Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Agrippa d'Aubigné

Role / Field:

Master French poet, soldier, and propagandist, best known for Les Tragiques.

Born:

1552-02-08

Died:

1630-05-09

Century / Era:

1552s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Théodore-Agrippa d'Aubigné (French pronunciation: [teo.dɔʁ aɡʁipa dobiɲe], 8 February 1552 – 29 April 1630) was a French poet, soldier, propagandist and chronicler. His epic poem Les Tragiques (1616) is widely regarded as his masterpiece. In a book about his Catholic contemporary Jean de La Ceppède, the English poet Keith Bosley called d'Aubigné "the epic poet of the Protestant cause," during the French Wars of Religion. Bosley added, however, that after d'Aubigné's death, he "was forgotten until the Romantics rediscovered him." Born at the Château of Saint-Maury, near Pons, in present-day Charente-Maritime, his father was Jean d'Aubigné, who was involved in the 1560 Huguenot Amboise conspiracy to seize power by staging a palace coup, kidnapping King Francis II of France, and arresting his Catholic advisors.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

After the defeat of the plot, d'Aubigné's father strengthened his Calvinist sympathies by showing him, while they were passing through Amboise, the heads of the conspirators exposed on the scaffold, and instructing him not to spare his own head in avenging their deaths. According to the poet's own account he knew Latin, Greek and Hebrew at six years of age, and he had...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Alberico Gentili — Contemporary (Born in 1552) (1552): Italian jurist, 'Father of international law', and Regius Professor at Oxford.
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• Edmund Spenser — Contemporary (Born in 1552) (1552): Master English poet, celebrated for the epic allegory, The Faerie Queene.
• Alessandro Striggio the Younger — Contemporary (Died in 1630) (1630): Influential Italian librettist, celebrated for his work with Claudio Monteverdi.
• Ambrogio Spinola — Contemporary (Died in 1630) (1630): Italian-Spanish nobleman and general, renowned for his military prowess in the Spanish Empire.
• Charles Cotton — Contemporary (Born in 1630) (1630): English poet and writer, known for Montaigne translations and The Compleat Angler.
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• Al-Ma'arri — Shared historical date (05-09 · Died) (1057): Influential Arab philosopher and poet known for his critical verse and profound skepticism.
• Albert A. Michelson — Shared historical date (05-09 · Died) (1931): Pioneering American experimental physicist known for light speed measurements.
• 1552 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1552
• February 8 (02-08) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on February 8
• 1630 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1630
• May 9 (05-09) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on May 9

Frequently Asked Questions about Agrippa d'Aubigné