Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585) was the leading poet of the French Renaissance and the foremost figure of La Pléiade, the influential group of seven French poets. Born into a noble family in Vendee, he served as court poet to King Charles IX. Ronsard is best known for his love poetry collection "Les Amours" and the epic "Franciade." He is celebrated as the father of French poetry, having established the French sonnet form and championed the development of a national French literary language inspired by classical Greek and Roman traditions.
