Reflection of French Religious Conditions and Renaissance Thinking in Margaret of Navarre's Heptametron

The diploma thesis The Reflection of French Religious Conditions and Renaissance Thinking in Margaret of Navarre's Heptameron is about the life and work of Margaret of Navarre who is one of the most important personalities in French history and literature. The thesis introduces her as an enlightened woman representing significant progress in French society who was ahead of her time in many areas. This paper focuses on the analysis of her only prosaic book Heptameron. The analysis proves that this book contains not only medieval, but also renaissance characteristics. Deep philosophical and theological questions, which were actual for the religious reformation were brought up and elaborated by Margaret in Heptameron. The thesis tries to uproot an erroneous idea about the unimportant role of women in the past. It also tries to prove that it is impossible to distinguish distinct dividing lines between different periods in history. KEYWORDS Margaret of Navarre Heptameron Renaissance Reformatio