Louis-Pierre Anquetil

Louis-Pierre Anquetil (21 February 1723 – 6 September 1808) was a French historian.

Portrait of Louis-Pierre Anquetil

Biography

He was born in Paris on 21 February 1723.[1] In 1741, he joined the religious community of the Génofévains, where he took holy orders and became professor of theology and literature.[2] Later, he became rector of the seminary at Reims, where he published the 3-volume "Civil and Political History of Reims" (French: Histoire civile et politique de Reims), in 1756 and 1757.[2] In 1759, he was appointed prior of the abbey de la Roe in Anjou; shortly thereafter he became director of the college of Senlis.[1] While there, he composed a history of France in the 16th and 17th centuries (Esprit de la Ligue, ou histoire politique des troubles de France pendant les XVI^e et XVII^e siècles) published in 1767.[2] The year before, he had obtained the curacy or priory of Chateau-Renard near Montargis.[1] He also became a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres.[3]

At the beginning of the French Revolution, he moved to the curacy of La Villette near Paris but, during the Reign of Terror, he was imprisoned at St-Lazare.[1] While there, he began his summary of world history (Précis de l'histoire universelle), afterwards published in nine volumes.[2] On the establishment of the National Institute, he was elected as a 2nd-class member of the Academy of Moral and Political Science.[1] He was also employed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs,[1] an experience which informed his treatment of the last three kings of the Ancient Regime (Motifs des guerres et des traités de paix sous Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI).[2]

He is said to have been asked by Napoleon to write his 14-volume "History of France" (Histoire de France, 1805). Augustin Thierry criticized the work as "cold and colourless", and mentioned that Anquetil compared unfavorably to other noted French historians.[4] The work was compiled at second or third hand[2] and censurable in many respects[1] but went through numerous editions and made Anquetil famous. It was continued by Adolphe Bouillet in 6 more volumes.[2] He died on 6 September 1808.[1]

His younger brother Abraham was a famous orientalist.

Notes

1. Baynes 1878, p. 90.
2. Chisholm 1911, p. 4.
3. Penny Cyclopaedia, Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, 1833, p. 56
4. A'Becket 1907.

References

• A'Becket, John J. (1907), "Louis-Pierre Anquetil" , in Herbermann, Charles (ed.), Catholic Encyclopedia, 1, New York: Robert Appleton Company
•  Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), "Louis Pierre Anquetil" , Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 90

Attribution:

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911), "Anquetil, Louis Pierre", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 4

Further reading

• "Anquetil, Louis Pierre" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.