Anne de Marquets

Who is Anne de Marquets?

Anne de Marquets was a nun from Poissy. Her exact date of birth is unknown, but she was likely born around 1533 in the Comté d'Eu of a noble family. She entered the convent in the priory of Poissy at a very young age, where she proved to be gifted in ancient languages as well as in creative writing. The education Anne de Marquets received in the convent was certainly exceptional for a young girl of her time. In sixteenth-century France, the convent was a place where women had more access to education than in the outside world. As part of her education, Anne even studied with the humanist printer Henri Estienne.

In 1561, Anne de Marquets attended the Colloquy at Poissy, an event which would influence her poetry. Following the colloquy, she wrote several poems and prayers in verse for Catholic leaders. This first collection of poems, entitled Sonets, prières et devises, was published in 1562, and dedicated to Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine. Following this, she began to collaborate with the irenic theologian, Claude D'Espence.

In 1568, she proved herself to be a talented Latinist when she published a translation of Marcantonio Flaminio's De Rebus Divinis Carmina, a collection of Latin devotional poems, under the title Les Divines Poésies de Marc Antoine Flaminius. The volume also includes original poems by the Dominican about spiritual subjects. Her poetic talent was praised by several of the greatest poets of her time, such as Pierre de Ronsard.