Marguerite de Navarro or Queen Margot?

[Z...]

I have a question for Laura.

When I arrived to the afterword of the SHOTW I was very suprised to encounter some new ideas about this woman, the last of Valois dynasty. My previous notion about Margot was turned for 360 degrees.

Until 1995 I didnt know much about this period of french history.
Sadly while they taught us about every detail of french revolution in the scool, the slaughter of St. Bartholomew's Night was hardly ever mentioned.
Then in 1994 I saw the movie Queen Margot based on the same novel by. A. Dumas ( famous writer of count Monte Kristo). To me this film is one of the best historical movies I have ever seen, it sucks you in the period very efficiently.
So much so that has sparked the intrest for Bartolomews nights events and all involved figures. Therefore I have read everybook I could lay my hand on dealing with the period.
Unfortunately I cant read french so certain titles stayed out of reach.

Anyhow none of these books ever mention Marguerite significantly in any other matters apart from her promiscuity and scandals. Even today you will not find much on the net, on wikipaedia there is a whole article dealing mostly with the scandals from her life and only in the end there is a mention she established herself as a mentor of the arts and benefactor of the poor.
In the movie she is portrayed almost as shallow nymphomaniac interested in only her own pleasure and pretty much unmoved with the horror of time the she lives in. Even in Dumas book upon which movie was heavily based you can get the same impression although not so explicit as in the movie.
Her family is portrayed as bunch of vicious psychopaths - with her mother - Katarina de Medici as harpie from hell. Exactly the same conclusion you can reach after reading historical accounts from their life.

The movie and subsequently the whole period had such a powerfull and emotinal grip on me which I couldnt shake for many years and I really digged into the period since 1995 till 1997.
I never questioned the notions Queen Margot movie entertains, the production was so grand and the realistic and vivid portreyal of the St. Bartholomew's night genocide and the events around it made me think that this was an accurate historical portrayal of the era . This genocide was something catholic church was trying to cover up for years so whoever shows it so vividly must be telling the truth, that was my reasoning.

And now for the first time, thanks to Laura I encounter these notions of Margot as esoteric adept, initiated into the secrets of esoteric christianity etc.

The whole of this subject and controversy around it has sparked a keen interest again.
I would really appreciate if Laura could find some time to give reference to the sources upon which she has based the notions about Marguerite de Navarro presented in the Afterword of TSHOW.

Cheerio

 

[Laura]

There were two of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_of_Navarre

Marguerite de Navarre (April 11, 1492 - December 21, 1549), also known as Marguerite of Angouleme and Margaret of Navarre, was the queen consort of King Henry II of Navarre. As patron of humanists and reformers, and as an author in her own right, she was an outstanding figure of the French Renaissance. Samuel Putnam called her "The First Modern Woman".

[edit] Biography

She was a daughter of Charles of Orleans, Count of Angouleme and Louise of Savoy. Her father was a direct descendant of Charles V, and a claimant to the crown, if both Charles VIII of France and the presumptive heir, Louis, Duke of Orleans, failed to produce male offspring. In 1491, Charles married 15-year-old Louise of Savoy, daughter of Marguerite of Bourbon, sister of the Duke of Beaujeu-considered one of the most brilliant feminine minds in France. Louise named her first-born "Marguerite" after her maternal grandmother, Marguerite of Bourbon.

Two years after Marguerite's birth, the family moved from Angouleme to Cognac, "where the Italian influence reigned supreme, and where Boccaccio was looked upon as a little less than a god". Marguerite's brother, Francis-to become King Francis I of France-was born there on September 12, 1494.

Then, there is Margaret of Valois
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_de_Valois

(May 14, 1553 - May 27, 1615), "Queen Margot" (La reine Margot) was Queen of France and Navarre.

Born Marguerite de Valois at the Royal Chateau in 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, Elizabeth of Valois, became the third wife of King Philip II of Spain.

Francis I and Marguerite of Navarre were brother and sister. He became King of France.

Francis I married Claude de Valois. Their children included Henri II who married Catherine de Medici.

One of Henry II's and Catherine's children was Marguerite who was known as "Queen Margot."

In other words, Marguerite of Navarre was Queen Margot's great aunt being the sister of her grandfather.

Interestingly, a lot of people confuse the two - people who ought to know better. There is a lot of foolishness that gets passed around in so-called "occult circles" about Queen Margot being an adept. If anyone was an adept it was Marguerite de Navarre, wife of Henry d'Albret. Henri d'Albret's mother was Catherine de Foix.

 

[Z...]

well as I said I am not an expert on the french history,
but still ouch :)

thanks for clearing this up,

is there any good read you could recommend on real marguerite

 

[Laura]

Both of them are interesting; Marguerite is fascinating, Margot is tragic more than anything else. I expect that if you search on amazon you can find some good books about them.