Le règne d’Henri IV est incontestablement l’un des plus importants de l’histoire de France, et les ouvrages qui ont été consacrés à ce monarque sont innombrables. De plus, la musique a également retenu un grand intérêt parmi les chercheurs, et des études précédentes ont apporté des éléments édifiants concernant plusieurs aspects de la vie musicale durant ce règne, notamment sur les compositeurs en contact avec sa cour (comme Pierre Guédron et Eustache Du Caurroy) et sur les genres les plus populaires à cette époque (les chansons, les airs de cours, et les ballets). Or, une étude historique de la musique à la cour d’Henri IV, comparable à celles qui ont été faites par Christelle Cazaux et Isabelle Handy pour les autres cours françaises du XVIe siècle, restait à faire. L’objet de cette thèse est donc de préciser la place de la musique lors de la célébration des événements politiques et l’identité des musiciens qui travaillaient à la cour d’Henri IV. Elle est présentée en trois parties principales. La première partie est consacrée à l’étude des aspects qui ont contribué au développement de la musique pendant ce règne, dont la place de cet art dans la formation aristocratique et les goûts musicaux personnels de la famille royale. La deuxième partie se concentre sur le fonctionnement des différents corps musicaux de la cour (la Chapelle, la Chambre et l’Écurie). Enfin, une dernière partie évalue le rôle tenu par la musique dans les événements de cour sous Henri IV, comme les mariages, les obsèques et les entrées royales, et elle intègre également un examen de la place de la musique dans les fêtes politiques et dans les entrées des grands personnages en France à cette époque. / The reign of Henry IV is undoubtedly one of the most important in the history of France, and countless works have been devoted to the study of this monarch. In addition, music from this period has also attracted the interest of scholars, and previous studies have shed light on several aspects of musical life during this reign, notably on the composers connected to Henry’s court (like Pierre Guédron and Eustache Du Caurroy) as well as on the most popular genres from this time (chansons, airs de cour and ballets). Nevertheless, a historical study of music at Henry IV’s court, comparable to those already completed by Christelle Cazaux and Isabelle Handy on the courts of other French monarchs during the sixteenth century, remained to be undertaken.The aim of this doctorate is thus to clarify both the place of music during the celebration of political events and the identity of musicians who worked at Henry IV’s court. It is divided into three main sections. The first focuses on aspects which contributed to the development of music during this reign, including the place of music within noble training and the personal musical inclinations of the royal family. The second concentrates on the function of the different musical groups at court (the Chapel, the Chamber and the Stables). Finally, the last section examines the role of music in court events under Henry IV, such as marriages, funeral ceremonies and royal entries, and this section also encompasses a discussion of music’s place in political events and in the entries of important dignitaries in France at this time.

This is a study on crowns, wreaths and diadems as role symbols in Peter Paul Rubens’s 24 paintings for Marie de’Medici in Paris, 1622 – 1625. In these paintings, historic facts are shown with the addition of mythological gods and their symbols giving allegorical scenes, where sometimes also Christian symbols or subjects can be traced. A reader of these painted motifs therefore can choose to see the symbols as regal, Christian or mythological. The crown and the wreaths rarely present a challenge in modern interpretations, but the magnificent diadem does. Rubens chooses this diadem for higher goddesses, and for the queen a couple of times too. For some reason, this symbol is mostly misread in analyses. At this point in history, the crowns and the wreaths have been collected from divine spheres and turned into physical objects on earth used by the high and mighty. The large diadem has not; it is still only a symbol on a goddess. If and when put on a human in a portrait, the symbol gives the lady the abilities and characters of a goddess. Rubens uses his own design when turning this symbol into a physical picture;it is a high, pointed diadem with pearls and coloured gems set in gold. He has used it on goddesses both before and after the Medici commission. Today, we have seen numerous spectacular headpieces like this from late 18th century an onwards, wherefore it is an easy mistake to believe that Rubens copied what he saw instead of, as he actually did, foreboding a coming fashion. In addition to confirming this, I also suggest that it is the highest goddess Juno queen Marie is personifying. Juno is mostly known today as a goddess for women and childbirth. But she had far more masculine tasks in earlier days: she was seen as the saviour of the country and a special counsellor of the state. These two important roles are exactly what Marie de’ Medici took on when acting as regent for her young son, Louis XIII,after the murder of her husband, the late Henry IV. By putting Juno’s diadem on Marie’s head, when sitting on a throne, the divine abilities are manifested according to how a historic period could be transferred to the allegorical language in a painting at the time.