François Auguste Marie Mignet (, 8 May 1796 – 24 March 1884) was a French journalist and historian of 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

Biography

He was born in

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label=Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...

( Bouches-du-Rhône), France. His father was a locksmith from the

Vendée Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.

, who enthusiastically accepted the principles of the

and encouraged liberal ideas in his son. François had brilliant success at

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune ha ...

in the lycée where he became a teacher in 1815. He returned to Aix to study law, and in 1818 was called to the bar, where his eloquence would have ensured his success had he not been more interested in the study of history. His abilities were shown in an ''Éloge de Charles VII'', which was honoured by the Académie de Nîmes in 1820, and a memoire on ''Les Institutions de Saint Louis'', which in 1821 was honoured by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres. He then went to Paris, where he was soon joined by his friend and compatriot

Adolphe Thiers Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers ( , ; 15 April 17973 September 1877) was a French statesman and historian. He was the second elected President of France and first President of the French Third Republic. Thiers was a key figure in the July Rev ...

, the future president of the French Republic. He was introduced by Jacques-Antoine Manuel, formerly a member of the Convention, to the Liberal paper, '' Le Courrier français'', where he became a member of the staff which carried on a fierce pen-and-ink warfare against the Restoration. He acquired his knowledge of the men and intrigues of the Napoleonic epoch from Talleyrand. Mignet's ''Histoire de la révolution française'' (1824), in support of the Liberal cause, was an enlarged sketch, prepared in four months, in which more stress was laid on fundamental theories than on the facts. In 1830, he founded '' Le National'' with Thiers and Armand Carrel, and signed the journalists' protest against the July Ordinances, however, he refused to profit from his party's victory. He was satisfied with the modest position of Director of the Archives at the Foreign Office, where he stayed till the revolution of 1848, when he was dismissed, and retired permanently into private life. He had been elected a member of the '' Académie des sciences morales et politiques'', which was re-established in 1832, and, in 1837, was made the permanent secretary. He was elected a member of the ''

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

'' in 1836, and sought no further honours. Mignet was well known in fashionable circles where his witty conversation and pleasant manners made him a favourite. Most of his time was devoted to study and to his academic duties. Eulogies on his deceased fellow-members, the Academy reports on its work, and on the prizes awarded by it, which it was part of Mignet's duty as secretary to draw up, were thoroughly appreciated by connoisseurs, and were collected in Mignet's ''Notices et portraits''. He worked slowly and lingered over research. With the exception of his description of the

, which was chiefly a political manifesto, all his early works refer to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. He and historian Francois Guizot invented the concept of the bourgeois revolution. These include, ''De la féodalité, des institutions de Saint Louis et de l'influence de la législation de ce prince'' (1822); ''La Germanie au VIIIe et au IXe siècle, sa conversion au Christianisme, et son introduction dans la société civilisée de l'Europe occidentale'' (1834); ''Essai sur la formation territoriale et politique de la France depuis la fin du XIe siècle jusqu'à la fin du XVe'' (1836); all of which are rough sketches that mainly outline the subjects. Mignet's most famous works are devoted to modern history. For many years, he immersed himself into history of the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

, but only one part of his writings, dealing with the Reformation at

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

, was published. His ''Histoire de Marie Stuart'' (2 vols., 1851) made use of previously unpublished documents from the archives of Simancas. He devoted several volumes to a history of Spain, which had a well-deserved success, including, ''Charles Quint, son abdication, son séjour et sa mort au monastère de Yuste'' (1845); ''Antonio Perez et Philippe II.'' (1845); and ''Histoire de la rivalité de François Ier et de Charles Quint'' (1875). At the same time, he was commissioned to publish the diplomatic acts relating to the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phili ...

for the ''Collection des documents inédits''. Only four volumes of these ''Négotiations'' were published (1835–1842), and they do not go further than the Peace of Nijmwegen; however, the introduction is celebrated, and Mignet reprinted it in his ''Mélanges historiques''. Mignet was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, ...

in 1876. He died in

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

in 1884 at age 87. A eulogy was delivered by

Victor Duruy Jean Victor Duruy (10 September 1811 – 25 November 1894) was a French historian and statesman. Life Duruy was born in Paris, the son of a factory worker, and at first intended for his father's trade. Having passed brilliantly through the Éc ...

on entering the Académie Française on 18 June 1885.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mignet, Francois 1796 births 1884 deaths People from Aix-en-Provence Aix-Marseille University alumni Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Historians of the French Revolution Members of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques Members of the Académie Française 19th-century French historians French male non-fiction writers