Jean Michel Constant Leber (8 May 1780 – 22 December 1859) was a French historian and bibliophile.

Biography

Leber was born at

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

on ''Joan of Arc'' (1804); but he wrote at the same time a ''Grammaire général synthétique'', which attracted the attention of J. M. de Gérando, then secretary-general to the ministry of the interior. The latter found him a minor post in his department, which left him leisure for his historical work. He even took him to Italy when

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

was trying to organize, after French models, the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

states which he had taken from the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

in 1809. Leber however did not stay there long, for he considered the attacks on the temporal property of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

to be

sacrilegious Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

. On his return to

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 ...

Leber resumed his administrative work, literary recreations and historical researches. While spending a part of his time writing

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

s and

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

s, he began to collect old essays and rare pamphlets by old French historians. His office was preserved to him by the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, and Leber put his literary gifts at the service of the government. When the question of the coronation of

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

arose, he wrote, as an answer to Volney, a minute treatise on the ''Cérémonies du sacre'', which was published at the time of the coronation of

Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Lou ...

. Towards the end of Villèle's ministry, when there was a movement of public opinion in favour of extending municipal liberties, Leber undertook the defence of the threatened system of centralization, and composed, in answer to François Raynouard, an ''Histoire critique du pouvoir municipal depuis l'origine de la monarchie jusqu'à nos jours'' (1828). He also wrote a treatise entitled ''De l'état réel de la presse et des pamphlets depuis François I^er jusqu'à Louis XIV'' (1834), in which be refuted an empty paradox of

Charles Nodier Jean Charles Emmanuel Nodier (29 April 1780 – 27 January 1844) was a French author and librarian who introduced a younger generation of Romanticists to the ''conte fantastique'', gothic literature, and vampire tales. His dream related writings ...

, who had tried to prove that the press had never been, and could never be, so free as under the Grand Monarch. A few years later, Leber retired (1839), and sold to the library of Rouen the rich collection of books which he had amassed during thirty years of research. The catalogue he made himself (4 vols., 1839 to 1852). In 1840 he read at the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres two dissertations, an "Essai sur l'appreciation de la fortune privée au moyen âge",, followed, by an "Examen critique des tables de prix du marc d'argent depuis l'époque de Saint Louis"; these essays were included by the Academy in its ''Recueil de mémoires présentés par divers savants'' (vol. i., 1844), and were also revised and published by Leber (1847). They form his most considerable work, and assure him a position of eminence in the economic history of France. He also rendered good service to historians by the publication of his ''Collection des meilleures dissertations, notices et traités relatifs à l'histoire de France'' (20 vols., 1826–1840); in the absence of an index, since Leber did not leave one, an analytical table of contents is to be found in Alfred Franklin's ''Sources de l'histoire de France'' (1876, pp. 342 sqq.). In consequence of the

revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

, Leber decided to leave Paris. He retired to his native town, and spent his last years in collecting old engravings. He died at Orléans on 22 December 1859. In 1832 Leber had been elected as a member of the '' Societé des Antiquaires de France'', and in the ''Bulletin'' of this society (vol. i., 1860) is to be found the most correct and detailed account of his life's works.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leber, Jean Michel Constant 19th-century French historians 1780 births 1859 deaths Writers from Orléans French male writers