Clément Marot, a Renaissance Poet Discovers the Gospel: Lutheranism, Fabrism and Calvinism in the Royal Courts of France and of Navarre and in the Ducal Court of Ferrara

Book excerpt: Clément Marot (1496-1544), a poet of distinction, is a unique witness to the effect of the Bible on French-speaking courts. He was admired by Francis I, protected by Margaret of Navarre, and by Renée, the French Duchess of Ferrara. His translations of the psalms came to dominate Huguenot worship, inspiring many imitators, not least in English. His commitment to Lutheran theology shines through his personal poetry—once his Scriptural allusions are recognised and interpreted. Clément Marot: A Renaissance Poet Discovers the Gospel is a fundamental expansion and recasting for an English-reading public of Marot Évangélique, Michael Screech's study which brings out the appeal to this court poet of Lutheranism and martyrdom. Chapters also examine aspects of Marot's cult of the Virgin and a possible shift from Lutheranism to Calvinism.