Nicolas Marsolet de St Aignan

Notes

• Location info: Normandie, France (birth,marriage,death)

Short Bio

Nicholas Marsolet de Saint-Aignan, was a regular attendant at the French Court along with his wife, Marguerite de Planes.

Nicholas Marsolet, was: "l'Ecuyer de Monsieur, le frere du Roi" an official personal retainer to the brother of the King. He must have discreetly kept himself informed thru his office, in all likelihood being attentive to what was said and to what happened around him, since he was often privy to source information and must have heard of the King's need for reliable people to use as Interpreters in Nouvelle-France because his young son was the first Interpretor signed with the "Compagnie de Montreal" in 1599.

In 1589, when Henri IV truly came into power, Nicholas Marsolet and his family found themselves in a new society aimed at the promotion of religious tolerance for both Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots and Calvinists) as well as greater power for the monarchy. The Marsolets had Huguenot leanings as did most families from Rouen, La Rochelle, Britanny and Normandy. The Edict of Nantes, proclaiming religious freedom, was signed in 1598.

By Danielle Duval LeMyre.