Michelle de Saubonne

Michelle de Saubonne, Lady of Soubise, was a French courtier and humanist associated with the household of Anne of Brittany. She served the queen as a lady-in-waiting and trusted attendant and later became governess to Anne and Louis XII’s daughter Renée of France.

After Anne’s death, Michelle remained closely connected to Renée and opposed efforts to absorb Brittany’s interests into the French crown. She was removed from court under Francis I, later accompanied Renée to Ferrara, and became associated with reformist Protestant circles before returning to France.

In Keira Morgan’s The Importance of Pawns, set across the transition from Louis XII to Francis I, the novel follows Claude, Renée, Louise and their protector Michelle de Saubonne through guardianship, marriage plans and rival claims to power.