Celebrated for having signed the Edict of Nantes, which put an end to the bloody wars of religion between Catholics and Protestants, King Henry IV also remained in History because of his spectacular assassination, killed in the street by the fanatic Ravaillac.
In the 19th century, his mummified head was rediscoveredafter being separated from her body which rested in the Basilica of Saint-Denis during the French Revolution. In 2010, its attribution to King Henry IV was said to be authenticated by a team of researchers led by the forensic doctor Philippe Charlier, also at the origin of this scientific project.
For several years, researchers, associated with scientists, used experimental techniques in the field of phonetics to reconstruct his voice.
The first step consisted of scanning the mummified skull in order to model it in 3D. As the skull was distorted, the model was digitally straightened to highlight the anatomical structures necessary for the project. The researchers then reconstituted the vocal tract, from the lips to the larynx, via the vocal cords. It is from this conduit that they were able to estimate, by resonance, the tone of the king’s voice.
