Lecture: Nicolas Bourbon’s Exile in England

A lecture given by François GILET, from the ArTho association.

The son of the ironmaster of Vendeuvre, Nicolas Bourbon (1503–c. 1550) was a poet specializing in ancient languages, a teacher, a mystic, and an intellectual deeply involved in the major event of his time: the Reformation of the Church. He narrowly escaped being burned at the stake, was imprisoned in the Petit-Châtelet for heresy, freed thanks to the intervention of his powerful patrons, and, in 1534, smuggled to England. Upon his arrival, invited by Queen Anne Boleyn, he witnessed firsthand the break between King Henry VIII and Pope Clement VII. He saw the rise of Anglicanism. Nicolas Bourbon lived for two years in London, in a prominent aristocratic circle. Who did he associate with? Who were his friends? What was life like there? What events precipitated his return to France? It is on this particularly little-known period of the poet's life that François Gilet will focus his lecture, previously presented in Troyes on April 1st, at the invitation of the Aube Academic Society.

Last updated on 27/08/2026 - Office de Tourisme Intercommunal des Grands Lacs de Champagne