Frédéric Auguste Ferdinand Thomas de Reiffenberg (14 November 1795 — 18 April 1850) was a

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

, Belgian writer, historian-medievalist, and linguist. He was also a member of the

Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium The Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique, sometimes referred to as ') is the independent learned society of science and arts of the French Comm ...

, as well as a member of the Academic Senate and professor at the

State University of Leuven The State University of Leuven was a university founded in 1817 in Leuven in Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was distinct from the Old University of Leuven (1425-1797) and from the Catholic University of Leuven, wh ...

Biography

Reiffenberg was professor of philosophy at the

from 1822, and gave lectures on medieval history at the

University of Liège The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301 ...

from 1835. Accused of plagiarism, he was almost deprived of his chair, was dismissed from the examination board and left Liège.

Louise Noëlle Malclès Louise Noëlle Malclès (20 September 1899 – 29 March 1977) was a French librarian, bibliographer and teacher who was a key figure in French librarianship and the author of one of the most important bibliographical works of the mid-20th century. ...

, in ''Bulletin de documentation bibliographique'' (''Bulletin des Bibliothèques de France''), 1961, n° 4, p. 179, review of the book by Fernand Remy, ''Aux origines de la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique. Étude sur son personnel et ses méthodes de travail, 1837-1850'', Brussels, 1960. Malclès' review i
online
In 1837, his friends got him appointed

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

of the newly created

Royal Library of Belgium The Royal Library of Belgium (french: Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België, abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history t ...

. He became one of the most active members of the

. He was also a member of the

Institut de France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...

. His son, Frédéric Guillaume de Reiffenberg, was a writer, poet, and playwright. He wrote poems, drama plays, critical sketches, novels, articles, and books on military administration.

Selected works

* «Archives philologiques» (Brussels, 1825—1826), * «Archives pour l’histoire civile et littéraire des Pays-Bas» (Leuven, 1827—1828), * «Nouvelles archives historiques» (1829—1832), * «Histoire de l’ordre de la Bibliothèque royale» (1840—1850), * «Bulletin du bibliophile belge» (1845).

References

External links

* * REMY (Fernand), ''Aux origines de la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique. Étude sur son personnel et ses méthodes de travail, 1837-1850'', Bruxelles, Association des bibliothécaires, 1960. {{DEFAULTSORT:Reiffenberg, Frederic Auguste Ferdinand Thomas People from Mons 19th-century Belgian historians 19th-century Belgian male writers Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium Academic staff of the University of Liège Linguists from Belgium Belgian educational theorists Barons of Belgium Belgian librarians 19th-century Belgian writers Belgian medievalists Belgian male non-fiction writers 1795 births 1850 deaths