Gustave Saige (1838-1905) was a French archivist. He was the archivist of the

Prince's Palace of Monaco The Prince's Palace of Monaco ( French: ''Palais princier de Monaco'') is the official residence of the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. Built in 1191 as a Genoese fortress, during its long and often dramatic history it has been bombarded and besie ...

from 1881 to 1905.

Early life

Gustave Saige was born on 20 August 1838 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, France. He graduated from 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 ...

in 1862, where his classmates included

Paul Viollet Paul Marie Viollet (24 October 1840, Tours, France22 November 1914, Paris) was a French historian. Life After serving his native city as secretary and archivist, he became archivist at the Archives impériales in Paris in 1866, and later librar ...

and

Gaston Paris Bruno Paulin Gaston Paris (; 9 August 1839 – 5 March 1903) was a French literary historian, philologist, and scholar specialized in Romance studies and medieval French literature. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901, 19 ...

Career

Saige served as the archivist of the

from 1881 to 1905. It was Saige who discovered that the

House of Grimaldi The House of Grimaldi ( , also , , ) is the current reigning house of the Principality of Monaco. The house was founded in 1160 by Grimaldo Canella in Genoa and became the ruling house of Monaco when Francesco Grimaldi captured Monaco in 1297 ...

descended from

Otto Canella Otto Canella (born in the middle of the 11th century, died in 1143) was Consul of the Republic of Genoa in 1133, and an ancestor of the House of Grimaldi, the family that currently rules Monaco. According to the 19th-century historian Gustave S ...

, not Grimaldi I, Lord of

Antibes Antibes (, also , ; oc, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal, Antíbol) is a coastal city in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department of southeastern France, on the French Riviera, Côte d'Azur between Cannes and Nice. The town of ...

. However, his research was not published under the reign of

Charles III, Prince of Monaco Charles III (Charles Honoré Grimaldi; 8 December 1818 – 10 September 1889) was Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois from 20 June 1856 to his death. He was the founder of the famous casino in Monte Carlo, as his title in Monégasque dialect ...

. When

Albert I, Prince of Monaco Albert I (Albert Honoré Charles Grimaldi; 13 November 1848 – 26 June 1922) was Prince of Monaco from 10 September 1889 until his death. He devoted much of his life to oceanography, exploration and science. Alongside his expeditions, Albert I ...

came to power in 1889, Saige was able to publish it. By 1895, the

Almanach de Gotha The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published ...

had updated its entry on the House of Grimaldi with Otto Canella as its founder. Additionally, Saige was a member of the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

. He was a correspondent to the

Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres () is a French learned society devoted to history, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the Institut de France. The academy's scope was the study of ancient inscriptions ( epig ...

. Saige was the author of many books about the

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

and Monaco. His ''Les Juifs du Languedoc antérieurement au XIVe siècle'' is a "classic archival

tudy Tudy may refer to: People * Tudy of Landevennec, Breton saint Places * Île-Tudy, France * St Tudy St Tudy ( kw, Eglostudi) is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated in the River Camel ...

of Jewish life in Languedoc" prior to the 14th century. Additionally, Saige intended to work on the history of Jews in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

, but he died before he was able to write about it. Saige was a Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

and Grand Officer of the

Order of Saint-Charles The Order of Saint Charles (french: Ordre de Saint Charles) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in Monaco on 15 March 1858. Award This order rewards service to the State or Prince. In particular cases, it may be granted to foreign ...

Personal life

Saige was married.

Death

Saige died on 5 December 1905 in Monaco. He was sixty-seven years old. After his death, he was succeeded as the archivist of the Prince's Palace of Monaco by

Léon-Honoré Labande Léon-Honoré Labande (1867-1939) was a French museum curator, historian and archivist. He was the curator of the Calvet Museum in Avignon from 1890 to 1906. He was the archivist of the Prince's Palace of Monaco from 1906 to 1939. He was the autho ...

Bibliography

As an author

*''Une Alliance défensive entre propriétaires allodiaux au XIIe siècle'' (Paris: A. Franck, 1861). *''Les Juifs du Languedoc antérieurement au XIVe siècle'' (Paris: Alphonse Picard, 1881). *''Honoré II et le palais de Monaco'' (Monaco: Imprimerie du Journal de Monaco, 1883). *''Les beaux-arts au Palais de Monaco avant la révolution: I. Les princes et le palais depuis le seizième siècle'' (Monaco: Imprimerie de Monaco, 1884). *''Les Archives du palais de Monaco et l'intérêt de ses collections pour l'histoire de France'' (Orléans: Imprimerie de P. Girardot, 1888). *''Documents historiques relatifs à la Principauté de Monaco'' (Monaco, 1888-1889). *''Abrégé de l'histoire de Monaco à l'usage des écoles de la principauté'' (Monaco : Imprimerie de Monaco, 1894). *''La seigneurie de Monaco au milieu du xvie siécle'' (Monaco: Imprimerie de Monaco, 1896). *''Monaco, ses origines et son histoire'' (Monaco: Imprimerie de Monaco, 1897). *''Glanes d'archives. Les Grimaldi chez eux et en voyage'' (Monaco, 1906).

As an editor

* François-Nicolas Baudot, sieur du Buisson et d'Aubenay, ''Journal des guerres civiles de 1648-1652'' (edited by Gustave Saige, 2 volumes, Chez H. Champion, 1883-1885).

References

External links

Books
on

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saige, Gustave 1838 births 1905 deaths Writers from Paris French archivists Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Grand Officers of the Order of Saint-Charles French expatriates in Monaco École Nationale des Chartes alumni