Early Life
The conversations he heard in his father's house inspired Tavernier with an early desire to travel, and in his sixteenth year he had already visited England, the Low Countries and Germany, and seen something of war with Hans Brenner, a colonel of cavalry in the Imperial service during the Thirty Years' War, whom he met at Nuremberg. Four and a half years in the household of Brenner's uncle, the viceroy of Hungary (1624–29), and a briefer connection in 1629 with the Duke of Rethel and his father the duke of Nevers, prince of Mantua, gave him the habit of courts, which was invaluable to him in later years; and at the defense of Mantua in 1629, and in Germany in the following year with Colonel Walter Butler (afterwards notorious by having killed Wallenstein), he gained some military experience.
In the Six Voyages Tavernier states that he departed from Butler's company (1630) with the intention to travel to Ratisbon (Regensburg) to attend Ferdinand III's investiture as King of Romans. However, as the actual investiture did not take place until 1636, it is probable that he actually attended the ceremony between his first and second voyages. By his own account he had seen Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Poland and Hungary, as well as France, England and the Low Countries, and spoke the principal languages of these countries. He was now eager to visit the East; and at Ratisbon he, with the help of Pere Joseph, Cardinal Richelieu's agent and Eminence grise he was able to join the retinue of a pair of French travelers, M. de Chapes and M. de St Liebau, who had received a mission to the Levant. In their company he reached Constantinople early in 1631, where he spent eleven months, and then proceeded by Tokat, Erzerum and Erivan to Persia. His farthest point in this first journey was Isfahan; he returned by Baghdad, Aleppo, Alexandretta, Malta and Italy, and was again in Paris in 1633.
Of the next five years of his life nothing is known with certainty, but Joret, his French biographer claims that during this period that he may have become controller of the household of Gaston, duke of Orléans. We do know that twice during his Six Voyages he claimed the Duke's patronage.
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