Paul Henri Mallet (20 August 1730 – 8 February 1807) was a Genevan writer.

Life

He was born and educated in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

. He became tutor in the family of the count of Calenberg in Lower Saxony. In 1752 he was appointed professor of ''belles lettres'' to the academy at

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. He was naturally attracted to the study of the ancient literature and history of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, his adopted country, and in 1755 he published the first fruits of his researches, under the title ''Introduction à L'histoire du Danemarch où l'on traite de la religion, des moeurs, des lois, et des usages des anciens Danois''. A second part, more particularly relating to

Danish literature Danish literature () a subset of Scandinavian literature, stretches back to the Middle Ages. The earliest preserved texts from Denmark are runic inscriptions on memorial stones and other objects, some of which contain short poems in alliterative ...

, ''Monuments de la mythologie et de la poesie des Celtes, et particulierement des anciens Scandinaves'', was issued in 1756, and was also translated into

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

. A translation into English, with notes and preface, by Bishop Thomas Percy, was issued in 1770 under the title of ''Northern Antiquities'' (republished with additions in 1847). The book had a wide circulation, and attracted much attention on account of its being the first (though a very defective) translation into French of the

Edda "Edda" (; Old Norse ''Edda'', plural ''Eddur'') is an Old Norse term that has been attributed by modern scholars to the collective of two Medieval Icelandic literary works: what is now known as the ''Prose Edda'' and an older collection of poems ...

. The king of Denmark showed his appreciation by choosing Mallet to be preceptor of the crown prince. In 1760 he returned to Geneva, and became professor of history in his native city. While there he was requested by the czarina to undertake the education of the heir-apparent of Russia (afterwards the Czar Paul I), but declined. A more appealing invitation led to his accompanying Lord Mountstuart in his travels through Italy and thence to England, where Mallet was presented at court and commissioned to write the history of the house of Brunswick. He had previously received similar commission from the landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) for the reparation of a history of the house of Hesse, and both works were completed in 1785. The quietness of a literary life was rudely broken by the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, to which he was openly hostile. His leanings to the unpopular side were so obnoxious to his fellow-citizens that he was obliged to quit his native country in 1792, and remained in exile till 1801. He died at Geneva.

Works

A memoir of his life and writings, by Sismondi, was published at Geneva in 1807. Besides the ''Introduction to the History of Denmark'', his principal works are: *''Histoire du Danemarch'' (3 vols., Copenhagen, 1758–1777) *''Histoire de la maison de Hesse'' (4 vols., 1767–1785) *''Histoire de la maison de Brunswick'' (4 vols., 1767–1785) *''Histoire de la maison et des etats du Mecklenbourg'' (1796) *''Histoire des Suisses ou Helvetiens'' (4 vols., Geneva, 1803) (mainly an abridgment of

Johannes von Müller Johannes von Müller (3 January 1752 – 29 May 1809) was a Swiss historian. Biography He was born at Schaffhausen, where his father was a clergyman and rector of the gymnasium. In his youth, his maternal grandfather, Johannes Schoop (1696–1 ...

's great history) *''Histoire de la ligue hanseatique'' (1805).

References

* *
Mallet, Paul-Henri
in the

Historical Dictionary of Switzerland The ''Historical Dictionary of Switzerland'' is an encyclopedia on the history of Switzerland that aims to take into account the results of modern historical research in a manner accessible to a broader audience. The encyclopedia is publish ...

.
MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image repository)
illustrations from Paul Henri Mallet’s Edda, ou Mythologie Celtique. Clicking on the thumbnail will give you the full image and information concerning it. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mallet, Paul Henri 1730 births 1807 deaths 18th-century writers from the Republic of Geneva Old Norse studies scholars