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François Villon (ca. 1431 - ca. 1474) was a Frecn poet, thief, and general vagabond. He is perhaps best known for his Testaments and his Ballade des Pendus, written while in prison. He is one of the most influential secular poets of 15th-century European literature. Villon freely integrated his experiences from his life of crime and poverty into his poetry, and the result was some of the first poetry to present, in unflinching terms, the lives of the peasant classes. Despite his criminal background, Villon was highly educated, and his mastery of the French language led to a number of innovations in French poetry which would prove greatly influential to succeeding generations of French poets. In particular, Villon expanded the range of the topics poetry could address. He was one of the first major poets in any language to freely use colloquialisms like jokes and bawdy humor intermixed with highly literary verse. He was also one of the first poets to openly criticize the court and the church, and his fiercely ironic style would inspire generations of poets to go against the grain of the status-quo. Villon's life remains shrouded in intrigue and controversy, and his poetry endures as one of the most interesting and influential works of his century.

Life

Stock woodcut image, used to represent François Villon in the 1489 printing of the Grand Testament de Maistre François Villon

Much about Villon's life remains uncertain, including even his name. He has been called François de Montcorbier and François Des Loges and other names, though in literature Villon is the sole term used. Villon was born in 1431 in Paris. Much of his biography is derived from his Testaments, which appear to be autobiographical in nature, although even this has been disputed. His frequent collisions with the law, however, have left some definite records.

It appears that Villon was born of poor folk, that his father died in his youth, and that his mother, for whom he wrote one of his most famous ballades, was alive when her son was thirty years old. The name Villon appears to have been common slang in 15th-century French for "cheat" or "rascal", although this is not entirely clear. It is most certainly clear that Villon was a person of rather loose morals, and that he continued, throughout his recorded life, the reckless way of living common among the wilder youth of the University of Paris.

The poet became a student in arts at the University, no doubt early, perhaps at about twelve years of age, and took the degree of bachelor in 1449 and that of master in 1452. Between 1452 year and 1455 nothing positive is known about him, although he appears to have stayed clear of entanglements with the law.

On the June 5, 1455, the first important known incident of the poet's life occurred. Being in the company of a priest named Giles and a girl named Isabeau, he met, in the rue Saint-Jacques, a certain Breton, Jean le Hardi, a master of arts, who was also with a priest, Philippe Sermaise. A scuffle ensued; daggers were drawn; and Sermaise, who is accused of having threatened and attacked Villon and drawn the first blood, not only received a dagger-thrust in return, but a blow from a stone which knocked him unconscious. Sermaise died of his wounds. Villon fled and was sentenced to banishment - a sentence which was remitted in January 1456, the formal pardon being extant, strangely enough, in two different documents, in one of which the culprit is described as "Francois des Loges, autrement dit Villon" ("Francois des Loges, otherwise called Villon"), in the other as "Francois de Montcorbier." The documents relative to this affair confirm the date of his birth, as they all agree that Villon was roughly 26 years of age at the time of the killing.

By the end of 1456, Villon was once again in trouble. Villon began getting into frequently brawls over a number of women. In the second of these, Villon was embroiled in a scuffle that left him so severely beaten that he fled to Angers. It was before leaving Paris that he composed what is now known as the Petit testament or Lais, which shows little of the profound bitterness and regret for wasted life that can be found in its greater successor, the Grand testament.

Villon would soon find himself in even more difficulties shortly after these brawls. Around December 1456 the chapel of the Collège de Navarre was broken into, and five hundred gold crowns stolen. The robbery was not discovered till March 1457, and it was not till May that the police identified the gang of student-robbers. A year more passed, when one of the gang members, after being arrested, accused Villon, who was then absent from Paris, of being the ring-leader, and of having gone to Angers, to arrange for similar burglaries there. Villon, for this or some other crime, was sentenced to banishment. He would never attempt to return to Paris. For four years he was a wanderer; and he may have been, as his criminally documented friends Regnier de Montigny and Colin des Cayeux certainly were, a member of a wandering gang of thieves. It is certain that at one time (in 1457), and probable that at more times than one, he was in correspondence with Charles, duc d'Orléans, and it is likely that he resided, at any rate for some period, at that prince's court at Chateau Blois. He had also something to do with another prince, Jean of Bourbon, and there is evidence that he visited Poitou, Dauphine, and elsewhere.

The next extant record of Villon's life shows him, once again, in trouble. In the summer of 1461 the poet found himself in the prison of Meung-sur-Loire. His crime is not known, but is supposed to have been church-robbing; and his enemy, or at least judge, was Thibault d'Aussigny, who held the see of Orléans. Villon owed his release to a general amnesty at the accession of King Louis XI and he became a free man again on the October 2, 1461.

In 1461, only thirty years old, Villon wrote the Grand testament, the work which has immortalized him. Despite having composed a literary masterpiece, Villon couldn't keep himself away from a life of crime; in the autumn of 1462 he had fled to the cloisters of Saint-Benoit to escape the authorities, and in November he was in prison once again for theft. The old charge of stealing from the College of Navarre was revived, and even a royal pardon did not bar the demand for restitution. Bail was accepted; however, Villon fell promptly into a street quarrel, was arrested, tortured and condemned to be hanged, but the sentence was commuted to banishment. What happened to Villon after this event is unknown; from this point on there exists no further record of Villon's biography.

Works

Villon was a great innovator in terms of the themes of poetry and, through these themes, a great renovator of the forms. He understood perfectly the medieval ethos, but he often chose to write against the grain of the medieval ideals of chivalry and courtly love, reversing the values of his times and writing poetry celebrating the lowlifes destined for the gallows. His poetry is notable for its wonderful comedic streak; Villon was one of the first truly notable poets to integrate jokes and bawdy humor effortlessly into the higher poetic forms.

Villon's verse is mostly autobiographical and, on account of his spending so much time either as a fugitive or in prison, it is understandable that his poetry has a considerably darker tone than most poetry of the 15th-century. The 2023 verses of theGrand Testament (1461), in particular, are notably grim, as the poem is framed as a story told by an imprisoned thief about to be sent to his execution. Villon's styistic innovations mark him out as one of the most unique poets of the medieval period; moreover, his subject-matter—controversial to some extent even today for its frank depictions of crime and immorality—pushed the limits of what could be used as material for literary art. He is easily one of the most influential poets in the French language, and his influence extends to a number other poets of the medieval and Renaissance periods.

External links

The Société François Villon provides extensive links to online copies of the French-language originals of Villon's poems and (farther down the page) links to translations in numerous languages (including English) as well as numerous related materials.
Biography, Bibliography, Analysis, Plot overview (in French)
Works by François Villon. Project Gutenberg

Credits

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-'''François Villon''' (ca. [[1431]] - ca. [[1474]]) was a [[France|French]] [[poet]], thief, and general vagabond. He is perhaps best known for his ''Testaments'' and his ''Ballade des Pendus'', written while in prison. His question ''"Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?"'', taken from the ''[[Ballade des Dames du Temps Jadis]]'' and translated by [[Algernon Charles Swinburne]] as "Where are the snows of yesteryear?", is one of the most famous lines of translated secular poetry in the [[English language|English]]-speaking world.
+'''François Villon''' (ca. 1431 - ca. 1474) was a Frecn poet, thief, and general vagabond. He is perhaps best known for his ''Testaments'' and his ''Ballade des Pendus'', written while in prison. He is one of the most influential secular poets of 15th-century European literature. Villon freely integrated his experiences from his life of crime and poverty into his poetry, and the result was some of the first poetry to present, in unflinching terms, the lives of the peasant classes. Despite his criminal background, Villon was highly educated, and his mastery of the French language led to a number of innovations in French poetry which would prove greatly influential to succeeding generations of French poets. In particular, Villon expanded the range of the topics poetry could address. He was one of the first major poets in any language to freely use colloquialisms like jokes and bawdy humor intermixed with highly literary verse. He was also one of the first poets to openly criticize the court and the church, and his fiercely ironic style would inspire generations of poets to go against the grain of the status-quo. Villon's life remains shrouded in intrigue and controversy, and his poetry endures as one of the most interesting and influential works of his century.
 ==Life==
-[[Image:Francois Villon 1489.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Stock [[woodcut]] image, used to represent François Villon in the 1489 printing of the ''Grand Testament de Maistre François Villon'']]
+[[Image:Francois Villon 1489.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Stock woodcut image, used to represent François Villon in the 1489 printing of the ''Grand Testament de Maistre François Villon'']]
-Much about Villon's life remains uncertain, including even his name. He has been called '''François de Montcorbier''' and '''François Des Loges''' and other names, though in literature Villon is the sole term used. Villon was born in [[1431]] in [[Paris]]. The singular poems called ''Testaments'', which form his chief if not his only certain work, are largely autobiographical, though of course not fully trustworthy. But his frequent collisions with the law have left more certain records.
+Much about Villon's life remains uncertain, including even his name. He has been called '''François de Montcorbier''' and '''François Des Loges''' and other names, though in literature Villon is the sole term used. Villon was born in 1431 in [[Paris]]. Much of his biography is derived from his ''Testaments'', which appear to be autobiographical in nature, although even this has been disputed. His frequent collisions with the law, however, have left some definite records.
-It appears that he was born of poor folk, that his father died in his youth, but that his mother, for whom he wrote one of his most famous ballades, was alive when her son was thirty years old. The very name Villon was stated, and that by no mean authority, the president [[Claude Fauchet]], to be merely a common word and not a proper noun, signifying " cheat " or "rascal", but this seems to be a mistake. It is, however, certain that Villon was a person of loose life, and that he continued, throughout his recorded life, the reckless way of living common among the wilder youth of the [[University of Paris]]. He appears to have derived his surname from his uncle, a close friend and benefactor named Guillaume de Villon, chaplain in the collegiate church of [[Saint-Benoit-le-Bestourne]], and a professor of canon law,  who took Villon into his house.
+It appears that Villon was born of poor folk, that his father died in his youth, and that his mother, for whom he wrote one of his most famous ballades, was alive when her son was thirty years old. The name Villon appears to have been common slang in 15th-century French for "cheat" or "rascal", although this is not entirely clear. It is most certainly clear that Villon was a person of rather loose morals, and that he continued, throughout his recorded life, the reckless way of living common among the wilder youth of the University of Paris.
-The poet became a student in arts, no doubt early, perhaps at about twelve years of age, and took the degree of bachelor in 1449 and that of master in 1452. Between this year and 1455 nothing positive is known of him, except that nothing was known against him. Attempts have been made, in the usual fashion of conjectural biography, to fill up the gap with what a young graduate of [[Bohemianism|Bohemian]] tendencies would, could, or might have done; but they are mainly futile.
+The poet became a student in arts at the University, no doubt early, perhaps at about twelve years of age, and took the degree of bachelor in 1449 and that of master in 1452. Between 1452 year and 1455 nothing positive is known about him, although he appears to have stayed clear of entanglements with the law.
-On the [[June 5]], [[1455]], the first important known incident of his life occurred. Being in the company of a priest named Giles and a girl named Isabeau, he met, in the rue Saint-Jacques, a certain Breton, Jean le Hardi, a master of arts, who was also with a priest, Philippe Chermoye or Sermoise or Sermaise. A scuffle ensued; daggers were drawn; and Sermaise, who is accused of having threatened and attacked Villon and drawn the first blood, not only received a dagger-thrust in return, but a blow from a stone which struck him down. Sermaise died of his wounds. Villon fled, and was sentenced to banishment - a sentence which was remitted in January 1456, the formal pardon being extant, strangely enough, in two different documents, in one of which the culprit is described as ''"Francois des Loges, autrement dit Villon"'' ("Francois des Loges, otherwise called Villon"), in the other as "Francois de Montcorbier." That he is also said to have described himself to the [[barber-surgeon]] who dressed his wounds as Michel Mouton is less surprising, and hardly needs an addition to the list of his aliases. It should, however, be said that the documents relative to this affair confirm the date of his birth, by representing him as twenty-six years old or thereabouts.
+On the June 5, 1455, the first important known incident of the poet's life occurred. Being in the company of a priest named Giles and a girl named Isabeau, he met, in the rue Saint-Jacques, a certain Breton, Jean le Hardi, a master of arts, who was also with a priest, Philippe Sermaise. A scuffle ensued; daggers were drawn; and Sermaise, who is accused of having threatened and attacked Villon and drawn the first blood, not only received a dagger-thrust in return, but a blow from a stone which knocked him unconscious. Sermaise died of his wounds. Villon fled and was sentenced to banishment - a sentence which was remitted in January 1456, the formal pardon being extant, strangely enough, in two different documents, in one of which the culprit is described as ''"Francois des Loges, autrement dit Villon"'' ("Francois des Loges, otherwise called Villon"), in the other as "Francois de Montcorbier." The documents relative to this affair confirm the date of his birth, as they all agree that Villon was roughly 26 years of age at the time of the killing.
-By the end of 1456, he was again in trouble. In his first brawl ''"la femme Isabeau"'' is only generally named, and it is impossible to say whether she had anything to do with the quarrel. In the second, [[Catherine de Vaucelles]], of whom we hear not a little in the poems, is the declared cause of a scuffle in which Villon was so severely beaten that, to escape ridicule, he fled to [[Angers]], where he had an uncle who was a monk. It was before leaving Paris that he composed what is now known as the ''Petit testament'' or ''Lais'', which shows little of the profound bitterness and regret for wasted life that can be found in its (in every sense) greater successor, the ''Grand testament''. Indeed, Villon's serious troubles were only beginning, for hitherto he had been rather injured than guilty.
+By the end of 1456, Villon was once again in trouble. Villon began getting into frequently brawls over a number of women. In the second of these, Villon was embroiled in a scuffle that left him so severely beaten that he fled to [[Angers]]. It was before leaving Paris that he composed what is now known as the ''Petit testament'' or ''Lais'', which shows little of the profound bitterness and regret for wasted life that can be found in its  greater successor, the ''Grand testament''.
-About Christmas-time the chapel of the [[Collège de Navarre]] was broken open, and five hundred gold crowns stolen. The robbery was not discovered till March 1457, and it was not till May that the police came on the track of a gang of student-robbers owing to the indiscretion of one of them, Guy Tabarie. A year more passed, when Tabarie, being arrested, turned king's evidence and accused Villon, who was then absent, of being the ring-leader, and of having gone to Angers, partly at least, to arrange for similar burglaries there. Villon, for this or some other crime, was sentenced to banishment: and he did not attempt to return to Paris. For four years he was a wanderer; and he may have been, as each of his friends Regnier de Montigny and Colin des Cayeux certainly was, a member of a wandering gang of thieves. It is certain that at one time (in 1457), and probable that at more times than one, he was in correspondence with [[Charles, duc d'Orleans|Charles, duc d'Orléans]], and it is likely that he resided, at any rate for some period, at that prince's court at [[Chateau Blois]]. He had also something to do with another prince of the blood, [[Jean of Bourbon]], and there is evidence that he visited [[Poitou]], [[Dauphine]], and elsewhere.
+Villon would soon find himself in even more difficulties shortly after these brawls. Around December 1456 the chapel of the Collège de Navarre was broken into, and five hundred gold crowns stolen. The robbery was not discovered till March 1457, and it was not till May that the police identified the gang of student-robbers. A year more passed, when one of the gang members, after being arrested, accused Villon, who was then absent from Paris, of being the ring-leader, and of having gone to Angers, to arrange for similar burglaries there. Villon, for this or some other crime, was sentenced to banishment. He would never attempt to return to Paris. For four years he was a wanderer; and he may have been, as his criminally documented friends Regnier de Montigny and Colin des Cayeux certainly were, a member of a wandering gang of thieves. It is certain that at one time (in 1457), and probable that at more times than one, he was in correspondence with Charles, duc d'Orléans, and it is likely that he resided, at any rate for some period, at that prince's court at Chateau Blois. He had also something to do with another prince, Jean of Bourbon, and there is evidence that he visited Poitou, Dauphine, and elsewhere.
-But at his next certain appearance he is again in trouble. He tells us that he had spent the summer of 1461 in the bishop's prison (bishops were fatal to Villon) of [[Meung-sur-Loire]]. His crime is not known, but is supposed to have been church-robbing; and his enemy, or at least judge, was [[Thibault d'Aussigny]], who held the see of Orléans. Villon owed his release to a general gaol-delivery at the accession of [[Louis XI of France|King Louis XI]] and became a free man again on the [[October 2]], [[1461]].
+The next extant record of Villon's life shows him, once again, in trouble. In the summer of 1461 the poet found himself in the prison of Meung-sur-Loire. His crime is not known, but is supposed to have been church-robbing; and his enemy, or at least judge, was Thibault d'Aussigny, who held the see of Orléans. Villon owed his release to a general amnesty at the accession of King Louis XI and he became a free man again on the October 2, 1461.
-In 1461, only thirty years old, he wrote the ''Grand testament'', the work which has immortalized him. Even his good intentions must have been feeble, for in the autumn of 1462 we find him once more living in the [[cloister]]s of [[Saint-Benoit]] and in November he was in the [[Chatelet]] for theft. In default of evidence the old charge of the college of Navarre was revived, and even a royal pardon did not bar the demand for restitution. Bail was accepted; however, Villon fell promptly into a street quarrel, was arrested, tortured and condemned to be hanged (''"pendu et étranglé"''), but the sentence was commuted to banishment by the [[parlement]] on the [[January 5]], [[1463]]. The actual event is unknown: but from this time he disappears from history.
+In 1461, only thirty years old, Villon wrote the ''Grand testament'', the work which has immortalized him. Despite having composed a literary masterpiece, Villon couldn't keep himself away from a life of crime; in the autumn of 1462 he had fled to the cloisters of Saint-Benoit to escape the authorities, and in November he was in prison once again for theft. The old charge of stealing from the College of Navarre was revived, and even a royal pardon did not bar the demand for restitution. Bail was accepted; however, Villon fell promptly into a street quarrel, was arrested, tortured and condemned to be hanged, but the sentence was commuted to banishment. What happened to Villon after this event is unknown; from this point on there exists no further record of Villon's biography.
 ==Works==
-Villon was a great innovator in terms of the themes of poetry and, through these themes, a great renovator of the forms. He understood perfectly the [[medieval]] ethic, but he often chose to write against the grain of the courtly ideal, reversing the values and celebrating the lowlifes destined for the gallows, falling happily into parody or lewd jokes, and constantly innovating in his language. Still, Villon's verse is mostly about his own life, and it was not a happy life. The ''Grand Testament'' (1461), his greatest work, is in some ways a continuation of the ''Petit Testament'' (also known as ''Lais'', 1456). The 2023 verses are marked by the immediate prospect of death by hanging. With a remarkable ambivalence, it mixes reflections on the passing of time, bitter derision, invective, and religious fervor. This mixed tone of pathetic sincerity stands in contrast to the other poets of the time.
+Villon was a great innovator in terms of the themes of poetry and, through these themes, a great renovator of the forms. He understood perfectly the medieval ethos, but he often chose to write against the grain of the medieval ideals of chivalry and courtly love, reversing the values of his times and writing poetry celebrating the lowlifes destined for the gallows. His poetry is notable for its wonderful comedic streak; Villon was one of the first truly notable poets to integrate jokes and bawdy humor effortlessly into the higher poetic forms.
-==Critical views==
+Villon's verse is mostly autobiographical and, on account of his spending so much time either as a fugitive or in prison, it is understandable that his poetry has a considerably darker tone than most poetry of the 15th-century. The 2023 verses of the''Grand Testament'' (1461), in particular, are notably grim, as the poem is framed as a story told by an imprisoned thief about to be sent to his execution. Villon's styistic innovations mark him out as one of the most unique poets of the medieval period; moreover, his subject-matter&mdash;controversial to some extent even today for its frank depictions of crime and immorality&mdash;pushed the limits of what could be used as material for literary art. He is easily one of the most influential poets in the French language, and his influence extends to a number other poets of the medieval and [[Renaissance]] periods.
-Villon, nearly unknown in his own time, was rediscovered in the [[16th century]] when his works were published by [[Clément Marot]].
-==References==
-*{{1911}}
-*The introduction and "Life" section of this article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica. Please update as needed.
-*Tennessee Williams' play ''The Glass Menagerie'' featured Villon's best-known quote as the screen legend numerous times.
-==Depictions==
-In 1927, [[John Barrymore]] starred as Francois Villon in ''[[The Beloved Rogue]]'', directed by [[Alan Crosland]] (of ''[[The Jazz Singer]]'' fame).  In this swashbuckling adventure, Villon is exiled from Paris for his outspoken views on the [[Duke of Burgundy]], but after several roguish exploits is once again favored by the [[King of France]], and eventually marries [[Charlotte of Vauxcelles]].
-The 1938 movie ''[[If I Were King]]'', stars [[Ronald Colman]] as Francis Villon, and is based on a 1901 play of the same name.  Villon is appointed by the [[King of France]], [[Louis XI of France|Louis XI]], played by [[Basil Rathbone]], to be [[Constable of France]] for a week. The 1925 operetta ''[[The Vagabond King]]'' is based on this play, and has been filmed twice - in 1930, with Dennis King and [[Jeanette MacDonald]], and in 1956, with [[Oreste Kirkop]] and [[Kathryn Grayson]]. In the operetta, however, Villon is appointed king for twenty-four hours, and must solve all of Louis XI's political problems in that amount of time.
-The [[Vampire: The Masquerade]] series of roleplaying games by [[White Wolf]] has a character named Francois Villon as the [[Prince]] of [[Paris]].  This is the games way of explaining the real Villon's disappearance.
 ==External links==
-{{Commons|François Villon}}
 *[http://globegate.utm.edu/french/globegate_mirror/villon.html The ''Société François Villon''] provides extensive links to online copies of the French-language originals of Villon's poems and (farther down the page) links to translations in numerous languages (including English) as well as numerous related materials.
 *[http://www.biblioweb.org/-VILLON-Francois-.html Biography, Bibliography, Analysis, Plot overview] (in French)