Pierre Pithou (1 November 1539 – 1 November 1596) was a French lawyer and scholar. He is also known as Petrus Pithoeus.

Life

He was born at Troyes. From childhood he loved literature, and his father Pierre encouraged this interest. Young Pithou was called to the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

bar in 1560. On the outbreak of the second war of religion in 1567, Pithou, who was a

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

, withdrew to

Sedan, France Sedan () is a commune in the Ardennes department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. It is also the chef-lieu (administrative centre) of the arrondissement of the same name. Location The town is situated about 200 km from Paris, ...

and afterwards to

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, returning to France on the publication of the edict of pacification. Soon afterwards he accompanied the duc de Montmorency on his embassy to England, returning shortly before the massacre of St Bartholomew, in which he narrowly escaped with his life. Next year he followed the example of the future

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

by abjuring the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

faith.

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, shortly after his accession to the throne, recognized Pithou's talents and services by giving him various legal appointments. He co-operated in publishing the '' Satire Ménippée'' (1593), which did much to damage the cause of the Catholic League; the harangue of the ''Sieur d'Aubray'' is usually attributed to Pithou. Pithou wrote many legal and historical books, besides preparing editions of several ancient writers. His earliest publication was ''Adversariorum subsectorum lib. II.'' (1565). In 1569, he became the first to publish

Landolfus Sagax Landolfus Sagax or Landolfo Sagace (''sagax'' meaning "expert" or "scholar") was a Langobard historian who wrote a ''Historia Romana'' in the Beneventan Duchy (last quarter of the tenth century or beginning of the eleventh). When his ''Historia'' ...

' ''Historia Romana'', and under the name by which it became better known: ''Historia Miscella''. Perhaps his edition of the ''Leges Visigothorum'' (1579) was his most valuable contribution to historical science; in the same line he edited the ''Capitula'' of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...

, and

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ...

in 1588; he assisted his brother François in preparing the ''Corpus juris canonici'' (1687). Pierre's ''Libertés de l'église gallicane'' (1594) is reprinted in his ''Opera sacra juridica his orica miscellanea collecta'' (1609). In classical literature he was the first who made the world acquainted with the ''Fables of Phaedrus'' (1596). He died at Nogent-sur-Seine. His valuable library, specially rich in manuscripts, was for the most part transferred to what is now the

Bibliothèque Nationale A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

in Paris.

Family

Three of Pierre Pithou's brothers acquired distinction as jurists: Nicolas, with his twin, Jean co-authored the treatise, ''Institution du mariage chrétien''. François Pithou, the youngest, wrote ''Glossarium ad libros capitularium'' (1588) and ''Traité de l'excommunication et de l'interdit, etc.'' (1587).

Works

* ''Charlemagne empereur d'Occident''. *''Généalogie des comtes héréditaires de Troyes et de Meaulx, ou de Champaigne et Brie, qui furent aussi Roys de Navarre''. *''Bref recueil des évêques de Troyes. (Signé : P. Pithoeus... 572)''. * *''Satire Ménippée'', 1593. ** ''Satyre Ménippée : de la vertu du Catholicon d'Espagne et de la tenue des estats de Paris'', Éd. Charles Labitte, Œuvres & Valsery, Ressouvenances, 1841 ; 1997 . ** ''Satyre Menippee de la Vertu du Catholicon d'Espagne et de la tenue des Estats de Paris'', éd. critique de Martial Martin, Paris, H. Champion, 2007, « Textes de la Renaissance », n° 117, .

References

;Attribution

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pithou, Pierre 1539 births 1596 deaths Writers from Troyes 16th-century French lawyers 16th-century French historians French legal writers French male non-fiction writers Converts to Roman Catholicism 16th-century male writers