The murder of Henry IV and powerlessness of Cassandra

Marie de Gournay, Montaigne’s ‘adopted daughter’, a very active person in Paris’ intellectual circles, could not remain silent about the crime committed against Henry IV. A few weeks after the assassination of the King, she dedicated the Adieu de l’Ame du Roy to the Regentine, Marie Medici, in which she defended the Jesuits, accused of inciting to regicide. Her involvement, as a woman, in the political polemics has led her to rough counterattacks of Parisian intellectuals. She has also been drawn into in an alleged conspiracy against the King; this has been revealed by another woman: Jacqueline d’Escoman. The article describes the actions and statements of both women concerning the killing of the King. It also presents the harsh reaction of the polemicists of the time, who treated them as unwanted and unnecessary political speakers.