A 16th-century French war hero who gained fame for his daring escapes from the French court during the reign of King Henry IV has been exhumed as part of the renovation of a muniment room at Les Invalides fort in Paris. BARTHOLOW BOUESSEAU, a member of the royal guards, was known for his outspoken personality and erratic behavior. Consequently, in 1609, King Henry IV tricked Bouesseau into marrying his mistress, Alexandre de Bussy, by informing him that she was about to give birth to his child. While the marriage was a union of convenience serving the Monarch’s political agenda, both parties reportedly lived amicably thereafter, even after revealing she was not pregnant. Souillac Mayor Pierre Thévenon, whose team exhumed Bouesseau’s remains, believes that this could have been an outright hoax orchestrated by the King.

Bouesseau’s story, documented in historical journals and memoirs, including those by popular French figure Agnes de Belleforière, and as depicted in a 2002 film featuring Gerard Depardieu, provides an intriguing glimpse into early 17th-century French court life. Thévenon explains that the motive behind digging up his remains was purely “out of curiosity.” The remains will now undergo forensic analysis and will presumably be reburied in the same area after the completion of the renovation project.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/why-is-actor-gerard-depardieu-on-trial-8211-and-what-does-it-mean-for-metoo-in-france-13331747