Gabriel Monod
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Monod was a French
historian
, the nephew of Adolphe Monod
.
, he was educated at Le Havre
then went to Paris to complete his education, lodging with the de Pressensé family. The influence of Edmond de Pressensé
, a pastor and large-minded theologian
, and of Madame de Pressensé, a woman of superior intellect and refined feeling, who devoted her life to educational works and charity, made a great impression on him. In 1865 he left the École normale supérieure, and went to Germany
, where he studied at the University of Göttingen and Humboldt University in Berlin
. The teaching of Georg Waitz
definitely directed his studies towards the history of the Middle Ages
. Returning to France in 1868 he was nominated by Victor Duruy
to give lectures on history, following the method used in German seminaries, at the École des hautes études.
When the Franco-Prussian War
broke out, Gabriel Monod, with his cousins Alfred and Sarah Monod, organized an ambulance
with which he followed the whole campaign, from Sedan
to Le Mans
. He wrote a small book of memoirs of this campaign, Allemands et Français (1871), in which he spoke of the conquerors without bitterness; this attitude was all the more praiseworthy as his mother was originally from Alsace
, and he was unable to resign himself to the loss of Alsace and Lorraine
.
The war being over he returned to teaching. At this period of his life he wrote Grégoire de Tours
et Marius d'Avenche (1872); Frédégaire, whose history, taken from original manuscripts, he published in 1885; a translation of a book of W. Junghans
, Histoire critique des règnes de Childerich et de Chlodovech, with introduction and notes (1879); Études critiques sur les sources de l'histoire carolingienne (1898, 1st part only published); and Bibliographie de l'histoire de France (1888). He himself said that his pupils were his best books; he intended to teach them not so much new facts as the way to study, endeavouring to develop in them an idea of criticism and truth. They showed their gratitude by dedicating a book to him in 1896, Études d'histoire du moyen âge, and after his retirement in 1905 by having his features engraved on a slab (see À Gabriel Monod, en souvenir de son enseignement: École pratique des hautes études, 1868–1905, École normale supérieure, 1880-1904. May 26, 1907).
Monod married Olga Herzen, daughter of Russian political thinker Alexander Herzen
, in 1873.
In 1875 he founded the Revue Historique, which rapidly became a great authority on scientific education. Some of his articles in this and other periodicals have been put together in book form, Les Maîtres de l'histoire: Ernest Renan
, Hippolyte Taine
, Jules Michelet
(1894); Portraits et souvenirs (1897: on Victor Hugo
, Fustel de Coulanges
, Victor Duruy
, etc.)
Gabriel Monod died in 1912 in Versailles and is buried there in the Cimetière des Gonards
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
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...
, the nephew of Adolphe Monod
Adolphe Monod
Adolphe-Louis-Frédéric-Théodore Monod , was a French Protestant churchman. His elder brother was Frédéric Monod....
.
Biography
Born in Ingouville, Seine-MaritimeSeine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
, he was educated at Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
then went to Paris to complete his education, lodging with the de Pressensé family. The influence of Edmond de Pressensé
Edmond de Pressensé
Edmond Dehault de Pressensé was a French Protestant leader.He was born at Paris, and studied at Lausanne under Alexandre Vinet...
, a pastor and large-minded theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, and of Madame de Pressensé, a woman of superior intellect and refined feeling, who devoted her life to educational works and charity, made a great impression on him. In 1865 he left the École normale supérieure, and went to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he studied at the University of Göttingen and Humboldt University in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. The teaching of Georg Waitz
Georg Waitz
Georg Waitz was a German historian and politician.He was born at Flensburg, in the duchy of Schleswig and educated at the Flensburg gymnasium and the universities of Kiel and Berlin...
definitely directed his studies towards the history of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Returning to France in 1868 he was nominated by Victor Duruy
Victor Duruy
Jean Victor Duruy was a French historian and statesman.He was born in Paris, the son of a factory worker, and at first intended for his father's trade...
to give lectures on history, following the method used in German seminaries, at the École des hautes études.
When the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
broke out, Gabriel Monod, with his cousins Alfred and Sarah Monod, organized an ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
with which he followed the whole campaign, from Sedan
Battle of Sedan
The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War on 1 September 1870. It resulted in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and large numbers of his troops and for all intents and purposes decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, though fighting continued under a new French...
to Le Mans
Battle of Le Mans
The Battle of Le Mans was a Prussian victory during the Franco-Prussian War which ended French resistance in western France.-Background:After the victory at the Battle of Orleans , Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia marched his army further to the west towards Le Mans. Antoine Chanzy had under his...
. He wrote a small book of memoirs of this campaign, Allemands et Français (1871), in which he spoke of the conquerors without bitterness; this attitude was all the more praiseworthy as his mother was originally from Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, and he was unable to resign himself to the loss of Alsace and Lorraine
Lorraine (province)
The Duchy of Upper Lorraine was an historical duchy roughly corresponding with the present-day northeastern Lorraine region of France, including parts of modern Luxembourg and Germany. The main cities were Metz, Verdun, and the historic capital Nancy....
.
The war being over he returned to teaching. At this period of his life he wrote Grégoire de Tours
Gregory of Tours
Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...
et Marius d'Avenche (1872); Frédégaire, whose history, taken from original manuscripts, he published in 1885; a translation of a book of W. Junghans
Wilhelm Junghans
Wilhelm Junghans was a German historian who was a native of Lüneburg.He studied under Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschl at the University of Bonn, and with Georg Waitz at the University of Göttingen. In 1862 he was appointed professor at the University of Kiel, a position he held until his death in 1865...
, Histoire critique des règnes de Childerich et de Chlodovech, with introduction and notes (1879); Études critiques sur les sources de l'histoire carolingienne (1898, 1st part only published); and Bibliographie de l'histoire de France (1888). He himself said that his pupils were his best books; he intended to teach them not so much new facts as the way to study, endeavouring to develop in them an idea of criticism and truth. They showed their gratitude by dedicating a book to him in 1896, Études d'histoire du moyen âge, and after his retirement in 1905 by having his features engraved on a slab (see À Gabriel Monod, en souvenir de son enseignement: École pratique des hautes études, 1868–1905, École normale supérieure, 1880-1904. May 26, 1907).
Monod married Olga Herzen, daughter of Russian political thinker Alexander Herzen
Alexander Herzen
Aleksandr Ivanovich Herzen was a Russian pro-Western writer and thinker known as the "father of Russian socialism", and one of the main fathers of agrarian populism...
, in 1873.
In 1875 he founded the Revue Historique, which rapidly became a great authority on scientific education. Some of his articles in this and other periodicals have been put together in book form, Les Maîtres de l'histoire: Ernest Renan
Ernest Renan
Ernest Renan was a French expert of Middle East ancient languages and civilizations, philosopher and writer, devoted to his native province of Brittany...
, Hippolyte Taine
Hippolyte Taine
Hippolyte Adolphe Taine was a French critic and historian. He was the chief theoretical influence of French naturalism, a major proponent of sociological positivism, and one of the first practitioners of historicist criticism. Literary historicism as a critical movement has been said to originate...
, Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet was a French historian. He was born in Paris to a family with Huguenot traditions.-Early life:His father was a master printer, not very prosperous, and Jules assisted him in the actual work of the press...
(1894); Portraits et souvenirs (1897: on Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
, Fustel de Coulanges
Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges
Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges was a French historian.Born in Paris, of Breton descent, after studying at the École Normale Supérieure he was sent to the French School at Athens in 1853, he directed some excavations in Chios, and wrote an historical account of the island.After his return he filled...
, Victor Duruy
Victor Duruy
Jean Victor Duruy was a French historian and statesman.He was born in Paris, the son of a factory worker, and at first intended for his father's trade...
, etc.)
Gabriel Monod died in 1912 in Versailles and is buried there in the Cimetière des Gonards
Cimetière des Gonards
The Cimetière des Gonards began operations in 1879 on a 130,000 m² property in the wealthy Parisian suburb of Versailles, France. It is the area’s largest cemetery with more than 12,000 tombs.-Notable interments:*Marc Allégret, , film director...
.