Arnoult de Lisle (1556–) was a French physician, Arabist, and diplomat of the 16th and 17th centuries. As a young physician, Arnoult de Lisle married the daughter of Louis Duret, a specialist of Avicenna, in 1586.

Morocco (1588–98)

In 1587, Arnoult de Lisle was appointed at 31 as the first professor of the chair of Arabic founded for him by Henry III of France at the

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment ('' grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris n ...

, and received the title of "lecteur et professeur du Roy en langue Arabique". Arnoult de Lisle was soon sent to Morocco, however, to become physician to the Sultan of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

from 1588 to 1598 at the instigation of Henry III of France. He had become interested in the position in order to learn the Arabic language on the spot as a way to further his medical knowledge. He succeeded

Guillaume Bérard Guillaume Bérard was a French Consul established in Fez, Morocco, in 1577 by Henry III of France. He was the first European to be named Consul in Morocco. His nomination followed the mission of Louis Cabrette, a French captain who had been used a ...

, who had been physician to Abd al-Malik and then El-Mansour, in this position. Although Arnoult de Lisle was not officially Consul, he acted as an agent to the king of France and played a diplomatic role. He was based in Marrakesh, while another Frenchman, Georges Fornier, a former assistant to

, was based in Fès. Arnoult de Lisle was then succeeded by Étienne Hubert d'Orléans from 1598 to 1600.

Professor of Arabic at the College de France (1598–1613)

He returned to France to become the professor of Arabic at the

. He held the teaching position until 1613, although he doesn't seem to have taught regularly, and continued with diplomatic endeavours.''Eastern wisedome and learning: the study of Arabic in seventeenth-century England''
by G. J. Toomer p.28''ff'' Abudacnus worked as an interpreter for him at the College de France.''Eastern wisedome and learning: the study of Arabic in seventeenth-century England''
by G. J. Toomer p.95''ff'' In 1606–7,

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

again sent Arnoult de Lisle to Morocco as ambassador, in order to obtain the observance of past friendship treaties.

Notes

{{reflist French Arabists 16th-century French physicians 17th-century French physicians Academic staff of the Collège de France