Who is your favorite woman of the Reformation and why?

I suppose my favorite woman is Jeanne d’Albret who was the queen of Navarre and the mother of the man who became Henry IV of France.

She was a very well-educated and learned woman. She was a very pious woman. And she was selflessly devoted to the cause of reformation.

She was queen of a little country in those days called Navarre, which was on the border of France and Spain. And she said, “I’d rather lose my whole country than ever commit myself to idolatry and go to mass.” She was very, very committed. She hawked her jewels to help the Protestant cause in France.

So here was a woman of whom one of her opponents said, “The Queen answered the question in that dry, impertinent tone that she alone can command.” So she was tough, but she was godly and she was passionately committed.

So in every way I’ve found her intriguing and admirable. But there were a lot of great women in the Reformation. She’s not the only one.

This transcript is from a live Ask Ligonier event with W. Robert Godfrey and has been lightly edited for readability. To ask Ligonier a biblical or theological question, email ask@ligonier.org or message us on Facebook or Twitter.