Caitlin Glass
A steely Calvinist queen who turned her small Pyrenean kingdom into a fortress for the Protestant Reformation in France.
Born 1981 (age 45)·American voice actress·Birthday: November 16·Millennials
Biography
Jeanne d'Albret was a political force of nature in high-heeled shoes. As the Queen of Navarre, a small sovereign kingdom straddling the Pyrenees, she inherited a precarious throne and a France tearing itself apart over religion. Converted to Calvinism in 1560, she made it her life's mission not just to protect her faith but to champion it. With formidable intellect and unshakable resolve, she transformed her court in Pau into a beacon for Protestant intellectuals and a strategic hub for the Huguenot cause. She navigated the treacherous politics of the Valois court, facing down pressure from the powerful Catholic Guise family and even her own husband, Antoine de Bourbon. Her 1563 public proclamation of Calvinism as Navarre's state religion was a defiant political act. She financed armies, negotiated treaties, and raised her son, the future Henry IV, strictly in the Reformed faith. Her death came just months before the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, a cataclysm her diplomacy had tried to prevent, but her legacy lived on in her son, who would eventually bring a measure of peace to France.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Caitlin was born in 1981, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Caitlin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1981
#1 Movie
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Best Picture
Chariots of Fire
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Caitlin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1981Born
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1986Started school
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1994Became a teenager
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
1997Could drive
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
1999Could vote
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2002Turned 21
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2011Turned 30
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 40
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 45 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Officially established Calvinism as the state religion of the Kingdom of Navarre in 1563.
- Authored the 'Memoires et poesies', a personal account that provides a crucial female perspective on the Wars of Religion.
- Secured the marriage of her son, Henry, to Margaret of Valois, a pivotal political alliance intended to reconcile Catholics and Protestants.
- Governed her territories with notable administrative skill, issuing reforms and fostering education and the arts in Pau.
- Played a key diplomatic role in the negotiations leading to the Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1570, which granted Huguenots limited freedoms.
Did You Know?
She was the mother of Henry IV of France, the first Bourbon king and author of the Edict of Nantes.
The philosopher John Calvin dedicated a commentary to her.
She had a famously tumultuous marriage to Antoine de Bourbon, who frequently switched sides between Catholicism and Protestantism.
Her personal symbol was a sword piercing a heart, with the motto 'My courage rises with the danger'.
“I would sooner give up my life and my son than my religion.”
