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Jean Rou (1638-1711), was a Huguenot scholar, educator and
civil servant. Despite having an established career as a lawyer at
the Parlement de Paris, he chose instead to dedicate himself to
scholarly publications. After being accused of offending the
Catholic Church in his Tables de l'histoire universelle moderne
(1675) and consequently imprisoned in the Bastille, Rou had to
leave France. Initially, he went to England, where he was
employed as a tutor. After a short return to his motherland,
where he taught local nobles, he was invited to The Hague, in the
United Provinces, to teach the sons of Cornelis van Aerssen van
Sommelsdijk, the future governor of Suriname. Finally, in 1689,
Jean Rou was appointed as translator of the States-General of the
United Provinces, highest position open to a foreigner in this
country.
Based on his memoirs and extensive archival sources, this
book offers a biographical study on Jean Rou. It focuses on the
means by which he established and managed his career in France
and abroad. Particular attention is given to Rou's use of networks,
friendship and patronage to achieve his goals. The second
focus of this study is a comparative examination of Jean Rou's
educational ideas and practices, and his position as a man of letters.
While Jean Rou was at the centre of this research, this book
also offers fascinating insight into the intellectual and social practices
of the Huguenots during Rou's lifetime. This information is
presented from two angles that have been rarely discussed before
in one context.
