The Gallic Hercules
Henri IV, in a propaganda print published in the 1590s. Above the pillars
are the arms of France (left) and Navarre (right). Beside these are a scene
of Henri's coronation (left) and one of his victorious battles (right).
Henri de Navarre was a master of the media -- ready with a bon mot,
a moving manifesto, the right mix of authority, humor, and earthiness.
The sixteenth century was an age of media explosion, with political pamphlets,
tracts, broadsides, books advocating all sorts of ideas, bringing news
from far away, and explaining how to do everything.
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