Jean Lemaire de Belges facts for kids
Jean Lemaire de Belges (born around 1473, died around 1525) was a famous poet and historian from a region called Wallonia. He wrote in French. He was one of the last and best writers from a group known as the 'rhétoriqueurs' (which means "rhetoricians"). He also helped prepare the way for the Renaissance humanists in France and Flanders.
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Biography
Jean Lemaire de Belges was born in Hainaut. He was the godson of Jean Molinet, who was also a writer. Lemaire spent some time with Molinet in Valenciennes, where Molinet ran a kind of poetry school. In his early poems, Lemaire called himself a student of Molinet.
Even though he was part of the "rhetoricians" group, Lemaire became very independent in his writing style. He learned a lot from his studies at the University of Paris. He also studied Italian poets in Lyon, which was an important center for the French Renaissance.
In 1504, he started working for Margaret of Austria. She was the Duchess of Savoy and later became the ruler of the Netherlands. Jean Lemaire went on several trips to Rome for Margaret. There, he learned even more about the Italian Renaissance culture. He became Margaret's librarian and also a church official in Valenciennes.
He wrote some of his most unique poems for Margaret. One famous work is the funny Épîtres de l'amant vert (Letters of the Green Lover) from 1505. The "green lover" in the title was actually a green parrot that belonged to Margaret! This poem was later used in a sad song called Soubz ce tumbel (Within this tomb) by Pierre de la Rue. It was a touching goodbye to Margaret's parrot.
Over time, Lemaire became more supportive of France. He eventually started working for Anne of Brittany, who was the wife of King Louis XII. He supported King Louis's ideas about having a church that was more independent from the Pope.
His prose work, Illustrations de Gaule et singularitez de Troye (1510–1514), is like a historical novel. It connects the House of Burgundy to the ancient hero Hector from the story of Troy.
Jean Lemaire de Belges likely passed away before 1525. Later famous writers like Étienne Pasquier, Pierre de Ronsard, and Joachim du Bellay said that he had influenced their work. Lemaire loved ancient history and had a special way with words and rhythm. He helped set the stage for the humanist movement led by Du Bellay and Ronsard, known as the Pléiade.
Works
A collection of his works was published in four volumes in Leuven between 1882 and 1891.
Prose Works
- 1510–1514: Illustrations de Gaule et singularitez de Troye
Poetry Works
- 1504 or 1505: La courrone margaritique, written about the death of Philibert II, Duke of Savoy, who was Margaret of Austria's second husband.
- 1505: Épîtres de l'amant vert (Letters of the Green Lover).
- 1507: Les Chansons de Namur, written to support a popular uprising.
- 1511: La Concorde des deux langages, which talks about the French and Italian languages and encourages cultural unity.
See also
In Spanish: Jean Lemaire de Belges para niños
