François Savary de Brèves
Encyclopedia
François Savary de Brèves (1560–1627) was a French ambassador of the 16th and 17th centuries as well as an Orientalist
.
, who became ambassador to the Porte. Lancosme associated himself with the Ligue and refused to recognize Henry IV of France
, leading to his imprisonment by the Ottomans and the nomination of de Brèves as imterim ambassador.
From 1591 to 1605, Brèves was French ambassador to the Ottoman Court
in Constantinople
. He tried to incite the Sultan to wage war against Philip II
and to limit the activities of Barbary pirates on the French coasts of Provence
, but in vain, leading to tense relations between France and the Porte.
Brèves spoke Turkish and Arabic and was famed for his knowledge of Ottoman culture. Through his efforts, Capitulations
were signed between Henry IV of France
and Sultan Ahmed I on 20 May 1604, giving a marked advantage for French trade, against that of the English and the Venetians. In these capitulations, the protection of the French king over Jerusalem and the Holy Land
is also recognized. These contact stemmed from the Franco-Ottoman alliance
developed between France
and the Ottoman Empire
under Francis I of France
.
In 1607, Brèves became ambassador to Rome
. He married Anne de Thou, a relative of historian Jacques Auguste de Thou
in 1607.
Brèves was then sent to Tunisia
in 1608 by Henry IV of France
.
In 1609, he became French Consul at Alexandria
in Egypt
.
After that, from 1615, he became governor to the King's brother, the Duke of Anjou
, until he fell out of favour in 1618.
. He also brought to France a large collection of Oriental manuscripts. These excellent types, followed those of Guillaume Le Bé
at the end of the 16th century.
While in Rome he set up a publishing house, the Typographia Savariana, through which he printed a Latin-Arab bilingual edition of a catechism of Cardinal Bellarmino
in 1613, as well as in 1614 an Arabic version of the Book of Psalms. For the editorial work and the translations, Brèves used the services of two Lebanese Maronite priests, former students of the Maronite College, Gabriel Sionita
(Jibrā'īl aṣ-Ṣahyūnī) and Victor Scialac
(Naṣrallāh Shalaq al-'Āqūrī).
In Paris, accompanied by an additional Maronite priest Johannes Hesronita (Yūḥannā al-Ḥaṣrūnī), he published the first part of a Grammatica Arabica maronitarum.
Breves also attempted to establish an Oriental college in Paris, but failed for lack of funds. He succeeded however in obtaining Royal pensions for Sionita and Scialac, as interpreters and professors of Arabic and Syriac at the Collège Royal.
Brèves' Arabic types would continue to be used by other printers of Arabic text in Paris, such as Antoine Vitré
, the King's printer for Oriental languages (Linguarum Orientalium Regis Typographus), long after this death. From 1625, they were used to print the Paris Polyglot Bible printed by Antoine Vitré and edited by Guy Michel Le Jay in 1645, which embraces the first printed texts of the Syriac
Old Testament
edited by Gabriel Sionita, the Book of Ruth
by Abraham Ecchellensis
, also a Maronite, the Samaritan Pentateuch
and a version by Jean Morin (Morinus).
After the death of François Savary de Brèves in 1627, the types were acquired by Richelieu for the kingdom of France in order to encourage the propagation of Catholicism
in the Levant, and prevent such a tool to fall into Huguenot
hands.
Brèves was also an inspiration for Thomas van Erpe
.
Brèves' types were transferred to the Imprimerie Royale in 1656, and printing in Arabic was discontinued in France for the rest of the 17th century and most of the 18th century. Brèves' types were rescued from oblivion when they were reused by Joseph de Guignes
in 1787.
Orientalism
Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
.
Diplomacy
In 1585, François Savary de Brèves accompanied to Istanbul his relative Jacques Savary de LancosmeJacques Savary de Lancosme
Jacques Savary de Lancosme was French ambassador to the Ottoman Porte from 1585 to 1589. He was a native of Poitou. He succeeded Jacques de Germiny...
, who became ambassador to the Porte. Lancosme associated himself with the Ligue and refused to recognize Henry IV of France
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....
, leading to his imprisonment by the Ottomans and the nomination of de Brèves as imterim ambassador.
From 1591 to 1605, Brèves was French ambassador to the Ottoman Court
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. He tried to incite the Sultan to wage war against Philip II
Philip II
-People:* Philip II of Macedon * Philip II Philoromaeus * Philip II of France * Philip II of Navarre * Philip II of Taranto * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy * Philip II, Duke of Savoy...
and to limit the activities of Barbary pirates on the French coasts of Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, but in vain, leading to tense relations between France and the Porte.
Brèves spoke Turkish and Arabic and was famed for his knowledge of Ottoman culture. Through his efforts, Capitulations
Capitulation (treaty)
A capitulation , or ahidnâme, is a treaty or unilateral contract by which a sovereign state relinquishes jurisdiction within its borders over the subjects of a foreign state...
were signed between Henry IV of France
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....
and Sultan Ahmed I on 20 May 1604, giving a marked advantage for French trade, against that of the English and the Venetians. In these capitulations, the protection of the French king over Jerusalem and the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
is also recognized. These contact stemmed from the Franco-Ottoman alliance
Franco-Ottoman alliance
The Franco-Ottoman alliance, also Franco-Turkish alliance, was an alliance established in 1536 between the king of France Francis I and the Turkish ruler of the Ottoman Empire Suleiman the Magnificent. The alliance has been called "the first non-ideological diplomatic alliance of its kind between a...
developed between France
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...
and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
under Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
.
In 1607, Brèves became ambassador to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He married Anne de Thou, a relative of historian Jacques Auguste de Thou
Jacques Auguste de Thou
Jacques Auguste de Thou was a French historian, book collector and president of the Parlement de Paris.-Life:...
in 1607.
Brèves was then sent to Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
in 1608 by Henry IV of France
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....
.
In 1609, he became French Consul at Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
After that, from 1615, he became governor to the King's brother, the Duke of Anjou
Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston of France, , also known as Gaston d'Orléans, was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his wife Marie de Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a Fils de France. He later acquired the title Duke of Orléans, by which he was generally known during his adulthood...
, until he fell out of favour in 1618.
Oriental studies
Brèves was interested in establishing an Arabic printing press under his own account in order to introduce Oriental studies in France. He had Arabic, Turk, Persian and Syriac types cast while in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. He also brought to France a large collection of Oriental manuscripts. These excellent types, followed those of Guillaume Le Bé
Guillaume Le Bé
Guillaume Le Bé was a French punch cutter and engraver who specialised in Hebrew typefaces.He was born in Troyes to a notable family of paper merchants and apprenticed to Robert Estienne in Paris. After completing his apprenticeship, he was active in Venice from c...
at the end of the 16th century.
While in Rome he set up a publishing house, the Typographia Savariana, through which he printed a Latin-Arab bilingual edition of a catechism of Cardinal Bellarmino
Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine was an Italian Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation...
in 1613, as well as in 1614 an Arabic version of the Book of Psalms. For the editorial work and the translations, Brèves used the services of two Lebanese Maronite priests, former students of the Maronite College, Gabriel Sionita
Gabriel Sionita
Gabriel Sionita was a learned Maronite, famous for his role in the publication of the 1645 Parisian polyglot of the Bible.-Life:...
(Jibrā'īl aṣ-Ṣahyūnī) and Victor Scialac
Victor Scialac
Victor Scialac was a Maronite priest who collaborated with French Orientalist François Savary de Brèves in the 17th century....
(Naṣrallāh Shalaq al-'Āqūrī).
In Paris, accompanied by an additional Maronite priest Johannes Hesronita (Yūḥannā al-Ḥaṣrūnī), he published the first part of a Grammatica Arabica maronitarum.
Breves also attempted to establish an Oriental college in Paris, but failed for lack of funds. He succeeded however in obtaining Royal pensions for Sionita and Scialac, as interpreters and professors of Arabic and Syriac at the Collège Royal.
Brèves' Arabic types would continue to be used by other printers of Arabic text in Paris, such as Antoine Vitré
Antoine Vitré
Antoine Vitré was a French printer of the 17th century. He was the King's printer for Oriental languages ....
, the King's printer for Oriental languages (Linguarum Orientalium Regis Typographus), long after this death. From 1625, they were used to print the Paris Polyglot Bible printed by Antoine Vitré and edited by Guy Michel Le Jay in 1645, which embraces the first printed texts of the Syriac
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
edited by Gabriel Sionita, the Book of Ruth
Book of Ruth
The Book of Ruth is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament. In the Jewish canon the Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings . In the Christian canon the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel...
by Abraham Ecchellensis
Abraham Ecchellensis
Ibrahim al-Haqilani was a Maronite Catholic philosopher and linguist involved in the translation of the Bible into Arabic...
, also a Maronite, the Samaritan Pentateuch
Samaritan Pentateuch
The Samaritan Pentateuch, sometimes called Samaritan Torah, , is a version of the Hebrew language Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, used by the Samaritans....
and a version by Jean Morin (Morinus).
After the death of François Savary de Brèves in 1627, the types were acquired by Richelieu for the kingdom of France in order to encourage the propagation of Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
in the Levant, and prevent such a tool to fall into Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
hands.
Brèves was also an inspiration for Thomas van Erpe
Thomas van Erpe
Thomas van Erpe [known as Thomas Erpenius] , Dutch Orientalist, was born at Gorinchem, in Holland....
.
Brèves' types were transferred to the Imprimerie Royale in 1656, and printing in Arabic was discontinued in France for the rest of the 17th century and most of the 18th century. Brèves' types were rescued from oblivion when they were reused by Joseph de Guignes
Joseph de Guignes
Joseph de Guignes , French orientalist and sinologist, was born at Pontoise, the son of Jean Louis de Guignes and Françoise Vaillant. He died in Paris....
in 1787.
Works
- Relation des voyages tant en Grèce, Turquie et Aegypte..., Paris, 1628
- Discours sur l’alliance qu’a le roi avec le Grand Seigneur