A queda da Marquesa D'Ancre impressa dos dois lados do Canal da Mancha (1617)

Abstract

April 24, 1617, marked the end of the prodigious influence of an Italian couple over the regent of France, Marie de Médicis. By arranging the murder of the Marquis d’Ancre, French Marshal and key figure in the affairs of the kingdom, the Dauphin Louis XIII ensured his grasp over the throne and isolated the Queen Mother thanks to the distribution of the deceased’s riches of among his supporters. However, a question remained: What should be done to widow Léonora Dori, Concini’s legitimate heir? By analyzing how the Marquise is represented in French and English pamphlets, this article rebuilds the ways she was portrayed and the opposing views about her degree of influence in early 17th-century France. By investigating the interface between the History of Print, the History of Women and the History of Emotions, this work reflects on the mobility of texts and the impact of cheap prints on establishing a specific imaginary around the feminine and opinion formation in early modern France.