About
François Villon, born around 1431, probably in Paris, is one of the greatest French poets of the Middle Ages. Orphaned, he was adopted by Guillaume de Villon, a chaplain, whose name he took. He earned a master of arts from the University of Paris in 1452. His life was marked by run-ins with the law: he killed a priest in 1455, took part in a theft in 1456, was imprisoned at Meung-sur-Loire in 1461, and sentenced to death in 1462. Pardoned in 1463, he disappeared from the records. His work, especially Le Testament, breaks with the allegorical tradition and evokes with realism the poverty and underworld of Paris.
* 1431-01-01 — † 1463-01-01
Major works
- Le Lais (1456)poem
- Le Testament (1461)poem
- Ballade des pendus (1462)poem
Key milestones
- 1452Earns a master of arts from the University of Paris.
- 1456Composes Le Lais and takes part in the theft of the Collège de Navarre.
- 1463His death sentence is commuted to banishment; he disappears from the records.
Themes
DeathPovertyLoveJusticeThe passage of time
Sources: gallica.bnf.fr · ccfs-sorbonne.fr