Wednesday, December 21, 2022

It is the 21st of December 2022. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Not to condescend, but so that we are all on the same page: when I say, “early modern,” I mean roughly 1450-1650. That is the era of Reformations and the Renaissance. And on today’s show, I will tell you the story of whom I believe may be the most interesting woman in Early Modern Europe, on this the anniversary of her death in 1549. She went by many names, but we will call her Margaret of Angouleme- she was born in 1492 to Charles of Orleans, the count of Angouleme, and Louise of Savoy. Charles was the cousin of King Louis XII- who, if he died childless would put his son on the French throne- this would be Margaret’s little brother Francis- who would be the great king Francis I of France.

Back to King Louis for a second, he was briefly married to Mary Tudor, Daughter of England’s King Henry VIII. When Mary Tudor was in France, one of her ladies-in-waiting was a young Anne Boleyn, who would become close with our Margaret of Angouleme. In fact, when English courtiers wanted to arrange a divorce for Henry VIII, they suggested that he marry Margaret- she refused and married Henry II of Navarre. Henry VIII would settle for Margaret’s friend Anne Boleyn.

Margaret and Henry II of Navarre would have a daughter, Jeanne, who would give birth to another Henry- Henry IV of France (he was one of the Henrys in the French Wars of Religion later that century).

But while she was a queen of Navarre, she functioned more like the Queen of France. Her brother, the king from 1515, had a wife, King Louis’ daughter Claude- but she was sickly and often pregnant- Margaret, who was as educated as her brother, lived at the palace and held salons for the most preeminent of French scholars, many of them reform-minded. Margaret was like Erasmus of Rotterdam in this way- she saw corruption in the church and a need for Reform but from the inside, not the creation of a new church. Nonetheless, she would support Jacques Lefevre D’Etaples in his creation of a Bible in French and wrote on behalf of John Calvin when he was exiled for a time from Geneva. While the king, Francis, would support the Catholic Church (in exchange for some concessions), Margaret tempered his anti-protestant sentiments, setting the stage for the French Reformation and Wars of Religion.

When Francis was captured by Imperial troops after the battle of Pavia in 1525, Margaret traveled to Spain, met emperor Charles V and arranged the release of King Francis.

Margaret is probably most famous in literary circles for her “Heptameron”- a book of stories (similar to Boccacio’s Decameron). The vignettes give us a picture of popular courtly life, how Margaret saw the plight of women, and a plea for piety. She wrote a theological treatise- it would be condemned by the Sorbonne, but king Francis intervened and had them retract their condemnation of his sister. This work would make its way through her old friend Anne Boleyn to Anne’s daughter- the future Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth would translate the work as “A Godly Meditation of the Soul” and give it to her stepmother, Katherine Parr after Boleyn was put to death.

As long as Margaret of Angouleme was around, the French court was generally moderate, certainly learned, and peaceful compared to the Wars of religion that would break out after her death- on this, the 21st of December in 1549. She could be called Margaret (or Margarite) of Navarre (which she married into) or of Angouleme (what she was born into), whichever you choose. This Margaret- sister of the King- was one of the most significant and connected characters in the Early Modern period- born in 1492, she died at the age of 57. 

The last word for today comes from the daily lectionary- another section from the prayer of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
    in the Lord my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
    for I delight in your deliverance.

“There is no one holy like the Lord;
    there is no one besides you;
    there is no Rock like our God.

“Do not keep talking so proudly
    or let your mouth speak such arrogance,

for the Lord is a God who knows,
    and by him deeds are weighed.

“The bows of the warriors are broken,
    but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
    but those who were hungry are hungry no more.

She who was barren has borne seven children,
    but she who has had many sons pines away.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 21st of December 2022, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who wishes early modern monarchs would have diversified first names a little more- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who tips his hat to the name Margaret with its many nicknames: Maggie, Madge, Margo, Margie, Majorie, Meg, Megan, Rita, Greta, Gretchen, Peggy, and Daisy- wow. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.