Religious Reform, the House of Guise and the Council of Fontainebleau: The French Memorial Service for Marie de Guise, August 1560

Abstract

During the summer of 1560 the power of the Guise family was under attack in France and Scotland alike. In Scotland, Marie de Guise, mother of Mary, queen of Scots, who had acted as Regent for her daughter from 1554 onwards, had recently been defeated by religious rebels and died shortly thereafter. In France, the influence of her two younger brothers, Charles, cardinal of Lorraine, and Francois, duke of Guise, over Francois II provoked criticism whilst the government was also under pressure to make concessions to Protestants. On 12 August 1560 a memorial service was held in Notre Dame de Paris. This is entirely passed over in accounts of French politics in the period, and appears as a mere epilogue to studies of Marie de Guise herself. This article offers the first analysis of the organisation of, attendance at, and contents of the service, focusing in particular on the funeral sermon. Coming eight days before the Council of Fontainebleau the memorial service, witnessed by a large and influential audience, provided an excellent opportunity for Marie de Guise’s family not only to celebrate her life but to tell a positive narrative about the House of Guise as a counter to widely circulating criticisms.