Born on 10 July 1638, Jean Rou was the son of Jacques Rou, a lawyer for the

Parlement

of Paris, and Isabelle (Elisabeth) Toutin, the daughter of a family of painters. Both of his parents were Huguenots and had their son baptized in accordance with their faith eight days after his birth. Their religious beliefs cost the family a high price: Jacques was murdered when Jean was not yet nine by two Catholic family members who combined robbery with religious motives. The murder made a significant impact on Jean’s world-view.

Rou began his studies at the Catholic school of Harcourt at the age of five, already having basic skills in writing. It was a common practice at the time to send Protestant children to Catholic schools at the early stage to ensure a good basic education. Rou continued his

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Citation: Green, Michaël. "Jean Rou". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 July 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13699, accessed 23 November 2024.]

13699 Jean Rou 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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