Odd bits of biographical information

Eric Roberts · July 17

Anthony Bacon in France in the 1580s

Credit: Google ai

The connection between Madame du Plessis’s daughter and Anthony Bacon revolves around a rejected marriage proposal that ultimately triggered the most dangerous crisis of (Anthony) Bacon’s life.

During his time at the Protestant stronghold of Montauban in the mid-1580s, Bacon interacted closely with Philippe du Plessis-Mornay—the primary councillor to Henri de Navarre—and his fiercely proud, devout Huguenot wife, Charlotte Arbaleste (Madame du Plessis).

Impressed by Anthony’s wealthy status as an English gentleman, his high-level political connections, and his intellect, Madame du Plessis sought to secure her daughter's future by arranging a marriage between her and Bacon. Her daughter, Martha (Madame des Nozers), was from her first marriage. Bacon flatly declined the match. As an undercover intelligencer who had no intention of settling down in France—and whose personal sexual preferences leaned entirely toward men—he had zero interest in a traditional Huguenot marriage.

Madame du Plessis took the rejection as a severe personal and social snub. Combined with a separate incident where Bacon refused to support her in a petty, public church dispute regarding her choice of hair wire and wigs, she grew deeply vindictive. Using her immense family influence at court, she and her husband retaliated by aggressively probing into Bacon's private domestic life. They uncovered his relations with his male servants and had him arrested on a capital charge of sodomy in the summer of 1586. Because the penalty in France at the time was being burned at the stake, Madame du Plessis’s anger over her rejected daughter nearly cost Anthony Bacon his life before King Henri de Navarre personally intervened to suppress the trial.

(I found this Ai quote not only lucidly written, but also highly informative.)

Edited July 17 by Eric Roberts

Eric Roberts · July 17

I also found this painting of the famous Italian Commedia dell' Arte troupe, I Gelosi, who were invited by King Henri III of France to perform at the assembly of the Estates General in early 1577. Both Marguerite de Valois, who was the ultra fashionable, highly erudite young Queen of Navarre ( at the time estranged from her husband, Henri III of Navarre, who had escaped from the Louvre Palace the previous year) and sixteen-year-old Francis, whose ultra-sophisticated intelligence and charming manners she couldn't have helped but notice, were in the audience. It must have been this shocking encounter with theatre-in-the-raw with no holds barred and only a few pathetic props that cemented Francis's life-long love of theatre as a medium of spontaneous thought and expression.

Henri III had previously seen the troupe, I gelosi (the jealous, or zealous ones) in Venice on his way to the crown and invited them to court. On their journey to Blois, the actors were temporarily kidnapped by a gang of Huguenots. The King ultimately paid their ransom. They officially arrived at the court on January 25, 1577, and began presenting their comedies in the Salle des États. The King was so supportive that he granted them the rare privilege of charging admission to the public.

I Gelosi brought semi-scripted and heavily improvised performances to France. These featured masked stock characters like the Venetian merchant Pantalone and the madcap servant Zanni, combined with romantic subplots played by unmasked lovers. Decades later, their enduring influence on French theatre would culminate with the famous comedies of Molière.

The troupe's comedic style and the bawdy nature of their scenarios created immediate uproar among conservative Parisians and religious leaders. The actors departed Blois in the spring and moved their performances to Paris, where they drew massive crowds that rivaled church sermons, much to the dismay of local authorities who viewed the plays as a "school of debauchery".

The undisputed star of the I Gelosi troupe was Isabella Andreini. She was a brilliant actress, poet, and intellectual who changed the face of theatre across Europe. She played the unmasked lady lover (Prima Donna Innamorata). The stock character name "Isabella" was named after her. Her signature performance was La Pazzia d'Isabella (The Madness of Isabella). She famously improvised shifting between languages and mimicking other stock characters. She was a highly educated woman and published her own plays, sonnets, and pastoral dramas. This helped raise the respectability of the acting profession. She was admitted to the prestigious Accademia degli Intenti of Pavia. This was a rare honour for a woman at the time. She was deeply admired by the French court, including King Henri III and later Marie de' Medici

Credit: Google Ai

The Hall of States of the Castle of Blois

Edited July 17 by Eric Roberts

A Phoenix · July 17

Fascinating research Eric -thank you.

It really helps to understand the theatrical inspirations that were all around Bacon at such a young and impressionable age.

Thanks also for the Anthony Bacon information. Throughout his life Anthony was a committed Francophile and on his eventual return to England he still dressed and ate in the French manner as well as often spoke French (much to the annoyance of Lady Anne Bacon no doubt who had been trying to get him back to England for years!)

Eric Roberts · July 17

2 hours ago, A Phoenix said:

Fascinating research Eric -thank you.

It really helps to understand the theatrical inspirations that were all around Bacon at such a young and impressionable age.

Thanks also for the Anthony Bacon information. Throughout his life Anthony was a committed Francophile and on his eventual return to England he still dressed and ate in the French manner as well as often spoke French (much to the annoyance of Lady Anne Bacon no doubt who had been trying to get him back to England for years!)

Thanks AP. That's interesting. Here is a short account of Anthony's life by the historical novelist, Anna Castle. It seems well researched, partly based on du Maurier's "The Golden Lads".

Anthony Bacon by Anna Castle - Historical Fiction eBooks.pdf

Light-of-Truth · July 17

12 hours ago, Eric Roberts said:

(I found this Ai quote not only lucidly written, but also highly informative.)

Interesting, but never forget AI can be creative and has a tendency to say what the human who initiates the conversation wants to hear based on what is provided. What that means is even though it may be true to fact, without verification its hard to say.

Makes me wonder if Anne as their puritan mother instilled a mortal fear of women into the Bacon boys. LOL

Eric Roberts · July 17

1 hour ago, Light-of-Truth said:

Interesting, but never forget AI can be creative and has a tendency to say what the human who initiates the conversation wants to hear based on what is provided. What that means is even though it may be true to fact, without verification its hard to say.

Makes me wonder if Anne as their puritan mother instilled a mortal fear of women into the Bacon boys. LOL

Thanks for advising caution when relying on AI's historical constructions to comprehend the distant past. In terms of Francis's time in France, I found this PhD dissertation by James Lancaster (2015) which includes a chapter on the years 1576-79: 83-91

The World’s a Bubble.pdf

Edited July 17 by Eric Roberts

Light-of-Truth · July 18

12 minutes ago, Eric Roberts said:

Thanks for advising caution when relying on AI's historical constructions to comprehend the distant past. In terms of Francis's time in France, I found this PhD dissertation by James Lancaster (2015) which includes a chapter on the years 1576-79: 83-91

The World’s a Bubble.pdf 1.84 MB · 0 downloads

Speed reading had to pause on skimming this: