The Gardener of Henry IV
King Henry III was forced to flee Paris in 1588, and the gardens fell into disrepair. His successor, Henry IV (1589–1610), and his gardener, Claude Mollet, restored the gardens, and built a covered promenade the length of the garden, and a parallel alley planted with mulberry trees, where he hoped to cultivate silkworms and start a silk industry in France. He also built a rectangular basin 65 metres by 45 metres with a fountain supplied with water by the new pump called La Samaritaine, which had been built in 1608 on the Pont Neuf. The area between the palace and the former moat of Charles V was turned the "New Garden," with a large fountain in the center. Though Henry IV never lived in the Tuilieries Palace, which was continually under reconstruction, he did use the gardens for relaxation and exercise.
Read more about this topic: Tuileries Garden
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