Born in Paris into a middle-class background, Pierre de l'Estoile was tutored byMathieu Béroalde. He knewAgrippa d'Aubigné. He became a law student atBourges (1565). He became anotary, and royal secretary.
He spent time in prison in 1589, being taken for one of the supporters of thepolitiques. He died in Paris in 1611.
The manuscript diaries of Pierre de L'Estoile (1546–1611) were deposited in the library of theAbbey of Saint-Acheul by his descendant Pierre Poussemthe de L'Estoile when he died in 1718.[1] Pierre Poussemthe de L'Estoile was the abbot of Saint Acheul.[2]The bookseller Pierre Mongie took possession of L'Estoile's manuscripts after the abbey was dissolved, and they were later acquired by the Royal library.The diaries were used as sources for various historical works on the period ofHenry III andHenry IV of France.[3]
TheRegistres Journaux (1574-1611) are personal accounts of the reigns ofHenry III andHenry IV of France. They contain other matter (sonnets, pamphlets).[a]The Journals were not intended for publication. Material from them was edited asJournal de Henri III (1621 byLouis Servin, 1744 byNicolas Lenglet Du Fresnoy); and theJournal de Henri IV (The Hague, 1741).
Registre-Journal du règne de Henri III, éd. M. Lazard et G. Schrenck, Genève, Droz, 1992
M. Chopard, "En marge de la grande érudition, un amateur éclairé, Pierre de L'Estoile",Histoire et Littérature. Les écrivains et la politique, Paris, P.U.F., 1977
G. Schrenck, "L'image du prince dans le Journal du règne de Henri III de P. de L'Estoile, ou l'enjeu d'une écriture",L'image du souverain dans les Lettres françaises, 1985, p. 15-25.
F. Marin, "La fortune éditoriale desRegistres journaux des règnes de Henri III et Henri IV de Pierre de L'Estoile",Nouvelle Revue du XVIe siècle, 20/2 - 2002, p. 87-108.
^His "exigence d'objectivité est sans cesse remise en cause par l'affirmation duje du témoin [...], puis duje du vieil homme amer et malade qui [...] s'abandonne au vain parler de soi." (Fanny Marin)
