Description
Book SynopsisThe result is a fascinating biography of a French king and a comprehensive history of sixteenth-century France.
Trade ReviewThrough Henri the complex and chaotic religious wars come into focus. For this reason, and for the biography's engagement with the most up-to-date scholarship on this period, I would highly recommend this book for any scholar or student seeking an entry into not only Henri and his reign but the wider field of sixteenth and early seventeenth century France. H-France An excellent, well-researched study of one of France's greatest kings... This book is an ambitious and scholarly work as well as an engaging one to read. -- Camille Weiss Renaissance Quarterly Pitts succeeds admirably in his newest book, Henri IV of France: His Reign and Age, the first scholarly English-language biography in twenty-five years of Henri de Bourbon, who was both Henri III of Navarre and Henri IV of France... Johns Hopkins Press is to be commended for supporting the level of scholarly documentation provided in this book-a hundred pages of endnotes, and a thirty-page bibliography-that will be of use to anyone studying the era. -- Christopher H. Walker Journal of Historical Biography A handsome work, an interesting text ably supported by extensive footnotes, at what is a reasonable price for a hardback. Journal of European Studies If you are addicted to biographies as I am, you will not want to miss this one. Bibliotheque d'Humanisme et Renaissance Pitts has done a magnificent job producing a biography-and a portrait-of Henri IV that is at once complicated and coherent. -- Andrea Frisch European History Quarterly The best biography of Henry IV in English and likely to remain so for many years to come... The wealth of detail and explanation-not only about the life of the king, but also about dynastic and international politics-makes this book indispensable reading. -- John J. Hurt History: Reviews of NewBooks A great introduction to the subject for both the general reader passionate about this period of history, but also undergraduates new to the period, and indeed historians who specialize in other periods but would like a detailed, reliable, and well written resource for the reign of this important monarch. -- Jonathan Spangler French History Meticulously researched and elegantly written... explore[s] the strengths and flaws in the king's character which may provide the general reader and the student of history alike with a better and deeper understanding of the challenges he faced and his responses to them during a turbulent age. -- Penny Roberts Histoire Sociale - Social History A clear and lively narrative of the life, reign, and historical context of the first Bourbon king of France... Pitts offers an excellent account of the king's many challenges and achievements. -- Diane C. Margolf Reviews of Books This is clearly a work of love and industry both, rich in detail and clear in its overview. Bibliotheque d'Humanisme et Renaissance
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. "The Guilt and Ambition of Her Great Men," 1553–1562
2. "The Glory of God, the Service of the King, and the Duty of His Blood," 1563–1572
3. "Little Trust in His Constancy," 1572–1577
4. "Vigor of Body, Liveliness of Spirit, and Almost Incomparable Valor," 1578–1584
5. "All of France Now in Arms," 1584–1589
6. "The Hallmarks of Our Kings," 1589–1593
7. "The Liberator and Restorer of the State," 1594–1597
8. "The Extreme Need of My People for Peace," 1597–1600
9. "Such a Happy Change," 1598–1609
10. "A Lack of Good Faith," 1598–1609
11. "The Grandeur and Power of the House of Austria," 1606–1610
12. "The Captain, and the Most Excellent of Us All," May 1610
Appendix: Genealogical Tables
Notes
Bibliography
Index
