In the memory of the French, Henry IV is the only king to have never fallen from grace. His death crowned him with an indestructible popularity, and his reign quickly became a melting pot of our history. The caustic Gascon who scorned fear, the man of action who eschewed idle chatter, the bon vivant, the man of the chicken in the pot, the Vert-Galant confident in his conquests: so many idealized images that Jean-Pierre Babelon readjusts without bias or indulgence.
In the memory of the French, Henry IV is the only king to have never fallen from grace. His death crowned him with enduring popularity, and his reign quickly became a melting pot of our history. The caustic Gascon who scorned fear, the man of action who eschewed idle chatter, the bon vivant, the man of hearty meals, the "Vert-Galant" (the Gallant Green) confident in his conquests: so many idealized images that Jean-Pierre Babelon reinterprets without bias or indulgence to explain the phenomenon of Henry IV.
On August 1, 1589, while besieging Paris in the midst of rebellion, Henry III, the victim of an assassination attempt, whispered to the man who would one day become Henry IV:
"You see how your enemies and mine have treated me. You must be careful that they do not do the same to you." With the last of the Valois gone, Henry of Navarre became king of a France torn apart by the Wars of the League, where the monarchy was going through one of its worst periods.
It took the first Bourbon five years to open the gates of the capital, and another four to calm the fighting and appease consciences. He had only twelve years left to create, with Sully's help, a modern state: the economy, agriculture, urban planning, the university—he tirelessly reorganized everything and continued the centuries-old monarchical tradition, as if he knew he had little time to accomplish his task.
For Henry IV, this unhappily married bachelor who recognized three pleasures—war, hunting, and love—the greatest joy was undoubtedly the birth of the Dauphin, the future Louis XIII. He was then 48 years old. After restoring the unity of his kingdom and ensuring the "well-being of his people," he founded a new dynasty. Could the son of Jeanne d'Albret have dreamed of a more glorious destiny?
Ultimately, an unusual character and behavior, a pragmatism and relativism that stand in stark contrast to the mentalities of the time, and a spirit that is strangely close to our own.
Jean-Pierre Babelon was born in 1931. A graduate of the École des Chartes, former chief curator and then inspector general of the Archives of France, he was later director general of the Museum and National Estate of Versailles and Trianon from 1989 to 1996. A member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, honorary president of the Société Henri-IV, he is the author of numerous works on the history of Paris and on classical architecture.
