much for 16th century jurisprudence, having a critical knowledge of Roman sources, and a fine Latin style. He broached the idea of a national code of French law. His works were very numerous, beginning with his De gradibus cognationis (1546), and including a treatise on the Eucharist (1566); a treatise (Anti-Tribonian, 1567) to show that French law could not be based on Justinian; a life of Coligny (1575); a polemic (Brutum fulmen, 1585) directed against a bull of Sixtus V, with many other works on law, history, politics, and classical learning. His most important work, the Franco-Gallia (1573), found favour neither with Catholics nor with Huguenots in its day (except when it suited their purposes); yet its vogue has been compared to that obtained later by Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Contrat Social. It presented an Ideal of Protestant statesmanship, pleading for a representative government and an elective monarchy. It served the purpose of the Jesuits in their pamphlet war against Henry IV of France. Family life He had seven children by his wife: Jean Hotman, Marquis de Villers-St-Paul, Count de Hotman d 1634. He married Renée de St-Martin, the former lady-in-waiting to Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich Theages d 1582 Daniel, Prêtre de l'Oratoire d 1634 Marie b 1558 Strausbourg Pierre b 1563, Counsellor to the King Suzanne married first to John Menteith of Scotland, and secondly to Antoine d'Ailleboust, counsellor to Henri II, Prince of Condé. Their son Louis d'Ailleboust de Coulonge, was the governor of New France 1648-1651. Theodora m Jean Burquenon, Secretary of this same Prince of Condé. Bibliography A recent reprint of the 1705 English translation of Franco-Gallia: A modern English translation and the original Latin text of Franco-Gallia: See also Monarchomaques Footnotes References D.R. Kelley, François Hotman. A revolutionary's ordeal, Princeton 1983. Bayle, Dictionnaire R Dareste, Essai sur F. Hotman (1850) E Grégoire, in Nouvelle Biog. générale (1858) External links Genealogy of the Hotman family 1524 births 1590 deaths French alchemists 16th-century French lawyers French Calvinist and Reformed Christians Huguenots Monarchomachs 16th-century French writers 16th-century male writers 16th-century alchemists