François Auguste de Thou

Who was François Auguste de Thou?

François-Auguste de Thou was a French magistrate.

He was born in Paris, the eldest son of Jacques-Auguste de Thou. He was a councillor to the parliament of Paris in 1626 and a conseiller d'État shortly afterwards. He was unwise enough to link himself to cardinal Richelieu's enemies. His guilty deed between Anne of Austria and Marie de Rohan was pardonned, but he fell in the conspiracy between Spain and Cinq-Mars, king Louis XIII's favourite. For not revealing what he knew of the conspiracy, his silence was taken as proof of guilt and he was beheaded at Lyon on the same day as Cinq-Mars on Richelieu's orders.

He was a manuscript collector, to his collection belonged Minuscule 601.

A famous 19th Century historical painting by Paul Delaroche shows Cardinal Richelieu in a gorgeous barge, preceding the boat carrying De Thou and Cinq-Mars to their execution.