The First Bourbon: Henry IV of France & Navarre

At various times Protestant and Catholic, a king by virtue of both parents and survivor of multiple assassination attempts until he was, ultimately, murdered, Henry IV of France and Navarre was a pragmatic and clever man who ruled France from 1589 to 1610.

The founder of the Bourbon dynasty, Henry was a hard-fighting, foul-mouthed southerner who fought in more than 200 battles and had at least 60 mistresses. However, he was also a bright, practical man who transformed a nation that had become riven with religious hatred into the powerhouse of Europe.

A man of enormous charm and humanity, he was remarkably tolerant and decreed that every French peasant should have a chicken in the pot on Sundays. Even Napoleon admired him.

In The First Bourbon: Henry IV, King of France and Navarre , Desmond Seward blends academic rigour with an accessible writing style to give a comprehensive and compelling portrait of this important figure, which can be enjoyed by scholars and non-historians alike.

Praise for The First Bourbon: Henry IV, King of France & Navarre:

‘This sympathetic and well-balanced portrait [is] drawn with a vigorous enthusiasm suitable to the subject … a most enjoyable and useful biography of a great man’ – CV Wedgewood, The Daily Telegraph

‘An admirable book’ - History Today

Desmond Seward is a French-born British historian, educated at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. He has written extensively on medieval French history and is considered an expert on military religious orders, his work having been translated into multiple languages. He now lives in the south-west of England.