François Laurent
Encyclopedia
François Laurent was a Luxembourg
ian historian
and jurisconsult.
in the university of Ghent in 1836. His advocacy of liberal and anti-clerical principles both from his chair and in the press made him bitter enemies, but he retained his position until his death in 1887.
He treated the relations of church and state in L'Églisé et l'État (Brussels, 3 vols., 1858-1862; new and revised edition, 1865), and the same subject occupied a large proportion of the eighteen volumes of his chief historical work, Études sur l'histoire de l'humanité (Ghent and Brussels, 1855-1870), which aroused considerable interest beyond the boundaries of Belgium
.
His fame as a lawyer
rests on his authoritative exposition of the Code Napoleon in his Principes de droit civil français (Brussels, 33 vols., 1869-1878), and his Le droit civil international (Brussels, 8 vols., 1880-1881).
He was charged in 1879 by the minister of justice with the preparation of a report on the proposed revision of the civil code. Besides his anti-clerical pamphlets, his minor writings include much discussion of social questions, of the organization of savings banks, asylums, &c. Laurent had much in common with Gustave Callier, whose funeral in 1863 was made the occasion of a display of clerical intolerance, and he founded the Societé Callier for the encouragement of thrift among the working classes. The efforts of the society were directed to the continuation of Callier's philanthropic schemes.
For a complete list of his works, see Auguste de Koninck, Bibliographie nationale : dictionnaire des écrivains belges et catalogue de leurs publications 1830 - 1880 (Brussels, vol. ii., 1892).
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
ian historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and jurisconsult.
Life and works
He was born at Luxembourg City. He held a high appointment in the ministry of justice for some time before he became professor of civil lawCivil law (legal system)
Civil law is a legal system inspired by Roman law and whose primary feature is that laws are codified into collections, as compared to common law systems that gives great precedential weight to common law on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different...
in the university of Ghent in 1836. His advocacy of liberal and anti-clerical principles both from his chair and in the press made him bitter enemies, but he retained his position until his death in 1887.
He treated the relations of church and state in L'Églisé et l'État (Brussels, 3 vols., 1858-1862; new and revised edition, 1865), and the same subject occupied a large proportion of the eighteen volumes of his chief historical work, Études sur l'histoire de l'humanité (Ghent and Brussels, 1855-1870), which aroused considerable interest beyond the boundaries of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
His fame as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
rests on his authoritative exposition of the Code Napoleon in his Principes de droit civil français (Brussels, 33 vols., 1869-1878), and his Le droit civil international (Brussels, 8 vols., 1880-1881).
He was charged in 1879 by the minister of justice with the preparation of a report on the proposed revision of the civil code. Besides his anti-clerical pamphlets, his minor writings include much discussion of social questions, of the organization of savings banks, asylums, &c. Laurent had much in common with Gustave Callier, whose funeral in 1863 was made the occasion of a display of clerical intolerance, and he founded the Societé Callier for the encouragement of thrift among the working classes. The efforts of the society were directed to the continuation of Callier's philanthropic schemes.
For a complete list of his works, see Auguste de Koninck, Bibliographie nationale : dictionnaire des écrivains belges et catalogue de leurs publications 1830 - 1880 (Brussels, vol. ii., 1892).