Estienne Du Tronchet

Estienne Du Tronchet (1510/15–1578/84) was a letter-writer and translator in Renaissance France.

Life[]

Du Tronchet was born in Montbrison (Forez) between 1510 and 1515. Orphaned as a child, he was raised by an uncle, Jean Thevenon, who was a merchant in Roanne.^[1] Probably while still in his teens he was taken into service by , Governor of Lyon, as a secretary, and was employed on both diplomatic and military business.^[1] After his employer's death in 1549, he entered the service of his son, Jacques d'Albon de Saint-André, accompanying him to England and on campaign until his capture at the Battle of St. Quentin on 10 August 1557.^[1] At some point he briefly worked for Queen Mother Catherine de' Medici.

Returning to Forez after the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559), he began to live beyond his means. Discovered embezzling public funds, he went into debt to repay what he had illegally "borrowed".^[1] He narrowly escaped death at the hands of Huguenots during the in July 1562.^[1] His protector, Jacques d'Albon, died in the Battle of Dreux on 19 December 1562.^[1] Around 1565, Du Tronchet was imprisoned for debt. In 1569 he published a collection of letters and missives that was reprinted several times to the middle of the following century.^[2]

In need of new employment, he entered the service of the diplomat , accompanying him to the Low Countries and then to Rome. He died in Rome, at some time between 1578 and 1584.^[1]

Works[]

• Lettres missives et familieres (Paris, Lucas Breyer, 1569).^[3]
• Finances et thresor de la plume françoise (Paris, Nicolas du Chemin, 1572).^[4]
• Lettres amoureuses (Paris, Lucas Breyer, 1572).^[5]
• Discours académiques florentins (Paris, Lucas Breyer, 1576)
• Distiques de Caton pour les bonnes moeurs (Paris, Léon Cavellat, 1584)

Studies[]

• Mary Saint Francis Sullivan, Étienne Du Tronchet: auteur forézien du XVIe siècle. Étude biographique et littéraire (Catholic University of America, 1931)

References[]