Marguerite de Navarre and Renée de France: Gender, Power, and Sexuality in Betussi’s and Brantôme’s Illustrious Women

Boccaccio’s De Mulieribus Claris is the first biographical compendium of famous women in Western literature. Written in 1362, it inspired similar compilations, including Giuseppe Betussi’s 1539 Italian translation entitled Libro delle Donne illustri, in which Betussi included his own addition of fifty illustrious women, and Brantôme’s French translation, Dames illustres (1665-1666). Betussi’s and Brantôme’s collections seem to approach the art of literary portraiture of royal women in analogous ways, namely from a cultural and political angle aimed at emphasizing qualities traditionally bestowed upon their gender, such as chastity, piety, charity, and generosity. However, a close reading shows that both Betussi and Brantôme created distinct texts that established a legacy that was well-rooted in the defense of women as they highly boasted about women’s sexual and political roles. By delving into the intersections of power, gender, and sexuality, this article investigates two women considered ‘illustrious’ by both authors: Marguerite de Navarre, Queen of Navarre and sister to French King François I, and Renée de France, Duchess of Ferrara, daughter of King Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne. Their portraits show that the authors debated over issues of gender roles and identities, and crafted portrayals in which marriage, sex, and motherhood were strictly linked to Marguerite’s and Renée’s roles and accomplishments as wives and mothers of the most important blood lines of their time.