François Villon

François Villon (c.1431–c.1463) is an almost legendary figure in French literature. Involved, as a young man, in street brawls, thefts and a killing, he was imprisoned and sentenced to death, but later pardoned by King Charles VII. His most famous poems, which are among the founding texts of French literature, are The Legacy, The Testament and The Ballade of the Hanged Men.