author
Pierre de Bourdeille Brantôme
d. 1614
A sharp-eyed observer of Renaissance court life, this French memoirist turned a soldier’s adventures and a courtier’s gossip into vivid, often scandalous portraits of his age. His writings remain prized for the way they bring sixteenth-century France to life from the inside.
5 Audiobooks
Vies des dames galantes
by Pierre de Bourdeille Brantôme
Memoirs and Historical Chronicles of the Courts of Europe Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois, Queen of France, Wife of Henri IV; of Madame de Pompadour of the Court of Louis XV; and of Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, Wife of Henri II
by King of France consort of Henry IV Queen Marguerite, Pierre de Bourdeille Brantôme, Mme. Du Hausset
The book of the ladies Illustrious Dames: The Reign and Amours of the Bourbon Régime
by Pierre de Bourdeille Brantôme
Lives of Fair and Gallant Ladies. Vol 2.
by Pierre de Bourdeille Brantôme
Lives of Fair and Gallant Ladies. Vol 1
by Pierre de Bourdeille Brantôme
About the author
Born around 1540 in Périgord, Pierre de Bourdeille—better known as Brantôme—was a French nobleman, soldier, courtier, and writer. He moved in high-ranking circles, spent time at court, and took part in military campaigns, experiences that later gave his books their lively sense of firsthand detail.
Brantôme is best remembered for memoirs and biographical sketches about the great figures of his time. His pages mix anecdote, observation, admiration, and court gossip, creating an energetic picture of Renaissance France. Readers have long valued him not just for literary charm, but because his work preserves the manners, ambitions, and intrigues of an era.
After an accident curtailed his active life, he devoted more time to writing. He died on July 15, 1614, leaving behind works that continue to interest readers drawn to history, biography, and the human drama of royal courts.