Journal du corsaire Jean Doublet de Honfleur, lieutenant de frégate sous Louis XIV Publié d'après le manuscrit autographe avec introduction, notes et additions

The manuscript opens with a vivid portrait of a young man born in Honfleur in the mid‑1600s, whose family traced its roots through generations of town officials, apothecaries and merchants. At just seven years old he slipped aboard a vessel bound for New France, driven by a mix of curiosity and a desire to follow his father’s ambitions. The introduction weaves together this personal memory with a meticulously compiled genealogy, showing how his modest bourgeois background eventually earned him the title of squire and a commission as a lieutenant‑frigate under Louis XIV.

Listeners will find a richly detailed chronicle of a corsair’s early career, complete with the sights, sounds and superstitions of 17th‑century seafaring life. The author’s notes illuminate the political tensions of the era, the thin line between privateering and piracy, and the ways Doublet’s upbringing shaped his choices at sea. It is a compelling blend of personal memoir and historical study that brings the world of a French lieutenant‑corsair to life.