François Crouzet (20 October 1922 – 20 March 2010) was a French historian. Considered the greatest French historian of Britain of his generation, he was Professor Emeritus of Modern History at the

Université de Paris-Sorbonne Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; french: Université Paris-Sorbonne, Paris IV) was a public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humanities of the Universi ...

at the time of his death.Barjot, Dominique (2010)
"Hommage François Crouzet"
''Entreprises et histoire'', No. 41, pp. 219-221. Retrieved 27 January 2016 .Harte, Negley (9 June 2010)

''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

''. Retrieved 31 January 2016.Reisz, Matthew (24 June 2010)
"Francois Crouzet, 1922-2010"
''

Times Higher Education Supplement ''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The Thes''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education. Ownership TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...

''. Retrieved 1 February 2016.Poussou, Jean-Pierre (2010)
"In memoriam François Crouzet (1922-2010)"
''Histoire économie & société''. Vol. 2010, No. 02, pp 1-6. Retrieved 1 February 2016 .

Life and career

Crouzet was born in Monts-sur-Guesnes, the son of who served as the Inspector General for History under France's Ministry of National Education. After graduating with his

Baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

from the

Lycée Hoche The Lycée Hoche is a public secondary school located in Versailles, France. Formerly, it had been a nunnery founded by French queen Marie Leszczyńska. However, after the French Revolution, it became a school in 1803. In 1888, the school was nam ...

in 1939, he was admitted to the

École Normale Supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, S ...

which his father had also attended. He passed his ''

Agrégation In France, the ''agrégation'' () is a competitive examination for civil service in the French public education system. Candidates for the examination, or ''agrégatifs'', become ''agrégés'' once they are admitted to the position of ''profe ...

'' in history with full marks in 1945 and began teaching at a lycée in

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris. The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most popul ...

. Between 1946 and 1949 he was in the UK on fellowships to carry out research in British history that would ultimately form the basis of his doctoral dissertation. Based at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...

and the

Institute of Historical Research The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is a British educational organisation providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is part of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London and is located at Senate Hou ...

and spending much of his time in the

Public Record Office The Public Record Office (abbreviated as PRO, pronounced as three letters and referred to as ''the'' PRO), Chancery Lane in the City of London, was the guardian of the national archives of the United Kingdom from 1838 until 2003, when it was ...

, he became a life-long

Anglophile An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents. Etymology The word is derived from the Latin word ''Anglii'' and Ancient Greek word φίλος ''philos'', meaning "fr ...

. During his London years, he met and married Françoise Dabert-Hauser, the granddaughter of the French historian

Henri Hauser Henri Hauser (19 July 1866 – 27 May 1946) was a French historian, geographer, and economist. A pioneer in the study of the economic history of the early modern period, he also wrote on contemporary economic issues and held the first chair in e ...

. On his return to France in 1949 he worked as a

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

at the

Paris Institute of Political Studies , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public research university'' Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , accreditation ...

until 1956 and was also a teaching assistant in contemporary history at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

(1949–1953) and a professor at the

Lycée Janson de Sailly In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...

(1953–1956). He received his doctorate in 1956 with his dissertation, ''L'économie britannique et le blocus continental (1806-1813)'', a two-volume study on the economic impact of the Napoleonic blockade of Britain. The thesis, which received the unanimous congratulations of the jury, was published two years later and made an immediate impact. It was awarded the ''Prix Georges Mauguin'' by the

Académie des sciences morales et politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

and was published in a revised and expanded second edition in 1988. Much of his subsequent work and research stemmed from the ideas that he explored in the book. From 1956 to 1968, he held successive professorships at the universities of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the No ...

, and

Nanterre Nanterre (, ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, bordering t ...

. In 1969 he was appointed to the Chair of Northern European History at the

, a position he held until his retirement in 1992. Throughout his career he also held a variety of visiting professorships:

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

(1961), University of California Berkeley (1964),

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

(1981–1982),

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

(1996), and the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...

(1970–1973). He was also a visiting fellow at

Wolfson College, Cambridge Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The majority of students at the college are postgraduates. The college also admits "mature" undergraduates (aged 21 and above), with around ...

in 1969 and

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of ...

in 1976 and 1985. François Crouzet died in 2010 at the age of 87, survived by his wife Françoise (1923–2014) and their three children, Marie-Anne Dalem ''née'' Crouzet and

Denis Crouzet Denis Bertrand Yves Crouzet (born 10 March 1953) is a French historian specialising in the history of the early modern period and particularly in the French Wars of Religion during the reformation. He is a professor at Paris-Sorbonne University w ...

(both historians) and Joël Crouzet (a

molecular biologist Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physic ...

). He dedicated the final years of his life to writing his memoirs. They were published posthumously in 2012 as ''De mémoire d'historien: Chroniques d'un XX^e siècle disparu'' with an introduction by Denis Crouzet.

Bibliography in English

Several of Crouzet's key books have been published in English or in English translation. These include: * ''Capital formation in the Industrial Revolution'' (Methuen, 1972) *''The Victorian Economy'' (Methuen, 1982), published in French as ''L'Économie de la Grande-Bretagne victorienne'' (Société d'édition d'enseignement supérieur, 1978) *''Britain Ascendant: Comparative Studies in Franco-British Economic History'' (Cambridge University Press, 1985), published in French as ''De la Superiorite de l'Angleterre sur la France'' (Perrin, 1985) *''The First Industrialists: The Problem of Origins'' (Cambridge University Press, 1985) *''Britain, France, and International Commerce: From Louis XIV to Victoria'' (Ashgate Variorum, 1995) *''A History of the European Economy, 1000-2000'' (University Press of Virginia, 2001), published in French as ''Histoire de l’économie européenne 1000-2000'' (Albin Michel, 2000)

Awards and distinctions

François Crouzet received honorary doctorates from the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

(1977),

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

(1985),

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_lab ...

(1989), and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

(1993). His other awards and distinctions include: *1959 Prix Georges Mauguin,

for ''L'économie britannique et le blocus continental'' *1973 elected Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars s ...

*1980 Honorary Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

*1985 Commandeur,

Ordre des Palmes académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes w ...

Poussou, Jean-Pierre (2000)
"Avant-Propos "
pp. 1–14 in Jean-Pierre Poussou (ed.). ''L'économie franc̜aise du XVIIIe au XXe siècle'' (essays in honour of François Crouzet). Presses Paris Sorbonne. *1987 Grand Prix d'Histoire de la Ville de Paris *1995 Chevalier,

Légion d’honneur 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 B ...

*2001

Prix Guizot The Prix Guizot is an annual prize of the Académie française, which has been awarded in the field of history since 1994 by Fondations Guizot, Chodron de Courcel, Yvan Loiseau and Eugène Piccard. It is awarded to the author of a work of general ...

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

for ''Histoire de l’économie européenne 1000-2000''

François Crouzet
Retrieved 1 February 2016 . *2008 Prix Rossi, Académie des sciences morales et politiques for ''La guerre économique franco-anglaise au XVIIIe siècle''

Prix Rossi: Les lauréats
Retrieved 3 February 2016 .

Life and career

Bibliography in English

Awards and distinctions

References

Further reading