
Woman nursing an infant, fa&iuml;ence d&rsquo;Avon, 17th c. Mus&eacute;e de la Renaissance d&rsquo;&Eacute;couen &copy; RMN / G&eacute;rard Blot
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There were several stages in the progression from fifteen million inhabitants at the end of the 15th century to eighteen million by 1610, the year of Henri IV&amp;#8217;s death. There was strong growth in the first half of the 16th century, no doubt due to the fact that people were better fed and had better resistance to diseases. By 1560, the population had more or less reached the level attained in 1347. Growth then slowed, and even stagnated, in the second half of the century, when the violence and chaos that characterised the Wars of Religion brought with them crises of subsistence and increased vulnerability to illness. The return of peace to the kingdom brought about a renewed upswing.