Henry Duke of, peer of France, and prince of Leon, was born at the Chateau de Blein, in Brittany, in 1579. Henry IV., under whose eye he gave distinguished proofs of his bravery at the siege of Amiens, when only sixteen years of age, loved him with as much affection as if he had been his own son. After the death of Henry, he became chief of the Calvinists in France; and was equally formidable for his genius as his sword. In defence of the civil and religious rights of his party, he maintained three wars against Louis XIII. The first, which terminated to the advantage of the Protestants, broke out when that prince wished to establish the Roman religion in Poitou; the second, because of the siege which Cardinal de Richelieu ordered to be laid to Rochelle; and the third, when that place was besieged a second time. The consequences of this war are sufficiently known: Rochelle surrendered, and the duke de Rohan, perceiving, that after the taking of this place, the majority of his party were endeavouring to make up matters with the court, succeeded in procuring for them a general peace in 1629, upon very honourable and advantageous terms. There is a very particular anecdote of him, extracted from the Memoirs of the Duchess of Rohan, Margaret of Bethune, daughter of the famous Sully. While the duke de Rohan was at Venice, a proposal was made to him from the Porte, that for 200,000 crowns, and an annual tribute of 20,000, the grand signor would give him the island of Cyprus, and fully invest him with the dignity and prerogatives of king. The duke was warmly inclined to comply with this proposal, and to settle in the island the Protestant families of France and Germany. He negotiated this business at the Porte by means of the intervention of the patriarch Cyril, with whom he had much correspondence; but different circumstances, and in particular the death of the patriarch, contributed to break off the treaty. The republic of Venice chose Rohan for their commander in chief against the Imperialists; but Louis XIII. took him from the Venetians, and sent him ambassador into Switzerland, and into the Grisons. He wished to assist these people in bringing back La Valteline under their obedience, the revolt of which the Spaniards and Imperialists encouraged. Rohan, being declared general of the Grisons, after many victories drove the German and Spanish troops entirely from La Valteline in 1633. He again defeated the Spaniards in 1636, at the banks of the lake of Come. France, not thinking it proper to withdraw her troops, the Grisons rose up in arms, and the duke de Rohan, not satisfied with the conduct of the court, entered into a special treaty with them on the 28th of March 1637. This hero, fearing the resentment of Cardinal de Richelieu, retired to Geneva, with a view to join his friend the duke of Saxo-Weimar, who wished him to undertake the command of his army, then ready to engage the Imperialists near Rhinfeldt. Although he declined this honour, yet he took the command of the regiment of Nassau, with which he threw the enemy into confusion; but was himself wounded, 28th February 1638, and died of his wounds the 18th of April following, at the age of fifty-nine. He wrote several interesting performances: 1. The Interests of Princes, printed at Cologne in 1666, in 12mo; in which work he fully examines the public interests of all the princes of Europe. 2. The Perfect General, or an Abridgement of the Wars from Caesar's Commentaries, in 12mo. Here he makes it appear, that a knowledge of the tactics of the ancients might be of much use to the moderns. 3. A Treatise on the Corruption of the Ancient Militia. 4. A Treatise on the Government of the thirteen Provinces. 5. Memoirs; the best edition of which is in two vols. 12mo. They contain the history of France from 1610 to 1629. 6. A Collection of some Political Discourses on State Affairs, from 1612 to 1629, 8vo, Paris, 1644, 1693, 1755; with the Memoirs and Letters of Henry Duke de Rohan relative to the War of La Valteline, three vols. 12mo, Geneva, 1757. This was the first edition which appeared of these curious memoirs: we owe it to the great attention and diligence of Baron de Zurlauben, who published them from different authentic manuscripts. He likewise ornamented this edition with geographical, historical, and genealogical notes, and a preface, which contains an abridged but highly interesting life of the duke de Rohan, author of the memoirs.