Historical Novels Set in Sixteenth-Century France

Tired of Tudors and Borgias? If you enjoy historical fiction set in sixteenth century France, here are some novels to seek out:

Classics

The Princesse de Cleves (1678) by Madame de Lafayette (various translations). Set during the reign of Henri II, the story of married noblewoman Mme de Cleves' unrequited love for the dashing Duc de Nemours and the tragic consequences her confession of this love entails.

Queen Margot (1845) by Alexandre Dumas (various translations). The 1572 St. Bartholomew's massacre serves as the backdrop for the political machinations of Catherine de Medici.

Heinrich Mann (translated from the German)

Young Henry of Navarre (1935). Life of Henri of Navarre from his childhood in the Pyrenees to claiming the throne of France.

Henry, King of France (1938). Sequel describing the two decades of chaos and war leading up to the King's assassination.

Jean Plaidy

The Catherine de' Medici Trilogy: Madame Serpent (1951), The Italian Woman (1952), Queen Jezebel (1953), all reissued in 2013.

Royal Road to Fotheringay (1955). Young Mary Queen of Scots at the French court.

Evergreen Gallant (1963). King Henri IV.

Dorothy Dunnett

Queen's Play (1964). The second volume of the Lymond Chronicles; Lymond travels to France to protect young Mary Queen of Scots.

Checkmate (1975). The last volume of the Lymond Chronicles; Lymond is back in France, haunted by his past as he leads an army against England.

Robert Merle

Fortunes of France series (13 novels, 3 of which have been translated): The Brethren (1977), City of Wisdom and Blood (1979), Heretic Dawn (1980). The sixteenth century seen through the eyes of a Protestant doctor turned spy.

Various authors

The Wife of Martin Guerre (1941) by Janet Lewis. The story of Bertrande de Rols, whose husband Martin deserts her, then suddenly reappears after eight years. But is it really Martin who returns, or an impostor trying to usurp his place?

The King's Cavalier (1950) by Samuel Shellabarger. A young Frenchman and a young Englishwoman caught up in the wild plots and counterplots surrounding the Bourbon conspiracy against François I.

Blade of Honor (1955) by John Pugh. Cloak and dagger tale about the son of Catherine de' Medici's chief Italian advisor and the horrors of St. Bartholomew's Eve.

The Virgin Blue (1997) by Tracy Chevalier. A dual timeline story of an American midwife and her Huguenot midwife ancestor.

The Master of All Desires (1999) by Judith Merkle Riley. Catherine de' Medici, the prophet Nostradamus, and a bluestocking female poet battle to obtain an accursed object against a backdrop of religious civil war.

Courtesan (2006) by Diane Haeger. Romance of King Henri II and Diane de Poitiers.

Mademoiselle Boleyn (2007) by Robin Maxwell. Anne Boleyn's formation at the court of François I.

Apology for the Woman Writing (2009) by Jenny Diski. The story of Montaigne and his adopted daughter and editor, Marie de Gournay.

The Devil's Queen (2010) by Jeanne Kalogridis. Catherine de' Medici barters her soul to produce heirs.

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici (2011) by Christopher Gortner. Catherine de' Medici narrates the story of her reign. My review here.

To Serve a King (2011) by Donna Russo Morin. A female spy and assassin infiltrates François I's court.

Médicis Daughter (2015) by Sophie Perinot. Coming of age story of Marguerite, daughter of Catherine de' Medici during violent Wars of Religion. My review here.

And if you read French...

La Cour des Dames series by Frank Ferrand: La Régente noire (2008), Les Fils de France (2009), Madame Catherine (2010). The story of François I's reign, focusing on the women in his court: his mother Louise de Savoye, his mistress Anne de Pisseleu, and his daughter-in-law, Catherine de' Medici.

Enjoy! I'm about to plunge into The Brethren myself. And if I've missed any novels set in Renaissance France, please add them in the comments below!