Who was Jean Nicot de Villemain?

Jean Nicot de Villemain (1530 –1604) was a French diplomat and scholar.He is famous for being the first to bring tobacco to France, including snuff tobacco. Nicotine is named after the tobacco plant Nicotiana tabacum, which in turn is named after Jean Nicot de Villemain, who sent tobacco and seeds to Paris in 1560, presented it to the French King, and who promoted their medicinal use. Smoking was believed to protect against illness, particularly the plague.

He served as the French ambassador in Lisbon, Portugal from 1547 to 1559 under Henry II, under king Francis II from 1559 to 1560, and from 1560 to 1574 under Charles IX. As a 29-year-old in 1559, he was sent from France to Portugal to negotiate the marriage of six-year-old princess Margaret of Valois to five-year-old King Sebastian of Portugal.

When Nicot returned, he brought tobacco plants. He introduced snuff tobacco to the French royal court.The plant was also an instant success with the Father Superior of Malta, who shared tobacco with all of his monks. More and more of the fashionable people of Paris began to use the plant, making Nicot a celebrity.