The French King Henry IV (1553-1610), the first of the Bourbons, is considered a great connoisseur and was also a very special wine lover (some sources refer to him as a "drunkard"). There are countless stories about him, some of them legendary, in connection with wine. Henry IV was baptised a Roman Catholic, but changed his faith several times. As King Henry of Navarre, he was a Huguenot (Protestant) leader. After protracted battles with the French Catholics, he was up for discussion as French king, but was initially not recognised by the Catholic League. He therefore converted to Catholicism again and received abjuration (readmission) in the Basilica of Saint-Denis on 25 July 1593.
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