The founder of the Bourbon dynasty, Henry IV, who ruled France from 1589 to 1610, is the most romantic of French kings. Very different from his grandson Louis XIV, he was a hard-fighting, hard swearing Southerner, who fought over 200 battles and had 60 (recorded) mistresses* After surviving his predecessor's murderous court, he rebuilt a France ruined by thirty years of war between Catholics and Protestants, enabling her to become the most powerful country in Europe. A man of enormous charm and humanity, he was famous for promising that every French peasant was going to have a chicken in the pot in Sundays. Even Napoleon admired him, always keeping a statue of him nearby.

The first Bourbon: Henri IV,: King of France and Navarre

Biographies & Memoirs

DESMOND SEWARD

Leaders & Notable People

Constable

Prince of the Renaissance: The life of François I

An illustrated history of the Hundred Years War covering the period of 1337-1453, which describes how English troops exploited the financial rewards of raiding and plundering French property, with discussion of England's hold over the region of Guyenne until 1453.

Hundred Years War the English In France

TRAFALGAR SQUARE +

An account of the impact of the Wars of the Roses on the lives of five ordinary people - a squire, a nobleman, a great lady, a priest and a harlot.

The Wars of the Roses: And the Lives of Five Men and Women in the Fifteenth Century (History and Politics)

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

François was the Sun King of the sixteenth century. A supreme patron of the arts, his Court painters included Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Sarto; he purchased the works of Raphael and Michelangelo; and Benvenuto Cellini was his jeweller. For his intimates at Court he chose poets and scholars, he founded the College de France, and the library that he gathered became the Bibliotheque Nationale. He built palaces which even Versailles was not to overshadow, including the magnificent Chateaux of Fontainebleau and Chambord.In this fascinating biography the author vividly traces the life and character of François, his manifold activities, his relations with the great men about him and the turbulent events of the time. For François was not merely a patron; no ruler since Charlemagne has had a more direct influence upon the civilisation of France.

Prince of Renaissance: The Life of François I

Cardinal Books

This social and military history covers the time between 1337 and 1453, the years of plunder, looting, and kidnapping that characterized the war and made fortunes for English soldiers

The Hundred Years War: The English in France, 1337-1453

History

Europe

Atheneum

Jerusalem's Traitor

Da Capo Press

Monks and wine

Mitchell Beazley

Ancient Civilizations

Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio

The Demon's Brood

Pegasus Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by DESMOND SEWARD. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by DESMOND SEWARD