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A story often told: A Jewish doctor from Constantinople supposedly prescribed donkey milk to King Francis I. The earliest versions we were able to check date from 19th-century reference works—not from the time of the king.
Historical account: The information provided here reflects the state of knowledge at the time. It is not scientifically proven, is not a recommendation, and cannot be applied today. Donkey milk is a food, not a medicine.
The source in brief
- Author: François Noël (1755–1841) et al.; Pierre Larousse (1817–1875)
- Work: Nouveau dictionnaire des origines (1827); Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle, Vol. 1 (1866)
- Location: Noël, Vol. 2 (1827), p. 9, entry “Lait d’ânesse”; Larousse, Vol. 1, Part 2, entry “Âne”, Section III
- Time and place: Legend dating to the 16th century, documented from 1827 onward · France
- Type of source: Fact-check of a legend
Verbatim
Ce lait n’est en réputation en France que depuis le règne de François Ier ; et voici comment on l’y a connu.
This milk has supposedly only been esteemed in France since the reign of Francis I; and this is how it became known there.
French, Noël 1827, Vol. 2, p. 9
Le médecin juif arriva, et n’ordonna pour tout remède que du lait d’ânesse.
The Jewish doctor arrived and prescribed donkey milk as the only remedy.
French, Noël 1827, Vol. 2, p. 9
If we may credit the legend, the use of this milk was introduced into France during the reign of Francis I.
If we may credit the legend, the use of this milk was introduced into France during the reign of Francis I.
English, Popular Science Monthly 22 (1883), p. 426
German translation: free, sense-for-sense translation by the DON DONKEY'S editorial team.
Background
Francis I ruled France from 1515 to 1547 and maintained an alliance with Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Against this backdrop, later authors tell of the weakened king bringing in a famous Jewish doctor from Constantinople, who supposedly prescribed only donkey milk; after that, it supposedly became fashionable at court.
The story appears in popular 19th-century reference works that collected the “origins” of customs and inventions. Such works frequently adopted anecdotes without citing sources.
What the source reports
Noël's “Nouveau dictionnaire des origines” (1827) tells the episode in detail: The king had been very weak, his doctors at their wits' end; he had instructed his ambassador in Turkey to bring the doctor to Paris “at any cost.” After that, courtiers of both sexes supposedly imitated the same treatment. The entry concludes with a mocking verse stating that we owe more to donkeys than to the faculty.
Larousse's “Grand dictionnaire universel” (Vol. 1, 1866) adopts the story in a condensed form and claims that the use of donkey milk in France “dates back only” to Francis I.
The American “Popular Science Monthly” explicitly presents the account as a legend in January 1883 (“If we may credit the legend … according to the chronicle”).
Fact-check
Claim: King Francis I of France was cured by donkey milk prescribed by a Jewish doctor from Constantinople; only since then has donkey milk been in use in France.
Result: Unproven. The earliest versions we examined date from 1827 (Noël) and 1866 (Larousse), without citing sources; Popular Science Monthly itself calls it a legend in 1883. The claim that its use began only with Francis I is refuted by earlier texts (Buffon 1753, Sévigné 1679/80).
Numbers and facts
- 1515–1547 – Reign of Francis I
- 1827 – earliest version we examined (Noël, Vol. 2, p. 9)
- 1866 – Larousse, Grand dictionnaire universel, Vol. 1
- 1883 – Popular Science Monthly calls it a “legend”
- 0 – contemporary 16th-century sources cited in these works
- 1753 – Buffon: use “since the Greeks”—older than Francis I
Critical assessment
- Tradition: All examined versions are 280 to 340 years younger than the alleged event and cite no source. An earlier origin is possible, but we were unable to prove it.
- Internal contradictions: The claim that donkey milk only became known in France through Francis I contradicts ancient authors and Buffon's statement of an unbroken tradition since the Greeks.
- Nature of the account: The episode follows the pattern of a wandering anecdote: a famous ruler, a distant miracle doctor, a simple remedy, a court fashion. Such accounts say more about the 19th century than the 16th.
- Modern assessment: The alleged recovery of the king is no evidence of any effect of donkey milk. No health effects can be inferred from this.
Our assessment
A lovely story—but just a story. We are happy to pass it on, but as what it is according to current knowledge: an anecdote from 19th-century reference works.
Original quotes, all facts, and the full assessment: Fact-check: King Francis I and donkey milk. Further sources and studies in the Research Archive.
Evidence: Noël, Nouveau dictionnaire des origines, Vol. 2, p. 9 (archive.org); Larousse, Grand dictionnaire universel, Vol. 1 (Wikisource); Popular Science Monthly, Jan. 1883, p. 426 (Wikisource) · Summarized by the DON DONKEY'S editorial team, as of November 2026.
End of source summary. The source does not refer to DON DONKEY'S® or our products. Our donkey milk is a food.
