that follows (Les Tragiques) as a more pious son than the less religious works of his youth (c.f.: Le Printemps). The intent of the epic is subsequently spelled out as an attack against the falsely beautiful, verisimilar works written by the Catholic poets of the Pléïade for their patrons in the midst of the religious wars.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, propagandist and chronicler. His epic poem Les Tragiques (1616) is widely regarded as his masterpiece.
Life
Born at the Aubigné château of Saint-Maury near PonsPons, Charente-Maritime
Pons is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
in the present day Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime is a department on the west coast of France named after the Charente River.- History :Previously a part of Saintonge, Charente-Inférieure was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, the son of Jean d'Aubigné, who was implicated in the Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
Amboise conspiracy
Amboise conspiracy
The Amboise conspiracy, also called Tumult of Amboise, was a failed attempt by Huguenots in 1560 to gain power of France by abducting the young king, Francis II and arresting Francis, Duke of Guise and his brother, the Cardinal of Lorraine...
to kidnap the King (1560). Aubigné studied in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
, Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
before joining the Huguenot cause of Henry of Navarre
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
(Henry IV) as both soldier and counsellor. Henry's accession to the throne of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
entailed an, at least nominal, conversion to the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and Aubigné left his service to tend to his own Poitou
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
estates, even though his Huguenot confederates welcomed Henry's religious tolerance. When Marie de' Medici
Marie de' Medici
Marie de Médicis , Italian Maria de' Medici, was queen consort of France, as the second wife of King Henry IV of France, of the House of Bourbon. She herself was a member of the wealthy and powerful House of Medici...
became regent following Henry's assassination in 1610, she embraced the Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
and Aubigné's isolation made him an easy target. He was proscribed in 1620 and fled to Geneva where he lived for the rest of his life.
His daughter Louise Arthemise d'Aubigné, Madame de Vilette, was born in 1584 at Mursay to Suzanne de Lusignan de Lezay; at an early age on the 22 of October 1610 she married Benjamin Valois de Vilette in Maillezais.
His son Constant d'Aubigné
Constant d'Aubigné
Constant d'Aubigné was a French nobleman, son of Théodore-Agrippa d'Aubigné, the poet, soldier, propagandist and chronicler. Born into a Huguenot family, Constant led a less structured life, first embracing Protestantism and then the Catholic causes, visiting England and then in 1626 betraying...
led a scandalous life of adventure. Constant was twice married. His first wife, Anne Marchant, left a son Theodore. His second wife, Jeanne de Cardilhac, was the mother of Mme. de Maintenon (who, by many interesting turn of life events, married the King of France, Louis XIV) and Chevalier D'Aubigné. The d'Aubigné line was continued through Ann Marchant's son, Theodore (1613–1670).
His great grand daughter Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné
Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné
Françoise Charlotte Amable d'Aubigné, Duchess of Noailles was the wife of Adrien Maurice de Noailles, 3rd Duke of Noailles. She was the niece of Françoise d'Aubigné, Madame de Maintenon, and her heiress.-Biography:...
married into the House of Noailles. From Françoise Charlotte and her husband, Adrien Maurice de Noailles, Agrippa is an ancestor of include the present duc de Noailles
Hélie de Noailles
Hélie Marie Auguste Jacques Bertrand Philippe de Noailles, 10th Duke of Noailles , simply known as Hélie de Noailles, is a French nobleman, diplomat and trade representative...
, who has three children. Others include Adrienne de Noailles
Adrienne de La Fayette
Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles, marquise de La Fayette , the daughter of Jean de Noailles, and Henriette Anne Louise d'Aguesseau, married Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette....
, wife of the famous marquis de Lafayette; the Duke of Brabant, Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este and Prince Laurent of Belgium.
Literary and historical works
- Histoire universelle (1616–1618)
- Les Tragiques (1616)
- Avantures du Baron de Faeneste
- Confession catholique du sieur de Sancy
- Sa vie à ses enfants
Les Tragiques
Written over some three decades, the alexandrine verse of this epic poem relies on multiple genres as well as stylistic familiarity with the work of the opposing, Catholic poets of the Pléïade, headed by Pierre de RonsardPierre de Ronsard
Pierre de Ronsard was a French poet and "prince of poets" .-Early life:...
. Divided into seven books, a number symbolic of the author's ultimate, apocalyptic intent, the Tragiques incorporates literary influence from classical sources, such as tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
and satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
, palpable in the first three books ("Les Misères," "Les Princes" and "La Chambre Dorée" respectively), before resorting to influence from genres like ecclesiastical history, martyrology and apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
in the creation of the remaining books ("," "" "" and "").
In the first of two liminal paratexts, the introduction "Aux Lecteurs," Aubigné endorses the account (also found in his autobiographical ), that the inception of the Tragiques came to him as an ecstatic vision during a near-death experience. In the second, "L'Auteur À Son Livre," Aubigné adopts the metaphor of father as author to name the text that follows (Les Tragiques) as a more pious son than the less religious works of his youth (c.f.: Le Printemps). The intent of the epic is subsequently spelled out as an attack against the falsely beautiful, verisimilar works written by the Catholic poets of the Pléïade for their patrons in the midst of the religious wars.
External links
- Biography (in French)
- http://www.agrippadaubigne.org/ (in French)