Michelle de Saubonne

Michelle de Saubonne, Madame de Soubise (1485–1549) was a French courtier who served as lady-in-waiting to Anne of Brittany, as the Governess of the Children of France beginning in 1499, and as the governess for the children of Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara. She and Anne became best friends and, as she was dying, she asked Michelle de Saubon to be a mother and guardian for her daughter Renée, Duchess of Ferrara, from 1528 to 1536. Like her mother, Renée had a close relationship with Michelle, both of whom had become Protestants. Renée's husband, Ercole II, was a Catholic and he resented having many French Protestants, also known as Huguenots in his court and diverting his wife's attention away from Catholicism.

Michelle de Saubonne was an intelligent woman of influence in the court. Because of that and the conflict between the Protestants and Catholic peoples that reigned, she was dismissed from her court duties twice, the first in 1515 when Francis I of France had her ousted. She was again dismissed of her duties by Ercole II in 1536. He ultimately removed all of the French people in his court in Ferrara.

Michelle's influence in her and Renée's children's lives was significant, they were raised to be Protestants and they and fought against the Catholics for religious freedom. Their children were among the intelligent elite of the day.