Jean Lemaire de Belges
Encyclopedia
Jean Lemaire de Belges was a Walloon poet and historian who lived primarily in France
.
He was born in Hainaut
(Hainault), the godson and possibly a nephew of Jean Molinet
, and spent some time with him at Valenciennes
, where the elder writer held a kind of academy of poetry. Lemaire in his first poems calls himself a disciple of Molinet. In certain aspects he does belong to the school of the grands rhétoriqueurs
("rhetoricians"), but his great merit as a poet is that he emancipated himself from the affectations of his masters. This independence of the Flemish
school he owed in part perhaps to his studies at the University of Paris
and to the study of the Italian
poets at Lyon
, a centre of the French Renaissance
. In 1504 he was attached to the court of Margaret of Austria, duchess of Savoy
, afterwards Regent
of the Netherlands
. For this princess he undertook more than one mission to Rome
where he came into contact with the culture of the Italian Renaissance
; he became her librarian and a canon of Valenciennes.
To her were addressed his most original poems, the burlesque Épîtres de l'amant vert, of 1505 (see 1505 in poetry
). The amant vert (green lover) of the title being a green parrot belonging to his patroness. This latter piece was subsequently utilised in the sublimely melancholic Soubz ce tumbel (Within this tomb) by Pierre de la Rue
. It is an intense elegiac farewell to Margaret's 'green lover'.
Within this tomb, which is a harsh, locked cell,
Lies the green lover, the very worthy slave
Whose noble heart, drunk with true, pure love,
Losing its lady, cannot bear to live.
Lemaire gradually became more French in his sympathies, eventually entering the service of Anne of Brittany
, wife of Louis XII
, and supporting Louis's ambitions to create a church relatively independent of the Pope
. His prose Illustrations de Gaule et singularitez de Troye (1510–1514), largely adapted from Benoît de Sainte-Maure
, is a novel-like history that connects the Burgundian royal house with Hector
using fictional characters.
Lemaire probably died before 1525. Étienne Pasquier
, Pierre de Ronsard
and Joachim du Bellay
all acknowledged their indebtedness to him. In his love for antiquity, his sense of rhythm, and even the peculiarities of his vocabulary he anticipated the humanist movement led by Du Bellay and Ronsard, the Pléiade
.
is a witty parody of the Ovidian farewell love letter, the second of the tradition of Virgil's Aeneid
and Dante's Divine Comedy. The letters, written to defend the value of French poetry, were written around 1505, published around 1510-1511, and hide his own private subject under the guise of a green parrot.
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...
.
He was born in Hainaut
County of Hainaut
The County of Hainaut was a historical region in the Low Countries with its capital at Mons . In English sources it is often given the archaic spelling Hainault....
(Hainault), the godson and possibly a nephew of Jean Molinet
Jean Molinet
Jean Molinet was a French poet, chronicler, and composer. He is best remembered for his prose translation of Roman de la rose.Born in Desvres, which is now part of France, he studied in Paris...
, and spent some time with him at Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
, where the elder writer held a kind of academy of poetry. Lemaire in his first poems calls himself a disciple of Molinet. In certain aspects he does belong to the school of the grands rhétoriqueurs
Grands Rhétoriqueurs
The Grands Rhétoriqueurs or simply the "Rhétoriqueurs" is the name given to a group of poets from 1460 to 1520 working in Northern France, Flanders and the Duchy of Burgundy whose ostentatious poetic production was dominated by an extremely rich rhyme scheme and experimentation with assonance...
("rhetoricians"), but his great merit as a poet is that he emancipated himself from the affectations of his masters. This independence of the Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
school he owed in part perhaps to his studies at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
and to the study of the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
poets at 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....
, a centre of the French Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. In 1504 he was attached to the court of Margaret of Austria, duchess of Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
, afterwards Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. For this princess he undertook more than one mission to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
where he came into contact with the culture of the Italian Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
; he became her librarian and a canon of Valenciennes.
To her were addressed his most original poems, the burlesque Épîtres de l'amant vert, of 1505 (see 1505 in poetry
1505 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Great Britain:* Anonymous, Adam bell, Clim of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly, an outlaw ballad, reprinted numerous times through the mid-17th century * Anonymous, Octavian, publication...
). The amant vert (green lover) of the title being a green parrot belonging to his patroness. This latter piece was subsequently utilised in the sublimely melancholic Soubz ce tumbel (Within this tomb) by Pierre de la Rue
Pierre de La Rue
Pierre de la Rue , called Piersson, was a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of the Renaissance. A member of the same generation as Josquin des Prez, and a long associate of the Habsburg-Burgundian musical chapel, he ranks with Agricola, Brumel, Compère, Isaac, Obrecht, and Weerbeke as one of the...
. It is an intense elegiac farewell to Margaret's 'green lover'.
Within this tomb, which is a harsh, locked cell,
Lies the green lover, the very worthy slave
Whose noble heart, drunk with true, pure love,
Losing its lady, cannot bear to live.
Lemaire gradually became more French in his sympathies, eventually entering the service of Anne of Brittany
Anne of Brittany
Anne, Duchess of Brittany , also known as Anna of Brittany , was a Breton ruler, who was to become queen to two successive French kings. She was born in Nantes, Brittany, and was the daughter of Francis II, Duke of Brittany and Margaret of Foix. Her maternal grandparents were Queen Eleanor of...
, wife of Louis XII
Louis XII of France
Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
, and supporting Louis's ambitions to create a church relatively independent of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
. His prose Illustrations de Gaule et singularitez de Troye (1510–1514), largely adapted from Benoît de Sainte-Maure
Benoît de Sainte-Maure
Benoît de Sainte-Maure was a 12th century French poet, most probably from Sainte-Maure de Touraine near Tours, France. The Plantagenets' administrative center was located in Chinon - west of Tours....
, is a novel-like history that connects the Burgundian royal house with Hector
Hector
In Greek mythology, Hectōr , or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. As the first-born son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy, he was a prince of the royal house and the...
using fictional characters.
Lemaire probably died before 1525. Étienne Pasquier
Étienne Pasquier
Étienne Pasquier , French lawyer and man of letters, was born at Paris, on 7 June 1529 by his own account, according to others a year earlier. He was called to the Paris bar in 1549....
, Pierre de Ronsard
Pierre de Ronsard
Pierre de Ronsard was a French poet and "prince of poets" .-Early life:...
and Joachim du Bellay
Joachim du Bellay
Joachim du Bellay was a French poet, critic, and a member of the Pléiade.-Biography:He was born at the Château of La Turmelière, not far from Liré, near Angers, being the son of Jean du Bellay, Lord of Gonnor, first cousin of the cardinal Jean du Bellay and of Guillaume du Bellay.Both his parents...
all acknowledged their indebtedness to him. In his love for antiquity, his sense of rhythm, and even the peculiarities of his vocabulary he anticipated the humanist movement led by Du Bellay and Ronsard, the Pléiade
La Pléiade
The Pléiade is the name given to a group of 16th-century French Renaissance poets whose principal members were Pierre de Ronsard, Joachim du Bellay and Jean-Antoine de Baïf. The name was a reference to another literary group, the original Alexandrian Pleiad of seven Alexandrian poets and...
.
Poetry
- 15041504 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Works published:* Anonymous, Generides, publication year uncertain; written in the late 14th century; Great Britain...
or 15051505 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Great Britain:* Anonymous, Adam bell, Clim of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly, an outlaw ballad, reprinted numerous times through the mid-17th century * Anonymous, Octavian, publication...
: La courrone margaritique, on the death of Philibert II, Duke of SavoyPhilibert II, Duke of SavoyPhilibert II , surnamed the Handsome or the Good, was the Duke of Savoy from 1497 until his death.-Biography:...
, the second husband of Archduchess Margaret of Austria - 15051505 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Great Britain:* Anonymous, Adam bell, Clim of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly, an outlaw ballad, reprinted numerous times through the mid-17th century * Anonymous, Octavian, publication...
: Épîtres de l'amant vert - 15071507 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Works published:* William Dunbar, publication year uncertain; also contains the author's "Lament for the Makaris", "Kynd Kittok", and "The Testament of Mr. Andro...
: Les Chansons de Namur, written in support of a popular revolt - 15111511 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Works published:* Anonymous, The Friar and the Boy, publication year uncertain ; a popular fabliau; Great Britain* Jean Lemaire de Belges, La Concorde des deux langages, referring to the French and Italian...
: La Concorde des deux langages, referring to the French and Italian languages, urging cultural unity
Epîtres de l'Amant vert
While a poet in residence at the court of Margaret of Austria, Jean wrote two rhymed letters extolling his patroness. The first epistleEpistle
An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The letters in the New Testament from Apostles to Christians...
is a witty parody of the Ovidian farewell love letter, the second of the tradition of Virgil's Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
and Dante's Divine Comedy. The letters, written to defend the value of French poetry, were written around 1505, published around 1510-1511, and hide his own private subject under the guise of a green parrot.