1336. Royal Cousin: The Life of Henri IV of France, by Irene Mahoney (2 June 1975) Henry IV was born in Dec 1553 to Jeanne d'Albert and Antoine de Bourbon. This book gives vividly his whole tumultuous life and one gets caught up in it. It is not a perfect biography, since it lacks objectivity and does not stick too close to chronology. But I found I was not bored by too much familiarity with the period--I guess I'd forgotten enough. The morals of Henry IV I found revolting and one cannot admire such license as he displayed all his life long. Francois de Racallac stabbed him to death on May 14, 1610. His son, Louis XIII, was 9. By no means a perfect biography, this book was very readable and interesting. ( )