Journal de Jean Héroard - Tome 1

This intimate chronicle opens with the birth of the future Louis XIII in 1601, recorded by Jean Héroard, the long‑serving physician to France’s monarchs. Héroard, already seasoned by decades at the courts of Charles IX, Henri III and Henri IV, begins his diary with the royal couple’s anxious anticipation, the political stakes of an heir, and the first moments of the newborn prince’s life. His tone blends professional observation with personal devotion, offering a window into the very moment a nation’s future was sealed.

The entries that follow illuminate the daily rhythm of the early 17th‑century court: medical practices of the era, the intimate counsel between king and physician, and the subtle power plays among queens, mistresses, and courtiers. Héroard also notes the language, fashions, curiosities, and nascent projects such as the early Versailles constructions. Listeners will hear a vivid portrait of a pivotal decade, where medicine, politics, and family intertwine, revealing the human side of history before the king’s reign truly begins.