Joachim du Bellay was a prominent French poet and critic of the Renaissance. As a member of the literary group known as the Pléiade, he was a key figure in the development of French language and literature. His most famous works include the sonnet sequence L'Olive and the collection Les Regrets, which reflects on his time in Rome. Du Bellay's manifesto, Défense et illustration de la langue française, argued for the elevation of French to the level of classical languages.