Victor Langlois (20 March 1829 – 14 May 1869) was a French historian, archaeologist, professor,
numismatist, and orientalist who specialized in the study of the
Middle Ages. Langlois was particularly known for his work on
Armenian history and culture. He authored more than thirty books on Armenian history.
Life and work
Victor Langlois was born on rue Sygogne in
Dieppe, France on 20 March 1829.
He was educated at the
École Nationale des Chartes and
Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales.
On 7 May 1852, at the age of 23, he received orders from the French government to visit the predominantly Armenian populated area of
Cilicia
Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coas ...
in the
Ottoman Empire to carry out studies about historic French and Armenian relations. In particular, Langlois was tasked with studying Armenian-French relations during the
Crusades, and to uncover archaeological findings.
Remaining in Cilicia until 1853, Langlois published a book on his findings in 1861 entitled ''Voyage dans la Cilicie et dans les montagnes du Taurus'' (''Travels in Cilicia and the Taurus Mountains'').
Terracotta figures which he had found in his excavations in the necropolis of Tarsus were exhibited in the
Louvre.
Between the year 1857 and 1861, Langlois traveled in Italy in order to discover more historical information concerning the relations between France and Armenia during the Crusades.
His other works relate to Egyptian and Georgian numismatics (1852), and to the convent of
San Lazzaro degli Armeni of the Armenian
Mekhitarist congregation, with an outline of Armenian history and literature (1862).
During this time, in 1863, he published a book about the massacres of Armenians by Turks entitled ''Les Arméniens de la Turquie et les Massacres du Taurus'' (''The Armenians of Turkey and the Taurus massacres''). In 1867 he published ("
Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...
and its monasteries"), with a photo-lithographic reproduction of the geography of Ptolemy, of which the Greek manuscript of the 17th century is preserved in that monastery. He became a professor at the
Collège de France in
Paris.
The first volume of his ''Collection des historiens anciens et modernes de l'Arménie'', a translation from the
Armenian language, was published in 1868, under the auspices of the Egyptian-Armenian prime minister
Nubar Pasha
Nubar Pasha ( ar, نوبار باشا hy, Նուպար Փաշա (January 1825, Smyrna, Ottoman Empire - 14 January 1899, Paris) was an Egyptian-Armenian politician and the first Prime Minister of Egypt. He served as Prime Minister three times d ...
, but he did not live to complete the work.
Works
Some of Victor Langlois' published works include:
*''Rapport sur l'exploration archéologique de la Cilicie et de la Petite-Arménie pendant les années 1852–1853'' (1854)
*''Essai historique et critique sur la constitution sociale et politique de l'Arménie sous les rois de la dynastie roupénienne'' (1860)
*''Voyage dans la Cilicie et dans les montagnes du Taurus'' (1861)
*''Étude sur les sources de l'Histoire d'Arménie de Moïse de Khorène'' (1861)
*''Notice sur le couvent arménien de l'île Saint-Lazare de Venise'' (1863)
*''Mémoire sur la vie et les écrits de Grégoire Magistros, duc de la Mésopotamie, auteur arménien du XIe siècle'' (1869)
*''Collection des historiens anciens et modernes de l'Arménie'' (1869)
*''Histoire des Arméniens'' (1880)
*''Historicorum Graecorum et Syriorum reliquiae in Armeniorum scriptis servatae'' (1884)
Gallery
Among Langlois' illustrations in his books concerning Armenian history include:
LANGLOIS(1861) p379 - INSCRIPTIONS ARMENIENNES DE TARSOUS.jpg, Armenian inscriptions in Tarsus
LANGLOIS(1861) p481Monnaie d'Hethoum II.jpg, Coins from the reign of Hetoum II
Hethum II ( hy, Հեթում Բ; 1266– November 17, 1307), also known by several other romanizations, was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1289 to 1293, 1295 to 1296 and 1299 to 1303, while Armenia was a subject state of the M ...
LANGLOIS(1861) p079 Monnate, Leon II. roi armenien de la Cilicien (1185-1219).jpg, Coins from Leo II, King of Armenia's reign
LANGLOIS(1861) p243 - CHATEAU ARMENIEN DE GORGHIOS.jpg, The Armenian castle of Corycus
Corycus ( el, Κώρυκος; also transliterated Corycos or Korykos; hy, Կոռիկոս, translit=Koṙikos; tr, Kız Kalesi, lit. "maiden castle") was an ancient city in Cilicia Trachaea, Anatolia, located at the mouth of the valley called ...
LANGLOIS(1861) p417 Eglesie Armeniens de Tarsous, Inscriptions.jpg, Inscriptions on the Armenian church in Tarsus
Lampron castle.jpg, Armenian castle of Lampron
References
External links
Description of the Armenian Monastery on the Island of St. Lazarus-Venice''(full view)''
Voyage dans la Cilicie et dans les montagnes du Taurus''(full view)''
Collection des historiens anciens et modernes de l'Arménie''(full view)''
Les Arméniens de la Turquie et les massacres du Taurus''(full view)''
Numismatique de l'Arménie au moyen âge''(full view)''
Documents pour servir à l'histoire des Lusignans de la Petite Arménie''(full view)''
Le Trésor des Chartes d'Armenie ou cartulaire de la Chancellerie royale des Roupeniens''(full view)''
Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Langlois, Victor
1829 births
1869 deaths
People from Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
19th-century French archaeologists
French numismatists
19th-century French historians
French educators
French orientalists
French ethnographers
Armenian studies scholars
École Nationale des Chartes alumni
Collège de France faculty
San Lazzaro degli Armeni alumni