Michel François (31 August 1906 – 11 July 1981) was a French

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to Document, records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist c ...

palaeographer 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 ...

and historian.

Biography

Michel François joined the École Nationale des Chartes in 1927 and graduated first place in the 1931 class with a thesis entitled ''Histoire des comtes et du comté de Vaudémont au Moyen Âge'', which earned him the Molinier prize and was published soon after by the Lorraine Archaeological Society. His rank output led to his being appointed a member of the French School of Rome. He joined the

Palazzo Farnese Palazzo Farnese () or Farnese Palace is one of the most important High Renaissance List of palaces in Italy#Rome, palaces in Rome. Owned by the Italian Republic, it was given to the French government in 1936 for a period of 99 years, and cur ...

in 1932 after his military service. After he returned to France, he was appointed attached to the manuscripts cabinet of the Bibliothèque nationale on 1 January 1934, where he wrote, with Philippe Lauer, a valuable guide to sources of the religious history of France in the manuscripts department. He was appointed to the Archives nationales on 1 May 1935. Attracted to teaching, he supplied

Robert Marichal Robert Marichal, (20 March 1904 – 23 October 1999) was a 20th-century French palaeographer and archivist. Career A student at the École Nationale des Chartes, Robert Marichal obtained his archivist palaeographer degree in 1927 with a thesis ...

from 1942 to 1945, then a POW in Germany, to the chair of language and French literature from the Middle Ages at the Institut catholique de Paris. In 1942-1943, he provided locum for Charles Samaran in his Latin and French palaeography conference at the École pratique des hautes études. On 3 November 1949, he was appointed master of conference of medieval history at the Institut Catholique de Paris; He became an assistant professor in 1952 and professor in 1955. Finally, on 1 October 1953 he succeeded

Charles Perrat Charles Perrat (14 January 1899, Lyon – 4 July 1976) was a 20th-century French paleographer, professor at the École Nationale des Chartes. An archivist, he was also a member of the Société des Antiquaires de France The Société des Antiquair ...

to the chair of history of political, administrative and judicial of France at the École des chartes. He also taught at the Sorbonne from 1954 to 1977, an introductory course to historical research, renamed "course of historiography and archiving" in 1967. In 1964, at the death of Alain Dain, he was elected dean of the Faculty of Arts of the Institut catholique and member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres in 1969. On 1 October 1970 he was appointed director of the École des Chartes in replacement of

Pierre Marot Pierre Eugène Alexandre Marot (15 December 1900, Neufchâteau (Vosges) – 28 November 1992, Paris) was a 20th-century French medievalist historian, director of the École Nationale des Chartes. He was a member of the Institut de France, the Ac ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Francois, Michel French librarians French medievalists French archivists French palaeographers École Nationale des Chartes alumni Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Commandeurs of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Gregory the Great Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 1906 births People from Vosges (department) 1981 deaths