Louis-Henri d'Aquin | |
---|---|
Born | 1602 Avignon, Papal States |
Died | December 1673 70–71) Paris (France) | (aged
Nationality | French |
Alma mater | Faculté de médecine de Montpellier (fr) |
Occupation(s) | Hebraist, gemstones broker, physician of Marie de' Medici and of Anne of Austria, then ordinary physician of Louis XIV |
Father | Philippe d'Aquin |
Relatives | Father of Antoine d'Aquin |
Louis-Henri d'Aquin (Ludovicus Henricus Aquinas) was born in 1602 in Avignon and died in December 1673 in Paris. He was the physician of Queen mothers of Louis XIII, Marie de' Medici, and of Louis XIV, Anne of Austria, then ordinary physician of Louis XIV from 1644. [1] [2] [3] He was hebraist and gemstones broker. [4]
His father was Philippe d'Aquin, French physician, hebraist, philologist and orientalist, born Jewish, but who converted to Catholic Christianity. In 1610 he went to Paris, and was appointed by Louis XIII professor of the Hebrew and Aramaic language at the Royal College. Philippe also worked as a doctor with Marie de' Medici and Concino Concini.
Louis-Henri studied medicine in Montpellier and, in 1624, he married Claire Lopez (or Loppez), [1] daughter of Alfonso Henri Lopez, secretary to the pretender to the throne of Portugal, Don Antonio, then financial agent and adviser to Cardinal Richelieu, and of Beatrix Franco. [5]
He was appointed on 7 January 1631 as the Queen Mother Marie de' Medici's physician, then in November 1640 first physician and obtained a patent of arms from d'Hozier on 15 August 1645. [4]
In 1650, he was among the four spagyric physicians or alchemists: Pierre Yvelin, Tobie Bloire, Louis-Henri d'Aquin and Antoine Vallot (fr). The latter was the King's first physician from 1652 to 1671.
On 12 March 1653, Louis-Henri was appointed as the King's ordinary physician and was finally ennobled by letters patent given to Saint-Germain in November 1669. [4]
“It is also said that he was involved in forensic astrology and that, having been called to give his care to the papal nuncio in Paris, he predicted not only his recovery but also his future elevation to the chair of Saint Peter." This nuncio was later Pope Alexander VII. "The pope always held the doctor in high esteem, honouring him several times with his letters and giving him a pendulum" which his grandson had kept. [6]
He had as children :