Claude Fauchet (historian)
Encyclopedia
Claude Fauchet was a French
historian
and antiquary.
He was born at Paris
; of his early life few particulars are known. He applied himself to the study of the early French chroniclers, and proposed to publish extracts which would throw light on the first periods of the monarchy. During the Wars of Religion
, when he was forced to flee Paris with Henri III
in 1589 and could not return until 18 April 1594, he lost a large part of his books and manuscripts to the soldiers of the duc de Mayenne. His losses he accounted to be about two thousand books and manuscripts, possibly an exaggeration (Holmes and Radoff 1929). He then settled at Marseilles.
Attaching himself afterwards to François de Tournon
, he accompanied him in 1554 to Italy
, whence he was several times sent on embassies to the king, with reports on the siege of Siena
. His services at length procured him the post of president of the Chambre des Monnaies
(29 March 1569, and thus enabled him to resume his literary studies.
Having become embarrassed with debt, he found it necessary in 1599, at the age of seventy, to sell his office; but Henri IV
, amused with an epigram
, eventually pensioned him, with the title of historiographer of France.
Fauchet has the reputation of an impartial and scrupulously accurate writer; and in his works are to be found important facts not easily accessible elsewhere. He was, however, entirely uncritical, and his style is singularly inelegant. His principal works (1579, 1599), taken together, form a history of antiquities of Gaul
and of Merovingian and Carolingian
France, and reviews of the dignities and magistrates of France, of the origin of the French language
and poetry
, of the liberties of the Gallican church. A collected edition in a single massive volume was published in 1610. Fauchet took part in a translation of the Annals of Tacitus
(1582).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and antiquary.
He was born at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; of his early life few particulars are known. He applied himself to the study of the early French chroniclers, and proposed to publish extracts which would throw light on the first periods of the monarchy. During the Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
, when he was forced to flee Paris with Henri III
Henry III of France
Henry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...
in 1589 and could not return until 18 April 1594, he lost a large part of his books and manuscripts to the soldiers of the duc de Mayenne. His losses he accounted to be about two thousand books and manuscripts, possibly an exaggeration (Holmes and Radoff 1929). He then settled at Marseilles.
Attaching himself afterwards to François de Tournon
François de Tournon
François de Tournon was a French Augustinian diplomat and Cardinal. From 1536 he was also a military leader of French forces operating in Provence, Savoy and Piedmont. In the same year he founded the Collège de Tournon. For a period he was effectively France's foreign minister.-External links:*...
, he accompanied him in 1554 to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, whence he was several times sent on embassies to the king, with reports on the siege of Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
. His services at length procured him the post of president of the Chambre des Monnaies
Cour des monnaies
The Cour des monnaies was one of the sovereign courts of Ancien Régime France. It was set up in 1552. It and the other Ancien Régime tribunals were suppressed in 1791 after the French Revolution.- Origins :...
(29 March 1569, and thus enabled him to resume his literary studies.
Having become embarrassed with debt, he found it necessary in 1599, at the age of seventy, to sell his office; but Henri IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
, amused with an epigram
Epigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, usually memorable and sometimes surprising statement. Derived from the epigramma "inscription" from ἐπιγράφειν epigraphein "to write on inscribe", this literary device has been employed for over two millennia....
, eventually pensioned him, with the title of historiographer of France.
Fauchet has the reputation of an impartial and scrupulously accurate writer; and in his works are to be found important facts not easily accessible elsewhere. He was, however, entirely uncritical, and his style is singularly inelegant. His principal works (1579, 1599), taken together, form a history of antiquities of Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
and of Merovingian and Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
France, and reviews of the dignities and magistrates of France, of the origin of the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and poetry
French poetry
French poetry is a category of French literature. It may include Francophone poetry composed outside France and poetry written in other languages of France.-French prosody and poetics:...
, of the liberties of the Gallican church. A collected edition in a single massive volume was published in 1610. Fauchet took part in a translation of the Annals of Tacitus
Annals (Tacitus)
The Annals by Tacitus is a history of the reigns of the four Roman Emperors succeeding Caesar Augustus. The surviving parts of the Annals extensively cover most of the reigns of Tiberius and Nero. The title Annals was probably not given by Tacitus, but derives from the fact that he treated this...
(1582).