Philippe-Alexandre Le Brun de Charmettes
Encyclopedia
Philippe-Alexandre Le Brun de Charmettes (1785 1870) was a French historian
, poet, translator and official.
De Charmettes was born in Bordeaux
(France
).
He was appointed to the French Conseil d'État in 1810 and became a préfet
(prefect
) in the French department of Haute-Saône
in 1830.
A contributor to the literary magazine l’Abeille littéraire, created by Victor Hugo
in 1821, he is mainly known for his successful efforts to rescue the figure of Jeanne d'Arc from partial oblivion and turn her into a national heroine.
His interest for Joan came at a time when France was still struggling to define its new identity after the Revolution
and the Napoleonic wars
. The national ethos
was in search of non controversial heroes. A staunch prop to King and country, Joan of Arc was an acceptable symbol to the monarchists. As a patriot and the daughter of commoners, she was seen as one prototype of the low-born volunteers (the soldats de l'an II) who had victoriously fought for revolutionary France in 1802 and as such could be claimed by the Republicans. As a religious martyr, she was also popular in the powerful Catholic community. De Charmette's Orleanide, today largely forgotten, was another attempt to magnify the national ethos as writers like Virgil
(the Aeneid
), or Camoens
(the Lusiad) had done for Rome and Portugal.
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...
, poet, translator and official.
De Charmettes was born in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
(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...
).
He was appointed to the French Conseil d'État in 1810 and became a préfet
Préfet
A prefect in France is the State's representative in a department or region. Sub-prefects are responsible for the subdivisions of departments, arrondissements...
(prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
) in the French department of Haute-Saône
Haute-Saône
Haute-Saône is a French department of the Franche-Comté région, named after the Saône River.- History :The department was created in the early years of the French Revolution through the application of a law dated 22 December 1789, from part of the former province of Franche-Comté...
in 1830.
A contributor to the literary magazine l’Abeille littéraire, created by Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
in 1821, he is mainly known for his successful efforts to rescue the figure of Jeanne d'Arc from partial oblivion and turn her into a national heroine.
His interest for Joan came at a time when France was still struggling to define its new identity after the Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. The national ethos
Ethos
Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the power of music to influence its hearer's emotions, behaviors, and even morals. Early Greek stories of...
was in search of non controversial heroes. A staunch prop to King and country, Joan of Arc was an acceptable symbol to the monarchists. As a patriot and the daughter of commoners, she was seen as one prototype of the low-born volunteers (the soldats de l'an II) who had victoriously fought for revolutionary France in 1802 and as such could be claimed by the Republicans. As a religious martyr, she was also popular in the powerful Catholic community. De Charmette's Orleanide, today largely forgotten, was another attempt to magnify the national ethos as writers like Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
(the Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
), or Camoens
Luís de Camões
Luís Vaz de Camões is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, Vondel, Homer, Virgil and Dante. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry and drama but is best remembered for his epic work Os Lusíadas...
(the Lusiad) had done for Rome and Portugal.
Significant works
- Histoire de Jeanne d'Arc (Histoire de Jeanne d'arc-Tome1 Tome2 Tome3 Tome4), Paris, Ed. Artus Bertrand, 1817, 4 volumes. (The story of Joan of Arc, known as the Maid of Orleans, based on her own statements, 144 depositions from eye-witnesses, and manuscripts in the Royal Library in the Tower of London.)
- L'Orléanide, Poème national en vingt-huit chants (The Orleanid, a national epic in 28 cantos), Paris, Ed. Artus Bertrand, 1821.
- Epitres politiques sur nos Extravagances , Paris, Ed. P. Dentu, 1831.
- 1804:Translation in French - Le Château de Néville (Novel)
- 1814:Translation in French - O`Donnel - MORGAN, Lady (Novel)
- 1817:Translation in French - La France (Re-edition augmentee) - MORGAN, Lady (Novel)
Further links
- About his involvement in literature (Hugo,Jussieu).
- Information about the History of Joan of Arc in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France for 1818
- Journal général de la littérature de France ou Répertoire méthodique 1818
- http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/Visualiseur?Destination=Gallica&O=NUMM-28483(Bibliothèque nationale de FranceBibliothèque nationale de FranceThe is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
)]
- For a 19th century representation of Joan of Arc in the archives of Columbia University: (Engraving, Columbia University)
