Mellin de Saint-Gelais facts for kids
Mellin de Saint-Gelais (born around 1491 – died October 1558) was an important French poet during the French Renaissance. He was also known as the Poet Laureate for Francis I of France, a powerful king who loved art and culture.
Who Was Mellin de Saint-Gelais?
Mellin de Saint-Gelais was born in a town called Angoulême in France. He was likely the son of Jean de Saint-Gelais, a nobleman from the Angoumois region. His first name, Mellin, was a French version of the famous wizard Merlin from the Arthurian legends.
Mellin was close to his uncle, Octavien de Saint-Gelais, who was a bishop and also a poet. His uncle had even translated a famous old poem called the Aeneid into French.
Mellin's Education and Early Career
Mellin de Saint-Gelais studied at famous universities in Italy, like those in Bologna and Padua. He was known for being very smart and talented. People said he was not only a poet but also a doctor, an astrologer (someone who studies stars to predict the future), and a musician.
He came back to France around 1523. Soon, he became a favorite at the royal court of King Francis I. The king loved art and poetry, and Mellin was very good at writing light, fun poems. Because of his talents, he was given important jobs. He became an almoner (a person who gives money to the poor) for the Dauphin (the king's oldest son). He also became the abbot of Reclus and the king's librarian at Blois.
Mellin's Later Life and Legacy
Mellin de Saint-Gelais was very popular for many years. However, things changed around 1549 when another famous poet, Joachim du Bellay, wrote a book called Défense et illustration.... This book criticized many poets of the time, including Saint-Gelais.
Mellin tried to make fun of the new poets by reading the Odes of Pierre de Ronsard in a silly way in front of King Henry II. But the king's sister, Marguerite de Valois, took the book and read them properly herself.
Even though this happened, Ronsard later accepted Saint-Gelais's apology. However, Du Bellay continued to make fun of him in another work. Mellin de Saint-Gelais also translated a play called Sofonisba by Gian Giorgio Trissino. This play was performed in 1556 for Catherine de' Medici, the queen.
Mellin de Saint-Gelais was a big supporter of a poetry style called style marotique, named after the poet Clément Marot. He was also one of the first French poets to write sonnets, which are poems with 14 lines. He passed away in Paris in 1558.
