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.