Calls for Papers by Kelly D Peebles
We welcome essay proposals for an edited collection addressing the cultural, spiritual, and polit... more We welcome essay proposals for an edited collection addressing the cultural, spiritual, and political legacy of Renée de France (1510-1575), second daughter of King Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne. Orphaned at the age of four, the young princess was raised at the court of King Francis I, under the maternal influence of her sister, Queen Claude de France, and the king's sister, Marguerite de Navarre, both of whom favored internal reform of the Catholic Church and supported like-minded intellectuals and priests. Renée left France in 1528 soon after her politically-motivated marriage to Ercole d'Este, future Duke of Ferrara. In Italy, Renée continued her associations with heterodox intellectuals until the end of her life, particularly after the death of her husband in 1559 and her subsequent return to France, where she spent her dowager years at her château of Montargis.
Books by Kelly D Peebles
This book considers the life and legacy of Renée de France (1510–75), the youngest daughter of Ki... more This book considers the life and legacy of Renée de France (1510–75), the youngest daughter of King Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne, exploring her cultural, spiritual, and political influence and her evolving roles and actions as fille de France, Duchess of Ferrara, and Dowager Duchess at Montargis. Drawing on a variety of often overlooked sources – poetry, theater, fine arts, landscape architecture, letters, and ambassadorial reports – contributions highlight Renée’s wide-ranging influence in sixteenth-century Europe, from the Italian Wars to the French Wars of Religion. These essays consider her cultural patronage and politico-religious advocacy, demonstrating that she expanded upon intellectual and moral values shared with her sister, Claude de France; her cousins, Marguerite de Navarre and Jeanne d’Albret; and her godmother and mother, Anne de France and Anne de Bretagne, thereby solidifying her place in a long line of powerful French royal women.
Articles by Kelly D Peebles
Women Reformers of Early Modern Europe: Profiles, Texts, and Contexts. Edited by Kirsi I. Stjerna. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press., 2022
Representing the Life and Legacy of Renée de France: From Fille de France to Dowager Duchess. Edited by Kelly Digby Peebles and Gabriella Scarlatta. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021
Beginning with both textual and visual representations of the Estates General in Orléans that too... more Beginning with both textual and visual representations of the Estates General in Orléans that took place in late 1560 and early 1561 soon after Renée’s return to France, Kelly Digby Peebles’s chapter examines how Renée exploited the figurative “platform,” so to speak, of her royal status in order to shape her public image on the physical platform created for that assembly. Renée’s conspicuous image in depictions of this event signals her importance on the stage of European politics. Peebles analyzes Renée’s strategy of epistolary diplomacy in her correspondence with Jean Calvin and English ambassador to the French court, Nicholas Throckmorton, to highlight how she exploited affective relationships, religious affinities, and socio-political status in order to influence public policy. At a time of increasingly violent conflict between Protestant and Catholic factions, Renée leveraged her image and relationships, including her rapport with her son-in-law, François de Guise, in order to advocate for change and protect the loyalties that formed the core of her personal and public identity: her royal roots, her alliance with the Este, and her religious convictions, all of which were intricately intertwined, yet potentially at odds with one another.
Remembering Queens and Kings of Early Modern England and France. Reputation, Reinterpretation, and Reincarnation. Edited by Estelle Paranque. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019
Son of Henry II and Catherine de Medici, Francis II acceded to the throne in 1559 at the age of 1... more Son of Henry II and Catherine de Medici, Francis II acceded to the throne in 1559 at the age of 15, not long after his marriage to Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. Francis's death was sudden and unexpected, brought on by an abscessed ear infection on 5 December 1560 in Orléans, at a time when religious tension between Catholics and Calvinists was reaching a fever pitch. This essay reconstructs the posthumous reincarnation of Francis II in two sixteenth-century pamphlets, in Charles-Jean-François Hénault’s eighteenth-century play, François II, roi de France, and in the recent television program Reign. Images of Francis II range from that of a puerile pubescent in these early modern works to that of a heroic heartthrob in the CW Network’s 2013-2017 fantasy drama.
Literary Encyclopedia, Sep 19, 2018
Royal Women and Dynastic Loyalty, 2018
Women in French, 2018
This article focuses on key moments in the life of French princess Renée de France (daughter of K... more This article focuses on key moments in the life of French princess Renée de France (daughter of King Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne) that result in a voyage de femme: her marriage to Duke Hercule d'Este and subsequent displacement to Ferrara, her husband's death and her choice to return to France, and the overlapping spiritual voyage of her religious faith. I first consider court poet Clément Marot's Chant nuptial, written to commemorate the marriage, comfort the fearful bride, and remind her of the spiritual nature of marriage and motherhood. I then examine a selection of Marot's poems written at Renée's court in Ferrara, where he sought temporary refuge from religious persecution after the Affaire des Placards. In poems written during this short stay, the poet praises her motherhood and protection of the persecuted, all while highlighting their shared faith as evangelicals. Over thirty years after her initial departure, Renée finally returned to France to spend her dowager years. By examing her own correspondence with the royal family, and particularly with reformed theologian Jean Calvin, I demonstrate that Renée's physical itinerary through geographical space effectively embodies the abstract itinerary of her spiritual evolution. The voyage of her religious faith culminates in her Testament, in which Renée declares her agency, professes her belief, and crafts her memory.
Journal of Medical Humanities, 2018
This essay examines a challenge to common literary representations of femalemental illness in the... more This essay examines a challenge to common literary representations of femalemental illness in the Early Modern period—the hysterical woman—in a collection of Frenchshort stories contemporary to Vesalius's De Fabrica: Jeanne Flore's Tales and Trials of Love(1542). Jeanne Flore's tales depict several mentally disturbed female protagonists, youngwomen prone to paroxysms of madness and self-mutilation. This study maintains that whileTales and Trials of Love superficially participates in the literary tradition that grew out of thoseaccepted social and medical beliefs, it also questions the long-accepted paradigm of femalehysteria and points to a shift in the socio-medical climate. Jeanne Flore's fictional narrativessuggest that mental illness no longer consists in the realignment of a uterine imbalance, butrather in the telling of personal stories, a precursor to psychoanalysis and narrative medicine.
Book reviews by Kelly D Peebles
Renaissance Quarterly, 2015
Reviews of my work by Kelly D Peebles
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Calls for Papers by Kelly D Peebles
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Book reviews by Kelly D Peebles
Reviews of my work by Kelly D Peebles