Agrippa d'Aubigné(1552 — 1630)
Théodore Agrippa d'Aubigné
France
6 min read
French writer, poet, and soldier, a major figure of Protestantism. A companion-in-arms of Henri de Navarre (the future Henri IV), he is the author of Les Tragiques, a great epic of the Wars of Religion.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born in 1552 near Pons, in Saintonge, into a Protestant family
- Becomes a companion-in-arms and squire to Henri de Navarre from 1573
- Publishes his epic collection Les Tragiques in 1616, denouncing the persecution of Protestants
- Writes the Histoire universelle, a chronicle of the Wars of Religion (published from 1616 onward)
- Goes into exile in Geneva in 1620, where he dies in 1630
Works & Achievements
A sweeping epic in seven books denouncing the sufferings caused by the Wars of Religion; a masterpiece of French Baroque poetry and Protestant literature.
A collection of youthful love poetry, inspired by his passion for Diane Salviati, in the vein of the Pléiade.
A vast chronicle of the Wars of Religion from 1550 to 1601, written by a committed eyewitness; a major work of Protestant historiography.
A prose satire contrasting the “appearance” of court life with the “substance” of men of conviction; a comic and biting work.
Autobiographical memoirs written for his children, a precious testimony to his life and his era.
A satirical pamphlet mocking self-serving conversions to Catholicism, told through the character of Nicolas de Sancy.
Anecdotes
Born in Pons in 1552, the young Agrippa was a child prodigy: it is said that he could read Latin, Greek, and Hebrew by the age of six. When he was barely eight, while passing through Amboise, his father showed him the heads of the Protestant conspirators displayed on the gallows and made him swear to avenge their cause—an oath that would shape his entire life.
During the Wars of Religion, wounded and left for dead after a battle, Agrippa is said to have begun composing in his head the first verses of *Les Tragiques*, his great epic. He would carry this poem within him for decades before publishing it, long after the events it recounts.
A loyal comrade-in-arms to Henri of Navarre, Agrippa never forgave him his abjuration of 1593 (“Paris is well worth a Mass”). A free and caustic spirit, he dared to tell the king harsh truths, which earned him both esteem and disgrace—for Henri IV said of him that he was at once the most faithful and the most impertinent of his servants.
Growing old and threatened in France after the assassination of Henri IV, Agrippa went into exile in Geneva in 1620. He was received there with honor by the Protestant city and ended his days there, continuing to write and defend the Reformed cause until his death in 1630.
Agrippa d'Aubigné is the ancestor of a famous lineage: his granddaughter, Françoise d'Aubigné, would become Madame de Maintenon, the secret wife of King Louis XIV. Thus the fierce Huguenot had as his heir a woman who quietly reigned over the Catholic court of Versailles.
Primary Sources
I want to paint France as a grieving mother, / Who holds, in her arms, two children weighing her down.
An account in which Agrippa d'Aubigné tells his own children the episodes of his life, his battles, and his commitment to the Reformed faith.
A vast chronicle of the Wars of Religion in France, from 1550 to 1601, written by a committed witness and participant on the Protestant side.
A prose satire that, through the character of the Gascon Faeneste, denounces the “appearance” of the court against the “being” of men of faith.
Key Places
Town in western France near which Agrippa d'Aubigné was born in 1552 into a Protestant family.
Site of the 1560 conspiracy whose brutal executions left a lasting mark on the young Agrippa and sealed his commitment to Protestantism.
Residence where Agrippa settled during his exile, defending the Reformed city. He spent his final years in the Geneva region.
City of refuge for Protestantism where Agrippa went into exile in 1620 and died in 1630, welcomed with honour by Calvin's city.
Capital where Agrippa stayed at the court of Henry IV and which was the scene of the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572.
Protestant stronghold of which Agrippa was governor, fortifying and defending it after the Wars of Religion.