Charles-Victor Langlois (May 26, 1863, in Rouen – June 25, 1929, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

) was a French historian, archivist and

paleographer Palaeography ( UK) or paleography ( US; ultimately from grc-gre, , ''palaiós'', "old", and , ''gráphein'', "to write") is the study of historic writing systems and the deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts, including the analysi ...

, who specialized in the study of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and was a lecturer at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

, where he taught paleography, bibliography, and the history of the Middle Ages. Langlois attended the

École Nationale des Chartes The École Nationale des Chartes (, literally National School of Charters) is a French ''grande école'' and a constituent college of Université PSL, specialising in the historical sciences. It was founded in 1821, and was located initially at ...

and earned a doctorate in history in 1887. He taught at the

University of Douai The University of Douai (french: Université de Douai) ( nl, Universiteit van Dowaai) is a former university in Douai, France. With a medieval heritage of scholarly activities in Douai, the university was established in 1559 and lectures started ...

before moving to the Sorbonne. He was director of the National Archives of France from 1913 to 1929. Langlois was a leader in use of the

historical method Historical method is the collection of techniques and guidelines that historians use to research and write histories of the past. Secondary sources, primary sources and material evidence such as that derived from archaeology may all be drawn ...

, which taught a scientific form of studying history. His "Manual of Historical Bibliography" was a fundamental manual on how bibliographic methods, which went along with his studies of the historical method. His 1897 work ''Introduction aux études historiques'', written with

Charles Seignobos Charles Seignobos (b. 10 September 1854 at Lamastre, d. 24 April 1942 at Ploubazlanec) was a French scholar of historiography and an historian who specialized in the history of the French Third Republic, and was a member of the Human Rights Lea ...

, is considered one of the first comprehensive manuals discussing the use of scientific techniques in historical research. The "Introduction to the Study of History" takes a very detailed view at finding a way to make history as accurate of a study as the sciences. The basis of their method is the all history comes from facts retrieved from first hand documents. These facts are then viewed by the historian from many different perspectives, allowing for an unbiased approach at history. By using methods, such as external and internal criticism, the historian is able to see both the reader and authors perspective on a piece of history. In order to get a completely accurate history, these facts must be sorted into categories into groups to allow for easy research. To both of these men, the goal of history was to make it a learnable subject for anyone so that it may be passed down. To emphasize the importance of primary sources, Seignobos and Langlois in their handbook coined the famous maxime ''"L'histoire se fait avec des documents"''. His collaborator on "Introduction to the Study of History", Charles Seignobos was also a lecturer in Sorbonne in 1881. Born in Lamastre, France, Seignobos came from a Protestant family and advocated systematic and methodical approach to the study of history. His books are widely used in schools throughout France. His work "The Evolution of the French People" was in an important work that traced the history of the French people, rather than its leaders. Not an entire history of France, this book focused on the conditions of life and institutions that made up life in France. It was also another example of his use of the historical method, as it attempts to explain certain conditions, rather than concentrating solely on individual characters.Catherine Phillips, "The evolution of the french people", "The Journal of Modern History", vol. 5, no. 2, Jun. 1933. Review.
/ref> His works include "History of ancient civilization, History of Mediaeval and of modern civilization to the end of the seventeenth century, A political history of contemporary Europe, since 1814, and The world of Babylon : Nineveh and Assyria.

Bibliography

*''Le Règne de Philippe III le Hardi'' (1887
Text freely available in gallica.bnf.fr
*''Les Archives de l’histoire de France'', in collaboration with Henri Stein (1891) *''Introduction aux études historiques'', in collaboration with Charles Seignobos (1897
Text freely available in Les Classiques des sciences sociales
*''Manuel de bibliographie historique'' (1901, 1904
Text freely available in gallica.bnf.fr
*''La Connaissance de la nature et du monde au Moyen Âge'' (1911
Text freely available in gallica.bnf.fr
*''Saint-Louis, Philippe le Bel, les derniers Capétiens directs'' (1911
Text freely available in gallica.bnf.fr
*''La Vie en France au Moyen Âge : de la fin du XIIe au milieu du XIVe siècle'' (1927)

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* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Langlois, Charles-Victor 1863 births 1929 deaths Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres French archivists 19th-century French historians French medievalists École Nationale des Chartes alumni University of Paris alumni University of Paris faculty Academic staff of the University of Douai French male non-fiction writers 20th-century French historians

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