François Villon, orig. François de Montcorbier or François des Loges, (born 1431, Paris, France—died after 1463), French lyric poet. Villon was a rigorously trained scholar who led a life of criminal excess; he killed a priest in 1455, then joined a criminal organization and became involved in robbery, theft, and brawling. Incarcerated several times, in 1462 he received a death sentence that was commuted to banishment. He was never heard from again. His works, published posthumously, include the poem Le Petit testament (1489), which takes the form of ironic bequests to friends and acquaintances; Le Testament (1489), which reviews his life with great emotional and poetic depth; and various ballades, chansons, and rondeaux. His themes range from drunkenness and prostitution to a humble ballade-prayer to the Virgin written at his mother’s request. Villon’s verse makes a direct, unsentimental appeal to the emotions but also displays remarkable control of rhyme and disciplined composition.
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